Chesterfield Mayfair Afternoon Tea

The Chesterfield Mayfair serves afternoon tea in The Conservatory or Butler's Retreat restaurant.

The traditional afternoon tea is most popular but you can upgrade to the Champagne afternoon tea or indulge in the Chocolate Lovers afternoon tea. Children are always welcome and there is a Little Prince and Princess afternoon tea menu too.

For more afternoon tea reviews see:
Best Afternoon Tea in London.

Venue:
Chesterfield Mayfair, 35 Charles Street,
Mayfair, London, W1J 5EB

Days and Times:
1.30-6.30pm daily.

Cost: From around £25 per person.

Dress Code: Smart casual (no shorts).

Reservations: 020 7491 2622 or book online.

Music: Classical background music. No live musicians.

Venue
Butler's Retreat restaurant is a darker room dominated by red but popular for meals outside of afternoon tea and for tea with larger groups. The Conservatory is a much lighter affair with a skylight and views of a fountain outside. The cream and green décor is elegant and the tables are best suited to parties of two to four people. My companion actually said, "This is where an English afternoon tea should be as it's flooded with natural light yet we're protected from the weather." Yes, it was raining at the time.

Staff
Chesterfield Mayfair is part of the Red Carnation collection and all are known for their excellent service. Staff are smartly dressed and know their roles well so can describe teas and the cakes with ease. We ordered a variety of teas and staff were available even during busy periods to take our order.

Tea Selection
The tea menu is quite simple (I don't think there was a white tea on the list) but it is served correctly with a lovely selection of flowering teas. The glass teapots make these a joy and for the black teas many of the white teapots had an inner tea area which could be lifted so the tea doesn't brew too long.

It's all very classic with a silver cake stand and white crockery.

The sandwiches are finger sandwiches with the crusts cut off, of course. Vegetarian options are available and all are made to order.

The scones were light and still warm even though we had talked for some time before getting on to them. As is traditional, they are served with homemade preserve and clotted cream.

The cake options were less creamy than other venues often supply and we had a mini chocolate éclair, a fruit tart and a mini cupcake each.

Afternoon tea at Chesterfield Mayfair is not rushed and is a wonderful way to spend time with friends.

When I visited, The Chesterfield Mayfair had a 'Poet in Residence' which was a totally new concept to me. Elizabeth Darcy Jones is Britain's Tea Poet, and she is available once a month to join your table and entertain your party for free with her unique poems about tea. It's all light-hearted and fun and she has a way to make you feel inspired to try something new. The poetry comes in "sip-sized portions" which is a lovely way to explain they are not long and intimidating soliloquies but just enough to introduce a tea to you or describe a favorite tea.

Elizabeth chose to work here as the afternoon tea was recommended to her many times. Her latest book is Poems for Tea Lovers and this is the first is a series of tea poetry titles.

As is common in the travel industry, the writer was provided with complimentary services for review purposes. While it has not influenced this review, About.com believes in full disclosure of all potential conflicts of interest. For more information, see our Ethics Policy.