Tea?

Sunday afternoon tea with Maria at the Wolseley was an experience. But, the highlight for us both, undoubtedly, was the perfect flavour of mustard in the ham and mustard finger sandwiches. The strawberry jam had entire mini-strawberries in them. The fragrance of the jasmine tea made me think of gardens in India, where they sell strings of jasmine to put into your hair.




As afternoon tea places in London go, I'd give this one a four and a half star rating at least, half a star less because they have a no-photographs policy (which is understandable considering the celebrities dotted around the place). The experience and ambience is definitely worth the price.



From the second the doorman opens those double doors to you, you feel like you've entered the 1920s. They have preserved every little art deco detail, including the original cashier's counter. The Wolseley was originally built in the 20s as a car showroom. It still have the original marble floors where the cars where shown. But, it went bankrupt very quickly and was sold to Barclays bank. Barclays left in 1999 and the Wolseley was converted into a restaurant in 2003, when it opened.

They do have other food options, but if you do go, have the mustard and ham sandwiches. Maria and I dream of them!