Rating Afternoon Tea

I recently came across an article in The Telegraph that purports to list (the?) top 30 places for afternoon tea in England. It was admittedly not systematic, based on the opinions of "experts" at The Telegraph; at the same time, my experiences with many places were similar but with some major differences.

The article ranked the following London places at the top of the list:

1. The Ritz
2. Fortnum and Mason
3. Claridges
4. Browns
5. Hotel Cafe Royal
6. Dean Street Townhouse
7. The Sanderson
8. The Wolseley
9. Orange Pekoe
10. Dandelyan
11. Little Nan's

At 25th is Betty's Cafe in Yorkshire, which I mention only because a friend has promised to take me there, should I ever be able to return to Yorkshire. I would also do my best to visit Fortnum & Mason in addition to several other places on the list.

I have been to only three of the places listed in The Telegraph article, and they are three of the top four: The Ritz, Claridges, and Browns. I am both surprised and very disappointed that neither The Lanesborough nor The Dorchester is included in this list. The Lanesborough was in the top category of my own experiences, and The Dorchester was in the same group as Claridges, Browns, and The Ritz. For some reason, The Lanesborough, after topping the charts a few years ago, seems to have dropped off most of the top-ten lists.

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My own reviews and ratings from experiences during the past decade:

These three were superb. Highly recommended:

• The Four Seasons, London, England
• The St. Regis Hotel, Houston, Texas
• The Lanesborough, London, England
  

Those in this large middle group ranged from very good to just okay. I would consider returning to them, but those in the upper portion of the list were significantly better than those in the lower portion of this section:

• Claridge's, London, England
• The Dorchester, London, England
• The Ritz, London, England
• Brown's, London, England

           ----------

• Scolfe's Tea Room, Boreham Street, England (superb, but not really afternoon tea)
• The Pump Room, Bath, England (also superb, but not really afternoon tea)
•  The Windsor Arms, Toronto, Canada
• The Fairmont Pacific Rim, Vancouver, British Columbia
• Spartahouse Tea Room
• The Saskatchewan Hotel, Regina, Saskatchewan
• The Boathouse, Guelph, Canada
• The Grand Hotel, Eastbourne, England 
• Langdon Hall, Cambridge, Canada

These next two were unacceptable:

• The Royal Crescent Hotel, Bath, England
• The Queen's Hotel, Portsmouth, England

  * * * * 

The chronology of when I visited each place probably affected my ratings, so here is a chronological list:

1. The Four Seasons, London, England
2. The Royal Crescent Hotel, Bath, England
3. The Pump Room, Bath, England (superb, but not really afternoon tea)
4. Claridge's, London, England
5. The Boathouse, Guelph, Canada
6. The St. Regis Hotel, Houston, Texas
7. The Queen's Hotel, Portsmouth, England
8. The Dorchester, London, England
9. Brown's, London, England
10. Langdon Hall, Cambridge, Canada
11. The Windsor Arms, Toronto, Canada
12. The Ritz, London, England
13. Scolfe's Tea Room, Boreham Street, England (again, not really afternoon tea)
14. The Lanesborough, London, England
15. The Grand Hotel, Eastbourne, England
16. The Saskatchewan Hotel, Regina, Saskatchewan
17. The Fairmont Pacific Rim, Vancouver, British Columbia
18. Sparta House Tea Room, Sparta, Ontario

For various meanings of the different forms and types of tea (e.g. afternoon, high, meat), see this or this.

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