Fortnum & Mason magic: Afternoon Tea and Alice in Wonderland

Afternoon Tea in London is an institution. It is one of the few things in this city that both tourists and locals love, and with good reason. Nowhere in the world will you find a more beautiful setup for such an event. Nowadays, however, there is a very short list of special locations in London that are held on a pedestal when it comes to serving this late day delight. One such location is the cherished Fortnum & Mason in Piccadilly. It shouldn't come as any surprise that afternoon tea at Fortnum's is a special treat. Downstairs they sell some of the finest tea available and in such varieties that people from all over the world come to Fortnum's specifically to fill their tea chests. 

How I have managed to live in London for 14 years and not step into this tea salon is beyond me. But here we are and those are the facts. Well, until last weekend at least. For the first time, I sat down to afternoon tea at Fortnum & Mason in London and I had not one, but two handsome gentleman by my side. It should be mentioned that one of these handsome gentleman was four years old. I note that, specifically, because I was so incredibly surprised by how accommodating Fortnum & Mason were for afternoon tea for a child. We had originally thought that the whole thing may be a bit grown up for such a youngster. We couldn't have been more wrong. He was offered his own menu, a glass of juice with our champagne and hot chocolate while we had our tea. This was a well oiled kid pleasing machine. Oh, and Mr. Maxwell, even took a few pics for FFG while enjoying the special moment. 

Now, moving along to the adults enjoying tea. We started our afternoon with a glass of bubbly from the champagne trolley. I mean you can't say no to champagne on wheels. Am I right or am I right? From there, we chose both a savoury and a sweet tea to share. This is a game changer and I highly recommend everyone take this course of action. You get the best of all worlds and if you love something, never fear... everything is "refillable." Yup, this is endless eats. Although that all sounds so Western Sizzler and this is the height of sophistication here in London. So, no, we did not order seconds. 

After tea, and with very full bellies, we made our way downstairs to peruse the windows. Fortnum & Mason's windows are legendary and this season we were not left disappointed. Oh, and once again we had a hit for kids. The windows were all Alice in Wonderland themed, in honour of the new release of the movie. 

All in, I'd say this was an experience to remember and recommend. And please, if you have children, consider this your next best thing since the opening of your local playground.

To make reservations, visit the Fortnum & Mason Afternoon Tea  information page. Book in advance, so as not to be left disappointed!