The eight best afternoon teas for children in London

There is no meal better suited to children than afternoon tea. Just ask Alice. Child-sized portions (including sandwiches with the crusts cut off), a mountain of exquisite cakes, and enough British pomp and ceremony to persuade even the most fidgety of characters to sit for a moment and enjoy time en famille.

The very existence of afternoon tea is thanks to the most petulant of complaints: in the early 19th century, when most people contented themselves with just two meals each day (breakfast and a late evening dinner), Anna, the 7th Duchess of Bedford, allegedly moaned of "having that sinking feeling" during the late afternoon and demanded a third meal.

While the duchess began with furtive snacks of tea and cakes in her bedroom, this evolved into a social event in more public spaces, paving the way for a splendid ritual of sandwiches, scones and cake in tea rooms and hotels around the country.

Below are some of London's best afternoon teas for those who want to engage in the ultimate British cultural and gastronomical ritual with their children.

Best for: the view

Aqua Shard

There’s plenty to entertain as you gaze out from the 31st floor of the Shard: the view from Aqua Shard is mesmerising, stretching from the Tower of London and the skyscrapers of the City to gleaming St Paul’s and the London Eye, with the meandering Thames in between. That’s if you get a window table, of course; remember to request one.

And from lobster sandwiches to lemon curd and meringue tarts on hazelnut sponge, the menu is high-quality riffs on classics that should please diners young and old.

Ages: Children from the age of three will appreciate watching the ant-farm-like city below

Address: 32 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9SG

Days and times: tea is served from 1pm to 5pm Monday - Friday, and from 1pm to 4pm on Saturdays

Cost: Afternoon tea £45 per person

Check availability with Bookatable

Best for: tradition

The Ritz

Afternoon tea has been served at the Ritz since its opening in 1906; there’s enough ceremony here to please a coachload of tourists. Tea at the Ritz includes the requisite finger sandwiches with smoked salmon, roast ham et al, alongside fresh raisin and apple scones and cakes on a tiered cake stand.

Children are offered the same menu as adults, but can opt for plainer sandwiches and soft drinks instead of tea. Here it is required that one dresses for the occasion: jeans, sportswear and trainers are forbidden. That sense of formality also means that children should be mature and on low volume; this is not the place for boisterous toddlers. Book well in advance.

John O'Ceallaigh

Ages: You’ll want to bring children who enjoy a formal moment here - and probably those over the age of 6

Address: The Ritz, 150 Piccadilly, W1J 9BR

Days and times: daily 11.30am-7.30pm

Cost: £50, or £66 for a champagne afternoon tea

Check availability with Bookatable

Best for: bringing Granny

Claridges

Afternoon tea in Claridge’s is all about good taste: of the interior designers who have laid on a supremely elegant setting; of the pianist-cellist duo whose harmonies blend well with the warm chatter; of the sumptuous delicacies upon which you feast: cucumber (and organic chicken) sandwiches, scones; pastries fusing the flavours of pears and walnuts, chocolate and crème brûlée.

Elegantly side-stepping any threat of parental panic when a child raises its voice, shattering the calm of quiet tête-à-têtes, Claridges segregates parties with children, seating them in Claridge’s Foyer, and offering a children’s tea menu for children aged 5-10; it includes a selection of traditional sandwiches, scones, and pastries, along with vanilla fairy cakes and brownies. The menu doubles as a colouring book, to distract and entertain young people. Book well ahead.

Adrian Bridge

Ages: five and older

Address: Brook St, Mayfair, London W1K 4HR

Days and times: tea is served daily at 3pm, 3.30pm & 5pm or 5.30pm

Cost: £55; champagne afternoon tea £65-£80

Check availability:Claridge's, London

Best for: imaginations

St James' Court, A Taj Hotel

With mis-matched old Wedgewood china, pearls and playing cards scattered across the tables in a sleek modern grey dining room, this sugary bonanza of an Alice in Wonderland-themed tea is as light and cheerful as the pop music playing on the stereo (our young guests recognised a hit from the Ninjago film).

Coronation chicken was everything one could ask of a tea sandwich: bold of flavour, and lighter than a marshmallow. The cakes that follow take sweetness to a superlative level, with more of a candy than traditional flavour. There’s a watermelon jelly that tastes like a boiled sweet, and the White Rabbit's pink pocket watch macaron is exquisite, but its bubblegum flavour is for aficionados only.

Sally Peck

Ages: all - we even saw a hen do on our visit - but it was a thrill for 6-year-olds

Address: 54 Buckingham Gate, London SW1E 6AF

Days and times: Daily 12:30 – 5pm

Cost: £40

Check availability:St James' Court, A Taj Hotel

Best for: a Euro-twist

The Delaunay

For a less stuffy option, head to the Delaunay, where children are always welcome, and cakes are always good - if rather Austrian, as opposed to English. The Delaunay’s Viennese afternoon tea includes savouries, cakes and pastries - including Sachertorte; poppy seed gugelhupf, or bundt cake, with apricot jam and whipped cream; and a variety of millefeuille - along with a choice of teas or coffees, as well as child-pleasing milkshakes or ice cream floats.

