From the keyboard of Dr Jan

Last Sunday I went with Ruth to the Savoy hotel in London for afternoon tea. We met some friends and relatives for a bit of a birthday celebration

The last time I went to the Savoy, I made the error of removing my jacket whilst taking tea – I was quickly reminded that jackets were required!

So, this time we went prepared. We dressed up and we both looked, quite frankly, fabulous

There were nine of us for tea, so we had a large round table near the corner of the room. The room was excellent, if a little chintzy.

The tea menu was extensive, but we both opted for the Savoy Blend, which is an English Breakfast Tea. The sandwiches, scones and cakes were served on 3-tier silver cake stands. The attentive staff re-filled the tiers and bought fresh tea when necessary.

There is a very funky white grand piano (decorated with silhouettes of musical instruments and music notes) in the centre of the room. The pianist was rather amusing – at one point he was playing the theme tune to ‘Rainbow’, the popular children’s television programme from the last century

We all had a fabulous time, it was an excellent way to pass a Sunday afternoon

The tea costs about GBP36 per person, or about GBP44 with the optional glass of champagne.

There is an excellent round-up of afternoon tea venues in London on the Dine Online website. There is a second page of the review with details of the hotels here.