Day at the Ritz…..

Afternoon tea at the Ritz….. Wow what an amazing experience.

My first hurdle, which I am sure is like everyone else “what shall I wear”, another excuse to head to the shops for a complete new outfit, dress, shoes, handbag, accessories….. actually I was really good and wore a dress I already had, of course I had to buy a new bag and shoes. I woke up bright and early Sunday morning with the sun shining, so my yellow dress was perfect for the weather.

The day really was perfect from start to finish. We caught the train from Dorridge which took us straight to Marylebone station and then took a black cab straight to the Ritz, we didn’t fancy the tube wearing our fine attire.

We were met by a porter who helped us out of the taxi, making sure we were all being very lady like. On with our high heel shoes, added a touch of lipstick and we were all ready to experience one of the best hotels in the UK.

We arrived slightly early so we were escorted to a seating area where we could sit back and relax and take in the wonderful surroundings of the Ritz, a great opportunity to take lots of photos and of course take a trip to the “powder room”. The ladies or “powder room” as it is known is an experience in its own. To enter you go down some stairs and enter into this large room decorated with pink walls, paintings, pink sinks a seating area where you can have a glass of bottled water with an array of magazines to chose from. The walls covered in ceiling height mirrors. It really was lavish!

At 1.30 we were seated at our table. The Palm Court just oozed sophistication, elegance and of course wealth. The décor was fabulous with Gold Statues, chandeliers, marble plinths, the most beautiful array of lilies and roses. It truly was magnificent. The tables are covered in luxury cotton tablecloths, the finest china cups, crystal champagne glasses all with the Ritz logo engraved and the most exquisite of silver wear. We were then introduced to our waiter who went through the menu of different teas on offer, the different types of sandwiches, scones and of course what most of us had been waiting for the cakes. The food is served on a 3 tier stand and the sandwiches were replenished as often as we liked.

My favourite sandwich had to be the tomato bread with cheese and pickle. The scones were amazing too, warm and fluffy with lashings of thick clotted cream and homemade strawberry jam. Then when you thought that was enough out comes a cake trolley offering a hazelnut cake with chocolate ganache and then I think it was a pear tart. I really couldn’t find any more room to sample anything else.

I really did have a wonderful time and would definitely recommend it to anyone wanting something a little special.