In my second to last weekend here in foggy Londontown, there was no better treat than a visit from my best friend Liz Tomaselli, a fellow HC coordinator and writer who flew over from her semester abroad in Milan, Italy, to check out the famed streets of England. In taking her around my favorite markets, churches, and tourist destinations, I was once again enamored with how beautiful this place truly is. However, London is not traditionally known for it’s cooking, and being two gals brought up with home cooked meals and delicious family recipes, I knew I wanted to seek out the best of London’s dining styles to compl
iment our already fabulous weekend (the pub menu only goes so far). After a long morning along the Thames River, walking from London Bridge to Westminster, we meandered through Soho and popped into the Coach and Horses Pub, above which a decadent and adoring 40’s style tearoom was located. An okay from the bartender, we were ushered up a narrow staircase behind the bar, and walked up to the first floor entering a room with black and white photos, freshly made cakes, and a soft record playing underneath the clinking of vintage china. We were instantly in love with this English tradition. Thus began our first formal high tea experience.
Sitting at a table for two in the corner near the window, we each ordered the “Traditional Afternoon Tea.” Soon after we placed our order, we were presented with our own individual teapots, along with a mini-hourglass to denote the exact time when the fresh tea inside the pots would be brewed. We poured the steaming hot tea through the filter and into our flower-painted teacups at the correct time, and enjoyed the most delicious tea we had ever tasted. Bitter at the bottom, you could not mistake how genuinely fresh it was, and we exclaimed our excitement after every sip. Before we even poured our second cup, out came our meal: a three-tiered tray fully equipped with an assortment of treats, perfect for two! We started with the crustless cucumber and egg & cress sandwiches, which were lined up in rows of three on the bottom tier. We then popped to the top tiny tier for a fruit scone each, with small shallow saucers of butter and jam. My sweet tooth w
as to be fully satisfied with the final central “course” – a cake of our choice and a colorful cupcake! With the bright colors and sweet flavors, we couldn’t help but smile – what a wonderful setting in which to be reunited after a semester apart!
We were classy, we were satisfied, and we were obsessed with this tradition. We enjoyed it all slowly and thoughtfully, taking in the atmosphere of the place (which was complimented by the rain that started to drizzle outside our window mid-meal). Each table was set in the same fashion, but no two tea-and-saucer sets were the same, nor were the table cloths, givinga unique air to the Soho Secret Tea Room, which was glowing with vintage tones. As I toasted my final cup of tea with Liz, all I could think of was how lucky we were, and how vividly this meal would be remembered. The numbers of meals, desserts, and coffee runs we have shared throughout childhood, and now adulthood, are countless, but this one might just take the cake (literally!). A visit to London would simply not be complete without a high tea experience – an adorable tradition that continues to attract both locals and tourists, it satisfied any aspiration we had of becoming “Fabulously British.” Cheers!
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at BU chapter.