Afternoon tea is a rip off largely aimed at ripping women off

I agree OP. I got pissed off with all the shops I went in for Mother's Day that were selling a load of things for moms all themed around tea, flowers, cake and the colour pink, as if all moms are the same and we all like this stuff....

Maybe some people, male or female, do love tea and little cakes and dainty sandwiches and all that jizz. They must do I suppose. But why the assumption that this is what all women want?

It's not what I want. I don't even drink any more. But I would still much rather be in a pub with a Person Zero and a lasagne, watching the snooker on a big screen - i would be massively uncomfortable in a posh hotel drawing room eating a miniscule fondant fancy and not knowing what to do with a tea strainer.

Yet because I am a woman, people in the past have often made the mistake of assuming that afternoon tea was what I wanted. Afternoon tea has NEVER been what I wanted.

Why don’t you start one op?

Prefersbly near a football ground - I reckon you’d be onto a winner there!

This thread is moving fast, I'll add my own experience, not that anyone will care.

Afternoon tea at Claridges Hotel (highly recommend, very special) I was talking about Chris Martin who I'd see on TV the month before. Was never a Cold Play fan but the intimate concert on TV I saw changed my mind, Cold Play absolutely brilliant blah, blah. 10 minutes later Chris Martin walks by our table, chats to the concierge & sprints up the stairs! He was having Afternoon Tea, so not just for the womenz!

Anyone else confused about why the OP keeps going on about "giggling" and "oooh"? [Confused]

i took my 2 DC to McDonalds and spent about £50- I hardly ate anything!

£50 in McDonald’s? What the hell did you order?

I agree with this - the customer service is always amazing.

the staff know it’s a treat and so they are very attentive. I went with my elderly mother and they really made a fuss.

I love a good afternoon tea. At a lovely London hotel.
Happy to pay £50+ for a beautiful setting, someone playing piano and a good couple of hours chatting to a dear friend or two and trying delicious different leaf teas. Not to mention someone else making ME a yummy sandwich for a change and scones with cream and jam. It's such a treat. On a par with a West End theatre ticket and about the same price.
I'd only go for a good one though, not a crappy one. And consequently only do it once every couple of years.

This is close to my response.

My STBXH is always taken in by the promise of an afternoon tea. He seems to think they’re amazing.

I don’t think it is just a ruse for women. It’s just an overpriced thing that seems to have been fashionable for a bit.

No worse than paying £16 for avocado on toast because it’s ’brunch’ though. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Maybe that’s why you’re avoiding them and going budget-end. That’s your mistake.

Get your best Sosander get-up and imitation Louis Vuitton on and get to Claridges. Then you’ll see what it’s all about 😉

Bacon is quite British. Or a proper ploughman's lunch. I prefer more substantial food.

£50 in McDonald's on 3 of you?!

I’m all for value for money…but I can’t see how an afternoon tea is any more of a rip off than going for dinner.

At £30- £50 quid a head, you can eat until you are stuffed full over a couple of hours. The more expensive one usually include unlimited Prosecco and definitely unlimited tea and sandwiches.

i went to one in 5 star London hotel ( was about £50 a head) they keep
refilling your cake and sandwiches all afternoon.

you get to sit in a beautiful venue and chat to friends.

I think £50 a head for food and booze in a 5 star hotel isn’t bad.

i took my 2 DC to McDonalds and spent about £50- I hardly ate anything! Sat in a depressing outlet with a view of an industrial estate, had to wipe the grease and spilled salt/ ketchup off the table myself.

Admittedly three of us ate for price of one, but I would rather go a 5 star hotel once than McDonalds 3 times.

You do realise that the cost is for a lot more than just the food don't you?

I am going to have a lovely afternoon tea with my family in a 5 star hotel in central london and very happily paying £60 per head.

For a start if they only charged £15 or £20 per head it would be just as crowded and unpleasant as the rest of central london. The huge markup buys exclusivity and a quiet calm environment precisely because not everyone wants to spend that kind of money.

Secondly a lot of the money is paying for the environment - the generous and comfortable high quality furnishings and decor - a place offering the same food without the markup doesn't have as much budget for these things.

Thirdly some of the markup is going to much higher levels of staffing than cheaper places - I don't want to be served in a rush by someone who is dealing with the needs of 5 other tables. I want the staff to be serene and calm because they aren't stressed or overworked and their only duty is looking after myself and my family. Obviously that boosts up the wage bill.

I fully expect that the food will be several steps above what we could buy in the Marks&Spencers cafe too of course but I am not judging thr cost solely on the basis of the food.

And I disagree that its aimed at women. It's certainly aimed at people with refined tastes and very high standards but there are plenty of men who come into that category.

I don’t think you are understanding the point of a British afternoon tea.

Peak mumsnet

https://strawberryfieldslifton.co.uk/

I am going again soon.

I think there are a lot of people on this thread and don’t “get” afternoon tea, which is fine. Or maybe you’ve had a rubbish one.

But I don’t understand the faux “why do people go for afternoon tea”? question.
I mean, people who go to football matches, or eat McDonald’s twice a week or spend large amounts of money on niche hobbies like warhammer or buying everything Disney themed etc I find hard to understand. But I also think everyone is different and enjoys different things. I certainly wouldn’t start a thread questioning why people like McDonald’s.

Also if you have disposable income you are going to spend it enjoying yourself. Afternoon tea feels like an indulgent treat (if you go to a nice establishment).

If you are the type who prefers getting your monies worth like McDonald’s or an all you can eat buffet, have at it!

It’s a choice. Very often people are paying for the experience of sitting in a high end establishment. I wouldn’t care about afternoon tea in the local pub, but I might enjoy having afternoon tea at the Ritz.

Snort