To A Tea | The Dorsett Hotel, Shepherds Bush

If you're following along on Instagram, you may have noticed we have a new hood- Shepherds Bush! We are still in Central London, but just on the edge of it. It's a great fit for us- near friends and with a ton more space for our money. We are loving life here!

Obviously, one of the first matters necessary to us settling here was finding a great afternoon tea nearby. (I have my priorities, people.) Luckily, The Dorsett Hotel is just around the corner from our new house and, as I've come to discover, a place I'm sure I'll be finding myself on many afternoons in the near future.

The hotel graciously invited me to come for their special afternoon tea in celebration of the Queen's 90th Birthday. The tea has a menu that really highlights classic summer treats of Britain. When my original date had a last-minute change of plans, I was forced to scrounge up someone to join me. Just as I was about to whip out my phone and start hitting up some replacements, Tyler & I decided that there was a particular three year-old who would love a special afternoon out with her mom. So we tossed on dresses and the two of us trotted down to The Dorsett.

THE QUEENS AFTERNOON TEA | £24.95

The tea is served to you on fluffly velvet sofas in the hotel's sleek golden atrium bar, Jin. The setting is different than your classic tea room found in London with its merging of luxe finishes and modern lines.

The Queen's Afternoon Tea begins with your choice of several loose leaf teas. (Though if you're feeling torn, just know you can change up your brew throughout the tea to fit your mood.) Soon after, you'll be greated with an enormous spread of tea time fare.

Think all the English classics for this tea: coronation chicken and smoked salmon sandwiches, warm scones and crumpets with giant pots of cream and jam, Eton Mess parfaits, strawberries and cream, brightly colored slices of Battenburg cakes and all the works. It really was a great taste of British summer time... actually, more than just a taste- it was one of the largest teas I've ever been served. (Luckily, they wrapped up the pieces we couldn't finish and we got to take them home with us.)

In London, there are so many places to get expensive afternoon teas. I love those places, but I think we often assume that afternoon teas at a lower price may be missing an element from them. Well, I'm here to tell you- this one is not. (After all, the Dorsett is one of Prince Harry's favorite hangouts.) And at almost half the price of what you can pay at some of the well-known tea rooms, the Dorsett's Queen's Afternoon Tea really is a great treat for an afternoon out.