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Home » Non Sequitur » My Rants & Recommendations » The Luxurious Royal Horseguards Hotel in London: a Right Royal Afternoon Tea

The Luxurious Royal Horseguards Hotel in London: a Right Royal Afternoon Tea

August 13th, 2016 | 26 Comments

Afternoon tea at the luxurious Royal Horseguards Hotel in London is always a treat. The hotel’s central location makes it the perfect place to relax and enjoy a quintessential British tradition in the midst of touring London.
Getting a royal greeting at the Royal Horseguards Hotel in London, England.
Receiving a most royal welcome at the Royal Horseguards Hotel!

The last day of our European trip was spent in London, one of my most favorite cities. I’ve been there countless times, and never tire of visiting.

Disclosure: my daughter and I were hosted by The luxurious Royal Horseguards Hotel for afternoon tea. As always, no provisions were made for a positive review, and all opinions are solely my own.

Iconic shot of London

Updated: the Right Royal Afternoon tea theme was offered in 2016, but is no longer available. Do not let this dissuade you from having afternoon tea at the luxurious Royal Horseguards Hotel. You won’t be disappointed.

My mother had flown home after a brief visit with family in England, so it was just my daughter, Denisa, and me for the remainder of our trip. We had been staying north of London with relatives, so Denisa and I took the train into the city, and saw a few sights before walking to the Royal Horseguards Hotel for A Right Royal Afternoon Tea, celebrating the Queen’s 90th birthday.

We took a few typical tourist photos. Do you think Scotland Yard will hire me? I already have the trench coat.

Typical London tourist photos

The Royal Horseguards Hotel is situated almost exactly opposite the Coca Cola London Eye, on the other side of the River Thames, so it’s a great idea to pop across and ride this iconic wheel while you’re so close. My Coca Cola London Eye review coming next. Hint: don’t miss it, and I mean the London Eye, not my review!

The Coca Cola London Eye from across the River Thames

Where is the Royal Horseguards Hotel in London?

Although the Royal Horseguards Hotel overlooks the Thames, it’s the back of the property which faces the river. The rear of this majestic hotel is obscured by mature trees, which are also just beautiful.

Rear of the Royal Horseguards Hotel, London

The address of the hotel is 2 Whitehall Court, which used to be the address for the home and office of the UK’s first “Chief” of Secret Intelligence Service (MI6), Sir Mansfield Cumming. Just last year, an English Heritage Blue Plaque was placed on the hotel to commemorate Sir Cumming’s life here.

As you could see from the first photo above, when Denisa and I arrived at the entrance, we received a very royal welcome!

Entry of the Royal Horseguards Hotel, London

When we entered the lobby, I felt as though I could have just plopped down on one of the rich, red velvet sofas and moved right in to the luxurious Royal Horseguards Hotel!

Royal Horseguards Hotel lobby

I restrained myself, and instead, Denisa and I went to the front desk to ask where afternoon tea is served. We were shown to The Lounge where Simona seated us at a lovely table near a window. If the weather had been warmer, we could have had afternoon tea outdoors on the terrace.

Royal Horseguards Hotel Terrace in London

It was much cosier in the lounge that day, so we were happy to be inside.

The Lounge in the Royal Horseguards Hotel in London

Before I continue, I need to explain a little about the afternoon tea menu to my audience outside of the the UK. Most of you probably don’t know who John Whaite is, so telling you that the menu was created by him in honor of the Queen’s 90th birthday won’t mean much.

However, John Whaite is a pretty impressive person. Not only did he win the third series of The Great British Bake Off (if you’ve never seen this show, you are really missing out), but he turned down a place at Oxford university to earn a first class law degree at University of Manchester. Then he attended Le Cordon Bleu. I told you–impressive, right? He’s also written three cookbooks and currently co-hosts a TV cooking show!

John Whaits's Right Royal Afternoon Tea at The Royal Horseguards Hotel in London
photo courtesy of The Royal Horseguards Hotel

One thing I especially like about John Whaite is his perspective on food, because I have always felt that “less is more” when it comes to cooking and baking.

