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 am a fussy eater and most of what they provided I could not eat

Then it's even stranger why you actually chose to go, given that you were complaining about it being a rip-off since you were first invited? I assume you thought it was worth it to see friends, or attend someone's celebration, or something, so why not focus on that? We've all occasionally had bad meals because someone else chose the restaurant.

I am a fussy eater

Why doesn't that surprise me?

Forrtnum a d mason one is brilliant ,difernrt range of savoury snacks and they replenish

Just went because the group I was with was nice and it was good company. It's just a food that wasn't so good.

Many who produce them do them too large. Vast sandwiches, large scones and cakes. And an imbalance of sweet and savoury.
The portion sizes are supposed to be fairly small.
But I guess they have grown bigger as people probably complained about that.
Nice when done well and not too huge. Small sandwiches. Properly prepared.

My ideal afternoon tea is egg mayonnaise sandwiches, strawberry and cream, sausage rolls a d le.on drizzle cake

Am sure you didn’t but you also aren’t expected to eat everything.
Another problem with afternoon tea done badly is they don’t give people enough time. It is not supposed to be a rushed experience.

Still overflowing with sour piss and the joys of a 10 month dark icy winter then OP?

No, it's not rushed.We set at the table for 2 hours

Depends where you go.

So it was a perfectly nice experience, socially, you just weren't crazy about the meal? Maybe focus on the social aspect.

I thought 2 hours was standard, never been rushed. Though we often book 3pm so they’ve never rushed us at at 5pm as they don’t need the table back

wrbe asked for more sandwiches as wanted more savoury and it’s not an issue? Plus there was a couple we didn’t care for so asked for those to be omitted - again not an issue

asked for more clotted cream and have been given boxes to take scones home.

trick is to never eat scones as they fill you up 😉

I hate afternoon tea. I don’t want to drink tea whilst eating a meal and I would much rather have lunch or dinner!

I absolutely love homemade cake, not too sweet and sickly, just really good quality. I have come to the conclusion the only way to achieve this is to make it myself. And since I don't want to be fat I don't do that very often. Afternoon tea cakes are always so disappointing

"Afternoon teas are rubbish"

What, all of them, everywhere?
What a stupid, childish thing to say.

Not been for years but the Fortnum’s one has always been my favourite.

How many have you had? Is your comment based on one experience? But silly to dismiss all afternoon teas. True, the quality and content does vary, but afternoon tea is one of my greatest pleasures.

I do not like somebody else deciding what I eat and with an afternoon tea , he just sit at the\nTable and they bring you the food and you just have to eat what they decide to bring you.I don't like that. For example, I would not choose to eat smoked salmon sandwiches. I guess if you can see a copy of the menu beforehand and see what kind of sandwich they provide and you don't like what they offer , then you just don't go

I went to the Peter Pan themed one in the Shard which was fantastic (but yes too much sweet stuff).

Now I want to do both of these!

We had this at Christmas, one of the best I've had.

My friend didn't like the sandwiches so they made special ones just for her. It really depends on the venue. You get what you pay for!

Agree most are poor quality/too stodgy/balance too far tipped to over-sweet.

However along with PPs, found Betty’s in York one of the nicest teas, and in fact eating out experiences I’ve had.

Superb service in that wonderful brisk but kind Yorkshire fashion. Our preferences accommodated with no issue:
-delicious sandwiches with the tastiest fillings, veggie and fish as requested, plus extras.
-best tea I’ve had, with a pot of hot water as standard. Free refill of pot
-scones freshly baked and were enormous, like horse hooves!
-cakes delicious and tiny, but happily took a couple home.
Great people watching. Lots of tourists, to be fair, but also loved seeing many middle-aged women who clearly were local, regulars, having a whale of a time with friends (plus fizz as well as tea).
Would be a fab place to hold a special birthday, or a daytime wedding reception.
I’d love to try Fortnum’s too.

The last time I had afternoon tea was for my Mum's 90th. It's what she wanted.
That was in 2017.

I haven't had one since, a waste of calories in my opinion.

My idea of a proper afternoon tea is a selection of small sandwiches, a scone or two with butter/cream/jam/whatever, but not necessarily large ones, a small mousse and about four small assorted cakes. They aren't meant to be big, hulking pieces of food. I have had a very nice one in a local town. I know another place where they offer a savoury type alternative to the sweet stuff, which I think is a good idea.