To be shocked at the price for an Afternoon Tea?

[Writerwannabe83]

It is my friend's birthday on Saturday and a group of us (about 15) casually agreed a while ago that we'd go out for Afternoon Tea at a local restaurant. I had never been to one before, wasn't too sure what it was all about so I just agreed to it.

Today I received the Menu of this Afternoon Tea we are having and for some finger sandwiches, a cake and a cup of tea it's £20 per person

Maybe I live in a little bubble but that sounds crazy? This restaurant is going to get £300 out of us for supplying some sandwiches and some cakes?

The menu comes across as very pretentious and is written in such a way that by the designer throwing in some posh words and an over exaggerated description of a bit of lettuce it makes people happily hand over £20 for such 'luxury'....

The tea is "loose leaf" apparently - what does that even mean? Am I going to get a cup of tea with foliage floating on the top it?

I can have a ham and mustard sandwich, a cake and a cup of tea at home for a lot less than £20

But anyway - I just needed to vent.

I'm obviously still going to go as it's a good friend's birthday but I think it will be the last time I commit to an Afternoon Tea

It's my own fault really for agreeing to it without actually fully knowing what it was

Maybe I'm just not posh enough for such things

Can people tell me about any Afternoon Teas they have experienced and how U I'm being because actually I'm in for a treat that is well worthy of £20

[AccidentGuilt]

It is really expensive. A hotel near me does it for £30 a head. It gets served on a mini picnic bench. Loose lea tea is the sort you use in a pot and need a tea strainer for.

[SquidgyRedBall]

If you put it that way it does sound expensive, but think of it more as an experience and memory making and then £20 doesn't seem so bad

[MrsHathaway]

I've had a £12 afternoon tea and a £35 afternoon tea. They were both lovely.

In my experience there's an awful lot of food. And it's all hugely labour-intensive, especially pretty little cakes and stuff. It's not like picking up a meal deal at Boots!

Hey, it's an experience. It's certainly £20-worth.

[bettyswalls]

That does seem hideously expensive. I'm a student so it's not my kind of thing, but my mum takes my grandma a few times a year.

The tea is "fancy", so you get a big cake stand with all the scones, nice little cakes and sandwiches on. Some include prosecco or some kinda fizz - does yours?

It's usually in posh surroundings with nice waiters. I would rather do my own one at home and feel comfortable, but people seem to go in for it...

[Missgraeme]

I paid £12.50 for 2with a glass of prosecco!

[PedantPending]

I had afternoon tea about 6 weeks ago on a Sunday at the hotel where I am a regular guest (not in the UK).
It cost €32 and for that I had:
A glass of champagne
Pot of top quality tea, including instructions on how long to let it infuse
An etagere with sandwiches on the bottom layer and a selection of cakes and fruit tarts on the top 2 layers plus a freshly-made scone with clotted cream and 2 sorts of home-made jam.
I couldn't finish it all by a long way. I thought it was actually very good value for money compared to other food offerings in the hotel and it meant that I didn't need anything else to eat that day.

[FairyDogMother11]

It depends where you go as to whether it's worth it. There is a hotel in a town about 10 miles away that does afternoon tea for £14.95 per person and it IS worth it, unlimited tea and so many little cakes and sandwiches it was like eating a 3 course meal. But I've also been somewhere that charges £20 per person and it wasn't particularly nice and I thought it was very overpriced for what we got!

[Birdsgottafly]

I wait for the offers on Groupon.

My youngest (18) likes them.

It's something different and they fill you up, like any meal would.

The ones for £30, usually have Prosecco with them, here in Liverpool.

Think of it as paying £30 for the Afternoon out, as well as the Celebration Tea.

[Miaculpa]

i have just bought my nanny an Afternoon Tea for two at The Dorchester for GBP125. Its her leaving present.

I have done afternoon teas where the price has ranged from £20 to £100 depending on the venue.

Afternoon tea is a very civilized way to spend an afternoon. So long as the venue isnt the local nando's i don't think 20 per head is bad at all.

[Amelie10]

I don't think that's expensive, more like the average price but then again I'm talking about central London prices.

[Artandco]

Loose leaf - that's just means in a teapot not a teabag

I'm happy to pay £20 for afternoon tea. When I have been it's usually 4-5 diffenent types of cake, various sandwiches, scones with clotted cream and jam. Plus tea.

At home I couldn't have 5 types of cake in tiny portions at once as I wouldn't want to buy 5 cake ingredients and the hassle of making. Would then be way to much for 1-2 people. I wouldn't want 5 full size cakes in house
And I don't need to Makes a whole batch of scones when I only want 1

[HermioneJeanGranger]

They're generally quite fancy with a lot of food. There's normally sandwiches, scones with jam and cream, little patisserie cakes/macaroons, unlimited tea and a glass or two of prosecco.

But you pay for the experience more than anything else.

[Gottagetmoving]

It is more the experience than the value for money - but it is a complete rip off.
I have a friend who goes for afternoon tea regularly at a posh hotel. She posts pictures of it on facebook. Looks a load of pretentious nonsense.

[fiorentina]

Call me a mug but I've paid a lot more for afternoon tea in a London hotel. Some have been great value, as many sandwiches and finger rolls as you can eat, cakes that are fancy and delicious plus scones etc. My friends and I agreed that for 3 hours of chatting it wasn't bad value compared to dinner at a restaurant and we were stuffed. Have fun anyway.

[Writerwannabe83]

Definitely no wine!!

There's an alternative menu but it actually says it is for men! This option is more meat based than sandwich based and apparently it can "meet the needs of men" - it also comes with a jug of ale. That one is £23. What kind of sexist rubbish is this??

[squoosh]

£20 is cheap for afternoon tea from what I've found.

[cherryplumbanana]

I spend a lot more than that in London, but of course if you look at the actual food costs it's extortionate. It's not really the point however, it's the price you pay for a pleasant time in a great setting. It's the same thing as going in a hotel for a drink. It will cost you a lot more than your local pub for the same drink, but it's all the extras that make it attractive.

I would think £20 is expensive only if the food is disappointing.

[wowfudge]

You will be there for far longer than someone just having a cuppa. The spend has to be high enough to justify that and you won't just get a butty and a cake! I find there are too many cakes and not enough savouries in the average afternoon tea.

[Sparklesilverglitter]

£20 per person it's on the cheap side, the 'fancy' hotel her charges £40 which goes up to £55 if you have a glass of champagne. I make DH take me every now and then

[CakeNinja]

My first thought was "that's an absolute bargain!"

I imagine you'll get much more than one cake though, it's normally a selection of cakes aswell as scones.
Some places will refill your sandwiches and cakes, others won't, but there has always been plenty of different cakes on the stand.

[KingJoffreyLikesJaffaCakes]

Meh.

Take a tupperware of sarnies and a thermos.

[FeckinCrutches]

I think £20 is pretty cheap, and it's not normally just a sandwich and a cake. We normally get 4 X different finger sandwiches, scone with jam and cream, and 3/4 different small cakes/tarts etc plus tea.

[TimeforaNNChange]

Afternoon teas are labour intensive and generate a lot of waste - hence the price.

Loads of prep - sandwich making, several types of filling, multiple cakes. Waste - crusts cut off, fillings only last a day, scones have to be hours fresh then thrown. And the dishes! Most cake stands etc have to be washed by hand as does vintage China and tea pots etc. There's often a separate washing up station just for this. Generally, afternoon tea groups are served at larger tables than other bookings of the same size due to all the bits and bobs needed so that means the unit cost is higher too.

[DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen]

That's really reasonable.

There will be more food than you can eat ime and endless pots of tea.

How much do you think it should be?