To think Afternoon Tea is over hyped?

[brasty]

I can enjoy an Afternoon Tea, but I think it is over hyped. It is after all sandwiches, cakes and scones.These can taste lovely, but is boring compared to a beautifully made meal.
AIBU?

I don't see how you can feel "bloated" after sandwiches and cake.

I suppose if you end up eating a massive stack of sarnies, 6 fairy cakes and 4 scones jame and clotted cream, maybe you won't need dinner that night

It reminds me of that thread where the OP described how much food they took from a buffet and it did make me feel ill just reading it!

Claridges all the way

Well, it's not meant to be a meal, is it?

OP, you clearly haven't been to Claridge's.

YABVVVVU.

Oops, just missed that, Duchess. Ugh, I could live there.

I think a lot of the time you need to be prepared to pay to get a good one. Here in Belfast The Merchant is great; it’s £30 pp, more if you want booze. They top the tea up with hot water (but not fresh tea leaves which is a bit cheap of them imho) and keep coming round with trays of cake. Nom. We’ve been a few other places which aren’t as good- most notably The Galgorm who apparently thought squirty cream from a can was an appropriate substitute for clotted cream. But then we’d been to Bettys in York which was less than £20 each and was also great.

DP took me to Fortnum & Mason for my birthday in the autumn and it was lush. Super service and plush, but not so formal I felt uncomfortable in my sweaty-I’ve-been-running-to-get-tubes-why’d-i-wear-a-coat state. It was pretty much all you can eat/drink as well. People think it’s pricey but it’s a really good feed. They had to roll me out of there.

Is anyone else madly googling menus of all the places listed here?

Yanbu op! I completely agree. I'd rather go out for lunch or dinner - or even breakfast. Cake isn't my thing. I've had posh teas costing £40-£50 or so in London and just thought "meh".

And what do you have for lunch or dinner if you've had an afternoon tea? It's such a worry.

Craic it was the Galgorm I was at.

I was very disappointed.

Must try the Merchant.

I've never had one. I like tea, sandwiches and cakes, but it's never really occurred to me to go for one, and none of my friends seem to do it.

And what do you have for lunch or dinner if you've had an afternoon tea? It's such a worry.

weve been to 5pm slots and not left until 9 or 10pm. These are places that just keep refillling, although not until 9 obviously. You dont need dinner

HOW DARE YOU BESMIRCH THE NAME OF AFTERNOON TEA!

Cake and sarnies. And cake. And tea. And cake. It just doesn't get better than that.

Cake.

I don't like think them either in fancy places or otherwise. It's a sugary headrush and egg sandwiches are rank (to me!). But I tend to go as friends will organise then as get together or "treats" . Plus it makes me feel like I'm playing a cliched laaaaaydee

avamiah - have you booked the ritz yet? only I rang to book for me and a friend last year, and got told really snootily that they book up "months in advance"! might be worth giving them a call to be sure if you haven't.

we ended up at browns, which was AMAZING.

I've also done fortnums, which sucked, sadly, as I love fortnums. I would love to get locked in their foodhall one night.....

You don't worry about lunch before or dinner after! You just eat lots at afternoon tea then you aren't hungry!

You don't have to eat because of what the clock says.

The St Pancras Renaissance Hotel in London do a lovely afternoon tea...

That's a You at the people who said what about lunch and dinner btw

Er... is 9.15am too early for Afternoon Tea?

I agree with clash I'd rather go out for a fabulous breakfast - the Wolseley does a lovely one, and I'm also rather partial to breakfasts at Smiths which is a bit less posh.
I much prefer buttery toast to cake tbh although I realise that's a bit freakish...

If you don't drink it is a nice change from going to a meal where everyone but you gets pissed.

I don't like tea bit I flipping love afternoon tea. The themed ones are ace and they really go all out.

I've just e-mailed my parents who are currently on a cruise and told them they need to do afternoon tea and report back to me.

I feel an obsession coming on......

DS and I are alone this weekend as DH is out of town..... I am thinking afternoon tea.......

We could do a The Greatest Mumsnet Afternoon Tea Party at this rate

My mum and I go to London most years for Wimbledon and we always go for afternoon tea at the Ritz. We've not tried F&M yet, we always say we will then end up just booking the Ritz because it's not really something you just turn up on the day for. Garden centre afternoon teas are kinda ruined after the Ritz.

I've put before and after pics, it's funny looking around and everyone has left a few bits of everything them being oh so refined, not mum and I, we like our money's worth. 🐷

There'd probably be a few bottles snuck in for good measure