Afternoon Tea at Fortnum and Mason, London

On Tuesday, as part of my trip to London, I was able to meet up with two of my closest school friends from Australia in Trafalgar Square. The sun was shining and it was a beautiful day for us to explore the city.

Sarah, Sarah and I soon developed a plan of attack for how we would spend our day together. We made a tour of the Royal Appartments before taking the tube to Harrods, where we perused the incredible toy displays and the perfume halls, as well as the food halls which were laden with caviar, chocolate truffles, dim sum counters, sushi stalls, a selection of the most delicious meals, like salmon en-croute and perfectly-pink beef wellington, and even an ice-cream shop. If you enjoy seeing good food presented exquisitely, Harrods' numerous food courts are undoubtedly for you.

After touring the food courts we went upstairs to level four to see the famous pet shop. If you have heard of the hair range called 'Bed Head', you might be interested to know that Harrods stocks the pet equivalent, called 'Pet Head', but, on top of that, the stock Roberto Cavalli petware as well as four-poster pooch beds, doggie cupcakes, diamante actually, probably read diamond collars, and even a doggie treadmill for if your pup is carrying some extra post-Christmas kilos. The pets on display in Harrods are extraordinarily expensive, though they are no doubt very well-bread. We spent a fair while ogling at the Harrods pet department.

At 11.30am we made it our mission to watch the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace. It was extremely crowded, but it was a fun atmosphere and we did get to see the guards departing the palace at the end, as well as some of the spectacle.

From Buckingham Palace we spent some time in Green Park and bought some salads from Marks and Spencers to enjoy in the sun, and we all chatted while watching all of the fit runners sprinting by during their lunch breaks.

In the afternoon we headed over to Oxford Circus for some retail therapy, where both Sarah's managed to find some lovely clothing in Top Shop and H & M but, as is always the way, because I had some money to spend, I couldn't actually find anything I liked - it's when I have no money that I find a million different outfits I would love to buy and yet when I can afford something there's nothing I want to purchase.

All of the activities we had done up until this point were warm-ups to our piece de resistance: Afternoon Tea at arguably the best tea purveyor in the world, Fortnum and Mason. Fortunately we had made a reservation a week or so beforehand, because, when we arrived on Level Four: St James' Restaurant, we were told that they were fully-booked for the afternoon. Phew.

The first thing I noticed upon entry into the restaurant was the decor. Beautiful golden wallpaper dressed the walls, while a black grand piano was being skilfully played in the centre of the room. Linen tablecloths hung on all the tables and tiffany-blue crockery with gold edging sat on the tables. The menus matched the golden wallpaper and the waiters and waitresses were impeccably groomed. At this point we knew our afternoon tea was going to be incredible.

Upon being seated we were handed a special tea menu which outlined all of the tea options available. I opted for the Royal Blend, which was strong but ideal for afternoon tea and was presented in a matching tiffany-blue teapot, with a silver strainer and strainer rest, as well as a tiffany-blue milk jug.
The first food to arrive on our table were our small selection of canapes, including a pesto scroll, a gazpacho and a mini-quiche. The pastry was perfect and I appreciated the gazpacho, although I found it to be slightly too balsamic in flavour for my taste.

Next to arrive were our afternoon tea cakes, on a three-tiered silver stand, with the same tiffany-blue plates. Are you starting to notice the pattern of uniformity with their crockery? On the stands were a selection of sandwiches, including beef, cucumber and chicken. I really enjoyed the cucumber sandwich, though the other two weren't as special. Other savoury foods included a salmon blini and an egg and cress brioche. The smoked salmon was lovely, though the egg and cress brioche was quite dry and I didn't really like it.

What I did enjoy were the scones. They were light and fluffy and perfectly served with both an apricot and a strawberry Fortnum and Mason jam, as well as clotted cream. A Madeleine was also on the tea stand, along with a raspberry biscuit (which unfortunately I didn't have room for, but Sarah told me was delicious), and a ginger and apricot cake. I really really enjoyed the ginger and apricot cake, which was moist and surprisingly spicy. We were also offered a selection of cakes from a grand silver platte that was brought to our table. I chose a fantastic almond petit four with a cherry and chocolate skewer and a green filling (but to be honest I can't remember exactly what the green filling was), suffice to say it was amazing. The other cake I chose was a mini meringue with cream and blueberries, and silver leafing. I couldn't eat it all, but it was so pretty to look at, and the blueberries were delicious too.

While we didn't manage to finish off everything, we did put an impressive dent into our afternoon tea, staying at our table for over two and a half hours. We just soaked everything in and enjoyed the beautiful piano playing. The pianist played many classics, but also played things like Maroon Five and music that I recognised only from Glee.  It was quicky pointed out to me from both Sarah's that just because it was in Glee, did not mean that there wasn't a very famous original song before it.

At 6.30pm we left Fortnum and Mason, completely satisfied and amazed by the wonderful experience we had just shared. The company and conversation had been amazing and the ambiance, food and service had been impeccable. At £40 per person it hadn't been cheap, but it had certainly been good value in my opinion, for what was a day to remember for a long time to come. I would recommend Fortnum and Mason for afternoon tea without hesitation and, after all, if it is good enough for the Queen, then it is most certainly good enough for me.