foodie break: festive afternoon tea at the conrad london st. james

With less than ten days until Christmas and the winners of our #LTholidays giveaway announced, it’s safe to say we’re fully immersed in the holiday spirit. As we’re living in new cities this year, we can’t wait to explore how each celebrates the season! Yes, the tried and true holiday attractions are near and dear to our hearts. People love Winter Wonderland in London’s Hyde Park! The Light Show in Philadelphia’s Wanamaker Building is a classic for a reason! But the crowd-hating, semi-claustrophobic versions of ourselves also appreciate a quieter celebration, away from all the hustle and bustle.

Enter: Festive Afternoon Tea at the Conrad London St James. Located a short walk away from Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, and Parliament, it’s the perfect place to stop after an afternoon of London holiday merrymaking. Complete with festive fascinators, of COURSE.

(We’ll get to those in a later post, but they were bopping atop our heads for a very important reason.)

We walked into the Conrad London St James and were promptly led to our table. We enjoyed tea in the Emmeline Lounge, which has a truly luxe and tranquil vibe. Each of us nestled into our plush armchairs, surrounded fresh florals. Can’t imagine a sweeter setting for toiling the afternoon away with a pot of tea or a glass of champagne.

…or both!

Though none of us are regular tea drinkers, the Conrad had a cuppa for everyone, offering a wide selection of classic loose leaf teas and herbal infusions. Three of us selected the traditional Earl Grey, while the romantic opted for a ginger tea (rebel!). Both varieties paired perfectly with the range of savory and sweet delicacies. We noshed on finger sandwiches (the beetroot and spinach was the group fave) and mince pies. But saved the most room for freshly baked scones served with traditional clotted cream and jam, mais oui.

In addition to our tea, we also opted for “free flowing champagne” upgrade for an extra £8 a person (because, chellloooo), which was one of the best decisions we made in 2014. Our server never let our glasses of  Laurent-Perrier go empty, and we certainly drank more than £8 worth of bubbly.

You can clearly tell which ones of us are used to hamming it up for the camera. We were just too excited for more champers!

The tea and champagne was more than enough to put us in the holiday mood. But after clearing our sandwiches, our server delivered the true holiday highlight. Laid in front of us was an entirely edible winter wonderland scene, covered in a snow-dusted glass cloche. Complete with meringue snowmen, fondant Christmas trees, and mini yule logs.

The Conrad’s Festive Afternoon Tea is available through December 24th. If you visit on a Saturday or Sunday like us, a reverie choir is there to serenade the guests with Christmas carols.

Get thee to The Conrad, drink tea, and be merry!

xo!

the romantic & the wino

– We were guests of the Conrad London St. James for our afternoon tea. No amount of Laurent-Perrier would sway the glowing opinions of our experience there. Prices start at £37 per person. We obviously recommend including the champagne upgrade for £45 per person. Reservations are suggested, and can be made online.