LONDON — Afternoon tea is a common custom in London.
“I think if you do a handful of things when you come to England, then taking an afternoon tea is an absolute must,” said Malcolm Hendry, general manager at The Rubens at the Palace.
To commemorate the upcoming royal wedding, the hotel is offering a special Royal Wedding Tea until June 4th.
“We had a look at some of the royal weddings of past, and decided we have a top plate of pastries that really mirrored some of the famous royal wedding cakes over the years,” Hendry said.
The wedding cake samples include a plum mousse cake in honor Queen Victoria and Prince Albert’s wedding, a traditional fruitcake in honor of Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh’s wedding, a chocolate biscuit cake for Prince William and Kate Middleton’s wedding and an elderflower and lemon cheesecake in honor of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle upcoming big day.
There’s also a pastry in honor of newborn Prince Louis.
“A Jammie Dodger for those that don’t know is a childhood favorite,” Hendry said. “We put that on the plate really as a polite welcome and nod to the new prince.”
If you plan on hosting a royal wedding-inspired afternoon tea on Saturday, it’s important to focus on the tea itself as well as the food and presentation.
“The china you serve needs to be the highest quality one can find,” Hendry said. “Get some good sandwiches, good quality bread [and] your favorite fillings. Enjoy the link between traditional afternoon tea … [and] the wedding in Windsor.”
