Afternoon Tea at Ham Yard Hotel

Afternoon Tea at Ham Yard Hotel

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Afternoon tea in a jazzy new Soho hotel

Afternoon tea in itself is a pretty inoffensive affair, built around the genteel consumption of finger sandwichs, scones and a few polite little pastries. Perhaps the most objectionable part of this daintiest of activities is not the activity itself, but the sums of money that you are sometimes asked to part with to have them. I’m refreshingly surprised to see the price tag on the afternoon tea at Ham Yard Soho, an eclectic hotel where the afternoon tea costs just £19.50 pp.

Served on a neon pink triple-tiered stand, each shelf heaves under the weight of a hefty booty. Gone are the traditional sandwiches, replaced instead with sliders full of sticky pulled oxtail, flatbreads with welsh rarebit, and butter-fried toast with sautéed mushroom and cheese. The only savoury item I’m not completely on board with is a finger sandwich of sliced beef tomato, which feels a little lonely all on its own, and which works nowhere near as well as the cucumber variety.

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On the top tier of the stand are pots brimming with clotted cream, raspberry and strawberry jam, which are put to good use on a selection of mini fruit and plain scones. Warm and swaddled in thick cotton, these scones are the perfect little number to transfer gently between savoury and sweet.

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Afternoon tea concludes with a selection of pastries, which include a glace cherry macaron, a banana cheesecake and a chocolate cupcake. Although the variety is commendable, only one of each pastry is given for an afternoon tea which serves two people, and so these petit four creations must be halved into even smaller mouthfuls. Still, each mouthful is a delight.

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Apart from the tea itself, I quite like the chop-and-change nature of the menu, and the flexibility it gives to have exactly what you want and pay for it accordingly. The basic afternoon tea for £19.50 pp includes the tea stand as pictured (for two), and a choice of Earl Grey, Darjeeling or Breakfast tea. More exotic teas are available for an extra £2.50 per pot, whilst refills of the sweet and savoury tea tiers can also be requested for an extra £8 and £6 respectively.

After tea I would strongly suggest taking a wander around the hotel itself, which offers great nooks to explore including a plush ground floor bar, rooftop garden, cinema and an original ’50s bowling alley.

Tube: Piccadilly Circus
Address: 1 Ham Yard, London W1D 7DT
Tel: 020 3642 2000
Website
Review was conducted on behalf of afternoontea.co.uk

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28 Comments

  • 9 years ago

    Ahhh I just visited Ham Yard too! My post will be up next week :) lovely to read yours

    Krissie x – http://pearlsofstyle.blogspot.com

    • Mehreen A
      9 years ago

      Ohh it’s great isn’t it! Can’t wait to see your post of it x

  • I’m not a huge scone fan, but those desserts and sandwiches looks SO good! And I can’t believe how cheap it is – what an amazing price!!

    C x | Lux Life

    • Mehreen A
      9 years ago

      It’s so reasonably priced – really excellent in terms of value for money :)

  • 9 years ago

    Such a cool place!

    -Ashley
    http://lestylorouge.com

    • Mehreen A
      9 years ago

      It really is – so eclectic!

  • I love that hotel and the tea looks great…not too sure about the perspex platter though :/
    Gorgeous pics as usual :)

    • Mehreen A
      9 years ago

      Thanks Angie! I actually quite like the platter, but mostly because it’s pink :D

  • I love the Ham Yard hotel! I’m trying their afternoon tea this weekend, but I’m more excited about Engawa, though!

    Honey x The Girl Next Shore

    • Mehreen A
      9 years ago

      Ohhh Engawa!! Have heard such great things, looking forward to reading your review :)

  • 9 years ago

    I’ve never actually had afternoon tea before. I’m a rubbish English!

    Corinne x

    • Mehreen A
      9 years ago

      You HAVE to try one! This would be a good first go as its quite reasonably priced x

  • agathalizz
    9 years ago

    Beautiful photos, dear. I really enjoyed the food images
    xoxo
    Liza
    http://www.lizacorner.blogspot.com

    • Mehreen A
      9 years ago

      Thanks Liza :)

  • 9 years ago

    great post

    http://carrieslifestyle.wordpress.com
    Posts online about Dubai, Jesolo, Buenos Aires…

    • Mehreen A
      9 years ago

      Thank you :)

  • lena
    9 years ago

    Adorable place dear!
    lena
    http://skinnycature.com/le-negresco/

    • Mehreen A
      9 years ago

      It really is Lena :)

  • We considered staying at Ham Yard at the end of our honeymoon, and now I’ve seen your pics I’m kicking myself that we’re not! We must pop in for afternoon tea though. Just wow!

    Polly xx
    Follow Your Sunshine

    • Mehreen A
      9 years ago

      There’s always time, and you could make a weekend stay out of it :)

  • This is something my mum would LOVE :) Can’t wait to take her here on one of our coffee dates! What ravishing photos, too, I love the cake stand packed with all the goodies. Lovely post :) x

    Amanda Winchester ♥ | AmandaSays

    • Mehreen A
      9 years ago

      Aw thanks :) It’s a really great afternoon tea and I hope you both love it xx

  • 9 years ago

    I love the crockery, am hoping to visit Ham Yard Hotel soon and check out that bowling alley!

    Suze | LuxuryColumnist

    • Mehreen A
      9 years ago

      Definitely check out the roof garden too :)

  • andreaspassions5
    9 years ago

    SO jealous of your afternoon tea escapades!!! I love the presentation of the food and that they don’t do the usual bog standard (albeit tasty) sandwiches. Amazing value too. Lots of love, Andrea xxx

    Andrea’s Passions

    • Mehreen A
      9 years ago

      I love how unique it is too – its great having variety :)

  • Shikha (whywasteannualleave)
    9 years ago

    That really is great value though the good thing about it typically being a costly affair is that it stops people like me practically going every bloody day! :-D

  • 8 years ago

    Nice post. I like your blog. Thanks for posting. Useful information for visitor. You can also check best Darjeeling Hotels list with an best amenities.

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