We were given a menu with dozens of teas to choose from. I went with a red fruits tea and Jake chose the more traditional Earl Gray. We were each given our own silver tea pot filled with hot water and loose tea. We each had a silver strainer to place on top of our teacup which caught the loose tea as we poured. So fancy!
The tea came with an assortment of scones, pastries and cute little tea sandwiches. However, the highlight was definitely the clotted cream, which tastes like the perfect mixture of butter and whipped cream. They actually forgot to bring it out initially, but luckily, this wasn't my first tea, so I made sure that they remembered!
Clotted cream and jam on a warm scone can not be beat!
It was also fun to get to see the inside of the Ritz. The lobby was beautiful with glistening marble, a grand staircase and beautifully creative floral arrangements. The hotel was built in the early 1900s at the urging of Spain's King Alfonso who had traveled throughout Europe staying in the grandest hotels. The King wanted Spain to have a luxury hotel to rival the best in Europe.
Jake is perpetually worried about small servings at restaurants. Before ordering, he always asks the server how large the portion is, and if he doesn't like the answer, has been known to order more than one entrée. So, although Jake graciously agreed to attend his first ever afternoon tea with me, I knew he had to be skeptical. Those tiny cucumber sandwiches surely didn't help. However, at the conclusion of the tea, we were both really full! I think he would even agree to go back. This might have had something to do with Jake's discovery that clotted cream tastes good on everything, not just scones... All in all, such a fun afternoon!
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