Afternoon Tea on the River Thames

I’m a huge fan of afternoon tea and have had the opportunity to try it at many different places These include Betty’s in York, Ladurée, the Kimpton Fitzroy Hotel, and the Sanderson Hotel. I have always wanted to experience afternoon tea on the River Thames, so was thrilled when we received this as a gift.

When planning a Thames afternoon tea cruise, one of the key things to consider is the weather. Fortunately, we had gorgeous weather during our trip. There was not a cloud in the sky, even though it was early March.

We had booked to sail at 3:30 PM and boarded the boat near Tower Bridge about 15 minutes before departure. The interior was light and airy, featuring wide (and clean!) windows. The staff sat us by the window, which offered a lovely view. There was commentary throughout the trip, providing plenty of information about the sights we were passing. I imagine this would be helpful for anyone who hadn’t been on a cruise down the Thames before.

Now, onto the most important part: the afternoon tea. It included the standard variety of sandwiches, cakes, and scones. I was delighted that the scones were plain, as I don’t like cheese or fruit scones. The cakes offered were lemon meringue, mango pebble, pink macaroon, and chocolate fudge cake.

The sandwiches consisted of a selection of egg mayonnaise and cress, smoked salmon with cream cheese and cucumber, chicken with salad, and cheese with pickle. My only quibble is that I found the bread in the sandwiches to be slightly dry. However, as the rest of the experience was done so well, I can overlook this small issue. I didn’t feel bloated at the end either.

The staff were friendly and professional and were happy to bring us extra tea if we wanted it. We were on board for an hour and a half. This gave us plenty of time to enjoy our afternoon tea. However, it made things tight if we wanted to go up on deck to see the sights. Luckily, we managed to squeeze in 10 minutes at the end to do that.

The boat was comfortable, and I loved the overall ambiance. Having afternoon tea on the River Thames was a glamorous and enjoyable experience, which I highly recommend.

https://www.cityexperiences.com/london/city-cruises/afternoon-tea-cruise-river-thames