By the time we arrived at our tea venue, we were in need of nerve-calming sustenance. I’d been invited to try out the current collab between the Lanesborough and designer pâtissier Peggy Porschen. It’s a fitting tie in, as this was where she started her career in 1999 is perfect.
Peggy’s style — visible at with her own cafes in Chelsea and Belgravia — is super feminine. All pastels and pinks, and decked with flowers. Ideal venue for a girlie tea with mama to celebrate her recent birthday.
The outing has become an annual tradition. Mumsie and I take in an exhibition, and then eat a lot. This year, I’d booked the exhibition of dresses at Kensington Palace, and when an invitation landed in my in-box from the lovely team The Lanesborough’s PR to check out this new tea, I knew I’d found our perfect place.
After a trot around Kensington Palace past the new Diana memorial statue, we abandoned the car – in a parking bay. We arrived gently glowing after a power walk across Hyde Park on an unseasonably warm September afternoon. Within minutes of being seated in the calm duck egg blue dining room, were sipping on iced water and watching the other tables taking tea or finishing lunch.
There are various Porschen touches around the room — a giant garland of pink artificial flowers as you enter, plus tiny versions on each tea tower. The menu matches the tone, with plenty of pink in evidence.
The choice of teas is actually fairly small — a good thing, as a long tea list generally has me going down a rabbit hole of indecision. Two Lanesborough blends — one of which includes rose petals and fruits — plus a few unusual blends (rhubarb and vanilla/chocolate brownie) and a range of green and herbal choices. We picked the sensible option — Lanesborough Breakfast Tea – delivered in a pleasingly solid, metal pot.
We’d skipped lunch so were ready to eat the table — or at least a pile of napkins — by the time the food arrived, so launched ourselves into perfectly rectilinear, pillow-soft sandwiches as soon as they landed. Egg and cress; smoked salmon; mint yoghurt and cucumber (really nice touch) and cheddar and pickle were all delicious. Non-kosher coronation chicken was swapped out without issue, and endless top ups available to re-energise us after our hike.
Next layer down on the tea tower were warm scones with clotted cream and thick, smooth strawberry jam, and after that, a range of mini pastries that included a teeny pink pavlova; top notch lemon and elderflower tartlet; mini cupcakes and an equally petite lemon, raspberry and rose layer cake. All perfectly formed.
The room was calm and the mood relaxed — perfect for the tense driver and even more ragged passenger — and we left, zen enough to contemplate the drive home.
Even if you don’t preface your tea with a daredevil drive, it’s a special afternoon treat, and available until November.
More info here.