     “There will always be the temptation to throw something else onto the plate, but you shouldn’t be afraid to resist. Coco Chanel said that before you leave the house you should remove one item of clothing. If anyone had ever tried to apply that metaphor to food, I’d have unfriended and blacklisted that person for life. But now, I completely get it: perfection is found in familiar simplicity.”  -John Whaite

Now, when I tell you that the afternoon tea menu at the Royal Horseguards Hotel was created by Chef John Whaite, you’ll understand why it’s an experience in itself to enjoy these lovely creations knowing who was behind the recipe development.

John Whaits's Right Royal Afternoon Tea at The Royal Horseguards Hotel in London

Without further ado, I’d love to share John Whaite’s “A Right Royal Afternoon Tea” with you!

Afternoon Tea at the Luxurious
Royal Horseguards Hotel

John Whaits's Right Royal Afternoon Tea at The Royal Horseguards Hotel in London
photo courtesy of The Royal Horseguards Hotel

Simona served our tea and pastries simultaneously, which I must say, is my preference as sometimes the tea tray comes out quite a bit before the tea arrives. The presentation was lovely; the pastries and sandwiches looked just like they do in the professional photo above, which doesn’t often happen. Also, nothing on these trays contains GMOs; if you follow my blog, you know how much that means to me.

A Right Royal Afternoon Tea at the Royal Horseguards Hotel, London
Can you tell that we’d already enjoyed some of the offerings?

The Savory Sandwiches

The sandwiches consisted of traditional salmon, egg salad and cucumber, which I truly enjoyed; they were so fresh and flavorful. Denisa had her own nut-free tea tray, which we very much appreciated.

Salmon finger sandwich at the Right Royal Afternoon Tea
Perfection!

The Tea at the Luxurious Royal Horseguards Hotel.

Denisa chose the English Breakfast whole leaf tea, while I had the Sapphire Earl Grey, which I would highly recommend (if you like the flavor of Bergamot) for afternoon tea at the luxurious Royal Horseguards Hotel.

Tea at the Royal Horseguards Hotel in London

I adored the delicate floral and pink china, too!

Tea Tray at the Right Royal Afternoon Tea

The Phenomenal Scones

Although Denisa and I both enjoyed the finger sandwiches, our favorites were the sweet selections, and out of all of the delectable creations, to me, the scones were the crowning glory! Believe it or not, these scones really floored me and it will be hard to describe why they were so good– they just had the perfect texture, flavor and freshness. With the glorious cream and sweet strawberry jam, I was in heaven!

Tea at the Right Royal Afternoon Tea

Denisa loved them, too!

Tea at the Right Royal Afternoon Tea

The Pastries

I hope my adoration of the scones doesn’t overshadow the other desserts because they were all simply spectacular. From the Lemon Macaron, to the Raspberry and Rose Crumble Choux Bun, each sweet showcased an array of flavors that were marvelous together!

Sweets at Right Royal Afternoon Tea

Two of my favorites were the Triangular Strawberry Jam Sponge with Swiss Meringue and the Chocolate Hazelnut Caramel Tart!

Afternoon Tea at the Royal Horseguards Hotel in London

Honestly, I know the menu was created in honor of the Queen’s 90th birthday, but had she popped in for tea on the same day that we were there, I highly doubt she would have been disappointed, as this tea was truly fit for a queen! Simona had been a lovely waitress, checking on us from time to time, without hovering.

Afternoon Tea Royal Horseguards Hotel in London

When we had finished our tea, I extolled Simona with many compliments about our wonderful afternoon tea (especially how much we enjoyed those scones), and guess what she did? She disappeared and came right back with two more scones for us to take home! It was such a lovely gesture and very much appreciated.

Since we were leaving to fly back to Los Angeles the next day, those beauties came with us–I’m not kidding! This is one of my treasured scones in perfect condition in my backyard the next day.

Scone in Los Angeles

As we left, I resisted the urge to sink into one of those scarlet sofas again.

Afternoon Tea Royal Horseguards Hotel in London

Alas, we had to leave, but we had another exciting experience on the horizon: The Coca Cola London Eye! I have wanted to ride the London Eye for years, however, each time I’ve been to London recently, I’ve never managed to fit it in, but this time, we had a reservation.

We walked across one of the Golden Jubilee pedestrian bridges to the other side of the Thames.

Crossing the Jubilee Bridge in London

While some clouds had dispersed, a few fluffy shapes were left behind, creating a gorgeous afternoon sky.

