Did anyone else find afternoon tea disappointing rather than enjoyable?

[PerkyOchrePeer]

Went to an afternoon tea today and didn't like it.It was horrible. I would have preferred sandwiches to rolls and the cakes didn't taste very nice, so I didn't eat them and I had a scone with cream and gem, but all in all, I wouldn't do an afternoon tea again.

I would only ever do afternoon tea somewhere really nice. It’s like spas - it pays to spend the money.

Going to (champagne) afternoon tea at the Plaza in 2 weeks. Looking forward to it.

I'd rather choose one nice sandwich I want and one nice slice of cake. There's too much stuff I'm not bothered about.

Not my thing at all, I prefer hot food…a sandwich is an absolute last resort meal for me, couldn’t tell you the last time I ate one.
Often if my mum and sister fancy one at a spa day or whatever, we go somewhere that they can get an afternoon tea for 2 and I order something off the normal lunch menu.

Having afternoon tea to me means I’ll have to miss a meal, either lunch or dinner, and this makes me feel sad.

Most places don’t know how to do it properly. You get what you pay for, like most things in life. Yes, I’m thinking of The Ritz, which has the perfect blend of sweet and savoury items alongside a wonderful, unique atmosphere.

The tea was cheap compared to some places but they brought everyone a pot kf yea each a d 30 minutes later came the food and. Y that time the tea was cold and if you asked for fresh tea you had to pay separately for another pot kf tea. When the food came jt was to be shared with the person opposite. You got 6 little rolls which were not even buttered. They were ham cheese and smoked salmon. I hate smoked salmon so so had the cheese abd han which were so dry with no butter or salad cream. Then there were one scone each a d some mini cakes which I didn't like so didn't eat. No choice of anything and you were just given what you were given and had to accept it. I would never ever do anything like this again and I think it was a total waste of money

Ditto. I'd rather there were twice as many sandwiches and fewer cakes. I don't really want to eat a scone with jam and cream and a load of other cakes immediately after eating too few sandwiches.

You need to go top end for a good one, OP. Claridge's is pretty special... they top up the tea constantly, and the sandwiches are fantastic, with as many as you want. You also get Immaculate service, ambience and atmosphere..... sometimes, more really is more.

@PerkyOchrePeer, you were complaining about this afternoon tea as soon as you were invited to it back in May. You started a thread specifically to complain about how you thought it was going to be a rip-off.

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/5535319-afternoon-tea?reply=152640059

Why, for the love of God, did you go when two months ago you were already relentlessly negative about it?

And since that post, you have posted dozens of threads complaining about your two hairdressers, your dentist, why your height differed slightly between a workplace check and your GP, why your weight differed slightly between your own scales and your GP’s, YouTubers, Amazon, a friend who dud t ask after your health etc.

Don’t you ever get tired of the endless kvetching?

This is taking up way too much space in your head, imo.

I think you are confusing a cream tea, where the scone is the star and perhaps only 2 of them, with an afternoon tea which is sandwiches, scones and cakes. So far more stodge. My mum is a great scone maker, I think the commercial flour used makes the hotel scones a different consistency and texture. I think many are probably made the day before which is why they seem dry. If offered I now always decline afternoon tea. It is no longer a luxurious treat.

As I said. Not worth the money but you live and learn. Would have been better going to a cafe where u can choose your own sandwiches and just have cheesecake for desert which I love

No, this is a poster so obsessed with complaining that I recognise her username. I’m far from the only one.

Ok, I would just ignore her threads then.

I can’t stand afternoon tea. It’s everything I hate - sandwiches, pastries, cakes, tarts, scones. The only thing I like is the tea. 😂

We have friends that love it, so we go along to be polite. My husband hoovers up my share, so no-one notices I’ve only nibbled on one finger sandwich.

Hadnt realised. Yes surely only so much bad stuff can happen to 1 poster in just a few months.

But they’re often hilarious. There was one about dropping a friend because she’d told the OP there was no need to bring her a fridge magnet from her holidays. Never change, @PerkyOchrePeer!

Jamieson's in Leeds or Sheffield are very good, which isn't much use if you're not in Leeds or Sheffield, admittedly.

You get three kinds of sandwich, a scone, a piece of cake, and you can add on things like pork pie. It's bloody marvellous.

Too much fiddling about getting the sandwiches all neat that they've dried out. Been disappointed the last couple of times. They're not cheap either.

😁

I'm not an afternoon tea fan and i love a sweet treat but I would have a scone and cup of tea if i was meeting someone out in the morning or sandwiches/sausage rolls etc for lunch or a sweet treat and nice cup of coffee if i was meeting someone in the afternoon but all together i feel it just ruins it all

There used to be a cafe here that did Afternoon Teas and Gentleman's Teas (it sadly never reopened post-Covid).

A Gentleman's Tea was much heartier, with little pork pies and Scotch eggs and the like, and less reliance on pretty cakes. FIL really appreciated it!

The best Afternoon Tea I've ever had was in Norwich, at The Assembly House. They theme them, we were there when it was Beauty and the Beast - so, cakes and biscuits designed to look like the animated furnishings inside Beast's house. Beautiful to look at, delicious and surprisingly hearty. My favourites were the savouries held in spoons made of shortpastry/shortbread.

https://www.instagram.com/reels/C8MSSSZM0H1/

Had a lovely afternoon tea at The Little Shed in Allestree, Derby earlier this year.

It's a tiny cafe and the sandwiches were freshly prepared after we were seated. Fridge cold sandwiches spoil it a bit, imo.

Afternoon tea is notoriously expensive. You really need to google various places for price, what you get and reviews.

DH and I go every year the week before Christmas as a treat. We love the occasion of it and the scones. I always find the cakes a bit hit or miss.