Lady’s Summer Afternoon Tea at The Goring Review

Today I want to bring you my review of a summer afternoon tea at The Goring hotel in London. This famous luxury hotel in Belgravia is one of my favorite places for afternoon tea in the UK capital. Read on to see why.

Summer Afternoon Tea at The Goring

The English summer season is here. Starting with the Chelsea Flower Show, the annual parade of events will take us through the warmer months in a blur of horse races, boat races, tennis, and sailing.

From Royal Ascot to Wimbledon, the Henley Royal Regatta to Cowes Week, this summer—as every summer—will bring with it a series of not-to-be-missed events.

In celebration, this week I got a sneak peek at a summer season afternoon tea at The Goring hotel in London.

There are few hotels in London more British than The Goring, so it’s perfectly fitting that it offers an afternoon tea to coincide with the London summer season.

The Tearoom

The sunny yellow tearoom—one of my favorites in London—is all set for summer afternoon tea at The Goring when I arrive for the event the hotel has invited me to. There’s a special millinery exhibition on display, too.

The hats and fascinators have been inspired by the hotel, and the tea cakes have been inspired by the millinery. No summer season would be complete without ladies in hats. This is England, after all.

Afternoon Tea at The Goring

The summer afternoon tea at The Goring is a classic. A glass of Ayala champagne kicks off both the afternoon and the summer season, and soon the tiered trays arrive full of sandwiches, scones, and pastries.

The sandwiches include all the favorites—ham and mustard, egg and cress—and the plain and currant scones come with clotted cream and strawberry and raspberry jams.

The tea is the Goring Afternoon Blend, a special mix of Assam and Darjeeling that pairs perfectly with the scones.

But afternoon tea is all about the sweets, and the top tier of the tray shows off The Goring’s offering at its best.

An aquamarine blueberry macaron catches my eye right away, and I can see a resemblance to a nearby hat called the Victoria.

A sweet lemon meringue is shaped like a Wimbledon tennis ball, and a raspberry muffin with crumble and a horseshoe on top is evocative of the Epsom Derby and Royal Ascot.

Just when I think the summer afternoon tea at The Goring is over, one last treat arrives: a decadent sherry trifle with strawberries, Chantilly cream, and chocolate shavings on top.

It fits right in with the Wimbledon tradition of strawberries and cream, and gets me all the more excited for the upcoming events.

Summer Afternoon Tea at The Goring Review

The end of the afternoon is the beginning of the English summer season, and I can’t think of a better way to start it.

Well, except for the time I won a modeling competition at Royal Ascot. But champagne and cakes at The Goring are a pretty close—and much more delicious—second.

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