Afternoon Tea at Home
Visiting The Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon every day sounds like a delicious, if somewhat impractical, idea. After all, there's no such thing as too much tea and cake.
Fortunately, bringing the joy of Afternoon Tea into your own home is easier than you might think. With a few carefully chosen treats, a well-brewed pot of tea and some thoughtful finishing touches, even the simplest gathering can feel like a special occasion.
Whether you're hosting friends, celebrating a milestone or simply carving out a moment of indulgence in the day, Afternoon Tea remains one of life's most delightful rituals. From selecting the perfect tea and mastering the classic sandwich-to-scone-to-cake order, to setting a table worth lingering around, there are plenty of ways to elevate the experience.
Read on to discover our guide to Afternoon Tea at home, packed with timeless traditions, expert tips and everything you need to create a wonderfully memorable occasion.
The Cream Tea Selection
Delivered in our signature Bag for Life, you will find sweet surprises in the form of our traditional Teacakes, the perfect accompaniment to a cup of Afternoon Blend Tea. Up next, we’ve packed freshly-baked plain and fruit Mini Scones with both organic Clotted Cream and Strawberry Preserve – we’ll leave it to you to decide which to spread or dollop first. Make teatime extra special with Fortnum’s loveliest tradition of all – afternoon tea.
Prefer to Pick and Choose For Yourself?
Whatever you want from teatime, it all starts with finding the perfect tea... and knowing how to brew it.
Something to Sip On
When perfecting the art of the Afternoon Tea, you should always start with the supreme element – the tea itself. You might opt for a classic, like our Royal Blend, or even one with a twist such as Victoria Grey – made using Fortnum's Salisbury Plain Honey. We always recommend brewing loose leaves for the best flavour.
Choosing the Perfect Cup...
...and saucer, strainer, teapot, and so on. If you would like to replicate the full experience of The Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon, then our elegant St James collection is the exact fine bone china we use every day (of course with so many collections to choose from, that isn't to say you necessarily must). Don't forget an elegant strainer for your loose leaf tea.
A Teatime Tip
Instead of cutting the scone in half, break it off piece by piece. Spread it with clotted cream and then jam. Or jam and then clotted cream. Why not try both in turn? It’s time to show the world just what a rugged individualist you are.
Selecting the Perfect Nibbles
Never ones to cut corners, just our crusts, we like to load up the cake stand with a checklist of treats at Afternoon Tea. Cakes, biscuits, scones, finger sandwiches - opt for any, or preferably, all. Hint: our Piccadilly Lemon Curd Biscuits taste wonderful with a cup of Earl Grey. Our new Biscuitorium is the best place to start your search...
Just Add Bubbles
However big or small, Afternoon Tea is always a celebratory occasion. And nothing starts the festivities than the sound of a popping cork, whether that be a fine bottle of Champagne from our world-famous cellars or our zero-alcohol Sparkling Tea.
A Little History on Afternoon Tea
More an occasion than a hot drink. Rehydrating dried leaves is one thing; creating a formal occasion with scones and cream quite another. While taking tea in the afternoon was already a familiar habit in some circles, we have a past Duchess of Bedford to thank for helping transform it into the cherished ritual we know today. Gaslighting also played its part.
Tea itself had been a hit since the days of Samuel Pepys, whose famous diary noted it thus in 1660: 'I did send for a cup of tee [sic], (a China drink) of which I had never had drunk before.' The glorious tradition of Afternoon Tea as a social occasion, however, came to a gentle boil rather later.
It all had to do with the shifting hour of the evening meal, which became fashionably later and later as more and more houses became able to be cost-effectively lit well into the evening. Not that the Bedfords were especially short on candles, but someone has to lead these things.
Finding herself understandably peckish in the gap between luncheon and dinner, the Duchess began inviting friends to join her for tea and a light refreshment in her rooms at Woburn Abbey. What may have begun as a practical solution to an afternoon appetite gradually evolved into a fashionable social gathering. Upon returning to London, the Duchess continued the practice, helping to popularise Afternoon Tea among the upper classes and setting it on the path to becoming the beloved British ritual it remains today.
Want the Real Deal?
We wouldn't blame you. While this guide is perfect for recreating the experience at home, there's nothing that can quite top a visit to The Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon. Unless you have a live pianist at home, of course. Why not treat someone special - whether that be a dear friend, a beloved family member, or simply yourself - and book yourself a table. We'll have a teapot brewing ready for you...
Inspiration
Discover The Journal, home to a host of our most delicious stories.
Scones Made in Piccadilly
The Biscuit Library