Freshly cut cucumber sandwiches, strawberry jam, and tea in a china teapot. There are few things that evoke a sense of Englishness quite like the tradition of afternoon tea. You can take it in a tearoom in a grand seaside resort, the café of a local park or the elegant dining room of a sumptuous hotel. There are even alternative afternoon tea ideas available – think spelt bread, tabbouleh and flourless chocolate cake – but we know which we prefer. Look out too for its close relation, the cream tea, which is now widely served beyond the West Country.
Experience vintage English hospitality and choose from hundreds of delicious treats and tea varieties in this iconic Art Deco café.
Location: Harrogate, North Yorkshire
Get a taste of Jane Austen’s world while tucking into a traditional English afternoon tea at Regency haunt, The Pump Room.
Location: Bath, Somerset
There’s nothing so quintessentially English as settling down in the drawing room for sandwiches, scones and a pot of Yorkshire tea.
Location: Oulton, Yorkshire
Explore the Winter Gardens innate beauty and enjoy afternoon tea in the iconic Blackpool Tower Ballroom.
Location: Blackpool, Lancashire
Take a stroll through London's Trafalgar Square, then stop off at St Martin-in-the-Fields Church for a spot afternoon tea in the crypt.
Location: London
Indulge and relax in Eastbourne with a delectable afternoon tea at England’s only 5-star seaside hotel.
Location: Eastbourne, East Sussex
Visit the Café in the Clouds for a high tea with a difference.
Location: Portsmouth, Hampshire
Tour the Cotswolds’ hidden gems and receive a warm welcome at the Secret Cottage, a private home where you are invited to traditional afternoon tea.
Location: Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire
Enjoy a luxurious afternoon tea at the historic house the Brontës knew and loved, then take a tour of the real-life setting for Wuthering Heights.
Location: Bradford, West Yorkshire
From fabulous stained-glass windows in his father’s church to sumptuous Mad Hatter’s tea parties, delight in Cheshire’s Carroll connections.
Location: Daresbury, Cheshire
Indulge in the quintessentially English tradition of afternoon tea from a wooden river boat, or whilst dressed in your best vintage clobber this spring.
Location: Windsor, Berkshire
Afternoon tea is a classic English pastime, and there's no one way of doing it properly - as these spots show..
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