11 Cadogan Gardens, located in the heart of Chelsea, has launched a new Afternoon Tea menu. True to the 11 Cadogan Gardens guest experience, the Afternoon Tea is classic and of exceptionally high quality. Guests can enjoy traditional British finger sandwiches, freshly baked scones and delicate pastries with a pot of Partridges’ tea or, to make it even more of an occasion, a glass of Laurent Perrier Brut Champagne.

We visited on a Friday afternoon, and there were three or four other tables also enjoying Afternoon Tea. The room has a crackling open fire, fresh flowers and lovely jazz music played in the background – the perfect setting.

The service was excellent – the waitress answered any questions we had as we ordered, and she talked us through everything on our plates as it was brought to the table. I ordered a vegetarian set of sandwiches; the sandwiches were cut into delicate fingers on different types of bread with fresh fillings. One of the veggie sandwich finger fillings was a salad mustard sandwich which sounds unassuming but was so delicious and something I’ll recreate at home.

The scones were a perfect size, crusty on the outside yet soft and fluffy on the inside; these arrived with pots of jam, thickly clotted cream and lemon curd. Other sweet offerings included melt in the mouth lemon meringue tarts with a fluffy meringue topping. Chocolate torte squares and pistachio slices were other stand out desserts!

When ordering Afternoon Tea, guests have the option of a Traditional Afternoon Tea (served with a pot of Partridge’s tea) or a Champagne afternoon tea (served with a glass of Laurent Perrier Brut Champagne). We went for the Champagne afternoon tea – I think the glass of Champagne is worth the extra cost and made the experience all the more special.

Afterwards, we had a lovely walk around Chelsea and did some shopping as 11 Cadogan Gardens is in such a great location. Just a stones throw away you will find artisan food shops, fashion stores, and independent restaurants. 11 Cadogan Gardens is close to some of the best art galleries, museums and retail destinations that London has to offer (nearby you’ll find the Saatchi Gallery, Harrods, Cadogan Hall, the V&A Museum and Royal Albert Hall).

The Afternoon Tea is served from Monday to Sunday between 12pm and 6pm. Priced at £45 per person for Traditional Afternoon Tea and £55 per person for Champagne Afternoon Tea.

Written by Lenny Wright

Photography courtesy of 11 Cadogan Gardens