London's ten best afternoon teas

The ritual of afternoon tea owes its origins to Anna, the 7th Duchess of Bedford. As a young women in the early 1800s she lived during a time when it was common to eat only two main meals a day, with breakfast scheduled early in the morning and dinner occuring late in the evening. Weakened and irritated by hunger pangs each day, she decided to schedule time to take tea and snack each afternoon. This private ceremony was firstly done furtively in her bedroom, but over time well-heeled acquaintances joined her and the practice was perpetuated. Nowadays tea rooms and hotels in London and throughout the country offer permutations of this centuries-old tradition. Plenty are pretty much indistinguishable but quite a few offer something unique. Below are some of the capital's best afternoon teas for those who want to experience something special. Afternoon tea at Claridge’s hotel is always busy but the atmosphere of genteel refinement is unsullied by the crowds and continual clink of cups on china. That’s partially due to the service, which is attentive and agreeably affable rather than fusty, and the sense of occasion. Guests book up to three months in advance, so often time their visit to celebrate something special. The experience is worth the wait. With patient guidance we managed to select from the 40 teas on offer – summery, pink-hued elderflower tea for her, smoky Lapsang Souchong tea from China for me – and then sat back as platters of dainty finger sandwiches and crumbly French pastries were presented for inspection. Traditional and uncomplicated, the choices were fuss-free but flawless. We left completely satisfied, and fully appreciative of why the Tea Guild named it 2011’s ‘Top London Afternoon Tea’. Top treat: freshly baked raisin and apple scones, served warm with spiced Marco Polo jam and silky dollops of clotted cream, scooped into a tumbler like ice-cream. Tea-tox at Brown's Hotel. Image: Adrian Houston Limited Healthy versions of indulgences have always struck me as being a bit po-faced, but I loved every bite of Brown’s Hotel’s sugar-free, low-fat, low-carb afternoon ‘Tea-Tox’.Spelt and rye breads, and lettuce and chicory leaves provided the bases for imaginative open sandwiches (my favourite being smoked mackerel and quail's egg), delicious fruit skewers with a honeyed yoghurt dip stood in for scones and delightful patisseries using xylitol instead of sugar and low-fat creme fraiche in place of cream were indistinguishable from their full-calorie equivalents. Served (by wonderful staff) in the elegant environs of the English Tea Room, the Tea-Tox can even be enjoyed without tea - various fruit and herb infusions are available alongside ten black and seven herbal blends. I, however, drew the line at this and ordered a pot of Tregothnan’s Cornish Blend - milk, but no sugar, of course. Top treat: a sugarless chocolate cup with yoghurt and berries was far more decadent than I would ever have thought possible.