Afternoon tea

[PerkyOchrePeer]

Ive been invited to an afternoon tea for someone's birthday. The cost is £22.59. All the food gets brought to the table which is sandwiches. Cake, fruit and a drink. Im ot sure it's worth it because you take from the main plate so if you only eat w sandwiches and some cake a d sone fruit, that would not come to £22.50 I think it's a rip off. I would have to consume an awful lot of sandwiches and cakes to get my monies worth. Never been to an afternoon tea before and think it's too expensive

So don’t go then.

But it’s someone’s birthday and you sound like a massive killjoy.

Im sure you will get enough food it isn't supposed to be a substantial lunch or whatever it is an experience for a birthday really so you either go and celebrate or not.

That's actually cheap for afternoon tea tbh

You again, @PerkyOchrePeer, picking a fight with the most ordinary of situations.

So don’t go? Especially if the alternative is you sitting there at someone’s birthday celebration with a face like thunder complaining that you ‘haven’t got your money’s worth’ of cake and sandwiches.

Agree that £22 for an afternoon tea is a bargain. I'd be delighted to find one that cheap!

ETA Oh wait, it's that poster. Must learn to read usernames!

You sound a killjoy.

Sorry but you sound a bit miserable!

Afternoon tea is always expensive for what it is. The price that you've quoted is actually on the cheaper end. Lots of people love it, though, and they're happy to pay. It's one of my favourite meals out tbh and always a treat.

If you can't afford it, or just don't want to pay for it, then don't go.

I tend to steer clear of afternoon tea-I’m
not a great lover of sandwiches and don’t really like drinking tea whilst eating them.

The cakes are ok but I’m not that fussed. I’d rather spend the same amount and go for lunch instead!

You should get something like
1 sandwich with mixed fillings. £4-5
Scobes with cream and jam. £3-4.
Couple of pieces of cake £6-7.
Coffee £4-5

So they'd £17-21, easily, and that's without any fruit or bottomless coffee etc.

And you're paying for thr experience too, or dainty food on China plates etc.

It's a birthday and you are paying for the experience, not just the food. You can always ask for more, they will provide it. It's £200 for a couple at the Dorchester in London. Go figure 🤷🏻

You could apply similar arguments to eating out anywhere. Eating out is never just about the raw cost of the food. It’s about having the opportunity to meet up with friends, having the food prepped and bought to you, the location. If you don’t want to pay for it, don’t go.

That is a good price for afternoon tea though.

If your main concern at a birthday tea is to get your money’s worth, just take a bin bag and walk around the restaurant sweeping in all the leftovers before you leave. Job done.

But if twenty quid is essentially unaffordable for you and means you’ll sit there with a cob on throughout someone else’s celebration, bemoaning the expense, then maybe don’t go?

If you’re on a limited budget and you don’t want to spend on afternoon tea, then wish the birthday person well and decline. A good afternoon tea usually has a choice of four sandwich fillings, scones with clotted cream and jam, savouries and macarons, truffles, little tartlets and cake. Plus unlimited tea.

It’s not as though they buy a loaf of bread and make sandwiches like you do at home.

I love an afternoon tea and you get to take the leftovers home. I think £22.59 is inexpensive.

I think that’s an absolute bargain. I’ve never been for a proper afternoon tea that has cost under £35 and most are much more expensive.

I went to one a few months ago and it was £103 including tip

Don’t go then. £22.50 is very reasonable for afternoon tea.

Sounds like a reasonable price for afternoon tea and you're celebrating someones (hopefully someone you like) birthday. It does usually work that way in that the serving stands are shared between 2 so if you have 10 guests, they'd bring out 5 stands - it shouldn't be like a buffet and I'd argue if it is set out any different from the three tiered stand then thats not afternoon tea. You can usually take what you dont eat home.

Indeed. I’ve never met anyone in real life who is so down and miserable about absolutely everything. I can’t imagine, any time something slightly annoys me, rushing to Mumsnet to start a thread.

To be honest, it's so cheap as to almost be suspicious, but I'd still go, the whole point is to celebrate with friends and share some food without having to faff about with menus, ordering etc.

I went to a New Forest hotel for afternoon tea to celebrate a birthday, it was two years ago, currently it is £28 per person but I have to say, although I didn't have to contribute to the cost, the parents covered it, it was absolutely lovely and I would have been happy to pay for the experience.

Everything was beautifully presented and the food couldn't be faulted.

I’ve never left an afternoon tea hungry tbh (and I used to be a really “big eater”!). There’s usually more than enough food…

Anyhow. If you’re on a limited budget and can’t / don’t want to spend £22 on an afternoon tea, you can either politely decline the invitation. You might want to tell the person that you simply can’t afford to attend if you’re very close and the birthday person is definitely not on a limited budget.

Try it. It might surprise you. It's filling.

It's normally about 3 sandwiches and 3 cakes per person plus a scone or something. If you politely take a single profiterole and complain you're still hungry, you're not doing it right.

I absolutely agree. It definitely shouldn’t be like a buffet situation.

“I'd argue if it is set out any different from the three tiered stand then thats not afternoon tea.” Well, except for that part.

I’ve seen quite a few different kinds of presentation up to now…
multiple separate stands (presumably to allow for greater artistry / more shenanigans in regards to presentation), miniature “ladders” (food being presented on each “step”).

Most places outside the UK seem to stick to the traditional British format (at least IME). But Brita have become quite creative. Which makes sense when one considers the originals of the concept.

Anyhow, I absolutely agree with the rest of your comment. And it does sound like a very reasonable price!

I'm slightly amazed someone has actually invited you to something tbh