View of London over the Thames

The view from the other side of the Thames is probably the most iconic, with the Houses of Parliament and Elizabeth Tower (the actual name of what most people think is Big Ben, when in fact, Big Ben is the name of the bell).

Sunset view from London Eye

The silhouette of the Royal Horseguards Hotel across the River Thames was beautiful, as we walked towards the Coca Cola London Eye.

Silhouette of the Royal Horseguards Hotel, London

Next: The Coca Cola London Eye

I hope you enjoyed my review of having~

Afternoon Tea at the Luxurious Royal Horseguards
Hotel in London!

To book an afternoon tea experience at the luxurious Royal Horseguards Hotel in London, click this link.

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Disclosure: our afternoon tea was hosted by The Royal Horseguards Hotel. All opinions are always my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with FTC regulations.

 

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Country, ENGLAND, My Rants & Recommendations, Non Sequitur · Afternoon Tea, Britain, England, hotel, Hotels, John Whaite, london, Luxury, luxury travel, Reviews, Royal Horseguards Hotel, Travel, UK

Reader Interactions

26 Responses

  1. 5 Reasons to Visit the Coca-Cola London Eye - Christina's Cucina says:
    August 22, 2018 at 9:59 pm

    […] in this area with the Houses of Parliament, Elizabeth Tower (Big Ben), 10 Downing Street, The Royal Horseguards Hotel, and the London Aquarium in close […]

    Reply
  2. bangkok hotels says:
    December 18, 2016 at 11:42 pm

    This place looks amazing! I’d definitely stay x

    Reply
  3. Molly Kumar says:
    August 16, 2016 at 11:52 pm

    Beautiful pictures and absolutely adored the ‘Afternoon Tea’ experience. The sandwiches, pastry, and the sapphire earl gray tea sound so delicious. Will keep in my checklist for our next London trip.

    Reply
    • Christina says:
      August 17, 2016 at 11:48 am

      Wonderful, Molly!! Let me know if you go for tea at the RHH!

      Reply
  4. Elizabeth @ SugarHero.com says:
    August 16, 2016 at 10:56 pm

    Oh, this sounds so amazing! All of your pictures and descriptions made me wish that I was there with you. I lived in London several years ago and would move back in a heartbeat if I could. Thanks for the evocative post!

    Reply
    • Christina says:
      August 17, 2016 at 11:49 am

      Oh how lucky you are to have lived in London! Thank you so much for your lovely comments, Elizabeth!

      Reply
  5. Sakura Beauty says:
    August 16, 2016 at 8:26 pm

    I want to experience once A Right Royal Afternoon Tea at the Luxurious Royal Horseguards Hotel in London. I’m sure it would be great.

    Reply
    • Christina says:
      August 17, 2016 at 11:49 am

      I hope you can, too!

      Reply
  6. 5 Reasons to Visit the Coca-Cola London Eye says:
    August 16, 2016 at 7:09 pm

    […] you were along for the Right Royal Afternoon Tea at the Royal Horseguards Hotel on my last post, you know that I highly recommended going to […]

    Reply
  7. Amanda says:
    August 16, 2016 at 6:50 pm

    So – I’m headed to London in October! It will be my 3rd time! I always do afternoon tea at Fortnum and Mason. Have you tried theirs? Loved your article and I plan to re-read it to highlight new places I want to visit! Beautiful pictures, too!

    Reply
« Older Comments

Trackbacks

  1. 5 Reasons to Visit the Coca-Cola London Eye - Christina's Cucina says:
    August 22, 2018 at 9:59 pm

    […] in this area with the Houses of Parliament, Elizabeth Tower (Big Ben), 10 Downing Street, The Royal Horseguards Hotel, and the London Aquarium in close […]

    Reply
  2. 5 Reasons to Visit the Coca-Cola London Eye says:
    August 16, 2016 at 7:09 pm

    […] you were along for the Right Royal Afternoon Tea at the Royal Horseguards Hotel on my last post, you know that I highly recommended going to […]

    Reply

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Meet Christina

A Scottish Italian cook living in Los Angeles, Christina is usually cooking, baking or (cr)eating something scrumptious. When she isn't in the kitchen, she loves to travel, near and far, as long as good food is involved. Christina is on a mission to save authentic Italian dishes from extinction, and is constantly promoting Scottish (and British) food as some of the best cuisine the world has to offer—one steak pie and sticky toffee pudding at a time.



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