Afternoon tea at the Wolseley, London

You can't account for the English weather and this is exactly what we did when we arranged a nice day out together in London for my mum and Gipsy Spread's mum on the 23rd December. The plan was a trip to Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park followed by a saunter arround Fortnum and Masons for their Christmas fare and concluding in afternoon tea at the Wolseley.


Well, it all started the day before with high winds and rain and warnings from the train companies about 'travel chaos'. I had bought Mother Toast's return tickets for specified trains from Lincolnshire to London, so we just waited to see what would happen. The morning of the 23rd, both Mother Toast and Mother in law Spread arrived on time and intact, however Winter Wonderland had been closed due to the weather. We adapted and went to the V&A instead. I am happy to say that the weather did not prevent us from attending our afternoon tea at the Wolseley - one of my favourite afternoon tea spots in the City (in fact this is where Mother Toast met Gipsy Spread for the first time).


I adore the plush art deco decor (v. Great Gatsby, fashionable now, but I've always been a fan) and the constant clink of china and teapots in the cavernous space.

We had had lunch so we did not opt for the full afternoon tea, a bargain at the price of £25, but went for the cream tea, which is just the scones, cream and jam without the sandwiches and any further patisserie. Gipsy Spread had spotted the blackforest cake on the menu that he went for instead.

Service, as is to be expected is excellent here. It is usually a good idea to book ahead, which I always do, however a few days before the visit Brother Toast asked if he could join us and this could not be accommodated as they were fully booked. At £25 for an afternoon tea and £10 for the cream tea, the Wolseley really is one of London's treasures for those in the know. I never tire of it and really enjoy bringing both our mums here for a treat. If you want a reasonably priced, but decadent afternoon tea experience in London, the Wolseley is the only choice.


So, I checked the return trains online whilst we were there and managed (with just minutes to spare) to place Mother Toast on a train home; the next three trains to her destination having been cancelled, one of them was the one she was originally booked on.


A nice Christmas day out, but there really is no accounting for the weather.