While the large, bustling atmosphere will leave parents relaxed if their children are a bit boisterous, the top-quality cakes and grand Old World dining room will also lend a sense of occasion for everyone, old and young. Note: if the Delaunay is booked on the day you want, Corbin & King’s sister restaurant, The Wolseley, on Piccadilly, would be a good substitute.

Sally Peck

Ages: all

Address: 55 Aldwych, London WC2B 4BB

Days and times: tea is served daily from 3pm to 6.30pm

Cost: The Delaunay Viennese Afternoon Tea is £23.75 per person. There is no special price for children, but adults with small appetites are allowed to share with their children

Check availability: The Delaunay

Best for: healthy indulgence

Brown's

Brown’s Hotel, where Queen Victoria used to take her tea, is the ideal spot to introduce children to the ritual. And for modern parents, Brown's caters to the world of health obsession with a low-carb, low-fat, low-sugar spread that is more indulgent than it sounds.

Creamy avocado and hummus puree enveloped by beetroot crepes injects colour into the savoury plate, laden too with spinach bread carrying fragrant, miso-infused salmon. The second course comprises fresh fruit with blueberries, melons and pineapple, doused in honey and chia seed yoghurt, serving as a welcome palette cleanser before the eye-popping top tier arrives. Here raspberry and pistachio brownies are gluten-free, while you’d be forgiven for thinking the raw white chocolate and raspberry cheesecake contains sugar. And with over 14 types of tea to choose from, as well as knowledgable staff to guide you, the selection will certainly leave you satisfied (even if the 90-minute turnaround time means you might have to leave earlier than intended).

Belinda Maude

Ages: Brown’s is elegant but welcoming to even the youngest guests.

Address: Albemarle Street, London W1S 4BP

Days and times: daily from 12pm-6.30pm

Cost: £55; champagne afternoon tea £65; half-price for children under the age of 11

Check availability with Bookatable

Best for: indulgence on wheels

Brigit's Bakery

The substantial and colourful full afternoon tea mixes French treats such as a green brioche filled with smoked salmon, a mini quiche and pastries, with a traditional English cucumber finger sandwich and a scone; cupcakes complete the picture.

There’s no commentary as you whizz around London on an old Routemaster bus (the tour lasts 90 minutes, depending on traffic), passing The London Eye, the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, St James’s Park, Hyde Park and Downing Street, but a guide can answer any questions you might have. Note that there are no loos on the bus: this is for disciplined diners.

Fred Mawer

Ages: five and older

Address: tours depart multiple times each day from 8 Northumberland Avenue, off Trafalgar Square, or from Victoria Coach Station

Days and times: daily departures at noon, 12.30, 2.30, 3, and 5.

Cost: £45

Check availability: b-bakery.com

Best for: something different

Yauatcha

For any family tired of sandwiches, sponge and tradition, Yauatcha is the ideal alternative. The Michelin-starred Soho branch has been going for 15 years, but still manages to look modern and fresh - and the food is just as bright and bold as the decor.

While there is no formal afternoon tea menu, a family could happily order a few beautiful dim sum dishes before moving on to the cakes: a petit gateau might feature the intersection of milk chocolate, jasmine and caramelised honey; macarons are flavoured with rose and sesame; a passionfruit-ginger chocolate could round out the meal.

Sally Peck

Ages: all

Address:  15-17 Broadwick Street, London, W1F 0DL

Days and times: open daily

Cost: a la carte

Check availability with Bookatable

Best for: The old-fashioned romance of stories

The Langham

Famed as the birthplace of afternoon tea outside the private home, the Langham Hotel’s elegant Palm Court is a paean to civilised dining of the Lapsang and scones variety. Its newest offering is a special version for children, served from noon until 5.30pm each day, in partnership with Daunt Books: you take tea with your kid, they take home a book from a specially-curated collection, developing a taste for the finer things in life in the process.

The meal (and it definitely is a meal if you’re under the age of six) itself is interactive: jigsaw puzzle-shaped sandwiches to unpiece to start with (with crowd-pleasing fillings including egg, cheese and jam), followed by a slate-full of cake elements to stick together (with salted caramel paste) into the shape of a dog, complete with chocolate truffle nose, and then a portion of scones with jam and cream.

To drink, the hotel’s rich, thick Valrhona hot chocolate, or a special blend of caffeine-free strawberry flavoured tea, served in the same bone china as the adults (warning: it’s quite stressful with a two-year-old). Adults can take the edge off the stress with a glass of champagne and get their own, slightly less tooth-achingly sweet three courses of indulgence. The serving staff are admirably unflappable, swooping in to replace napkins, discreetly sweep up dropped bits of scone and offer more tea; there’s a colouring sheet and pencils to entertain everybody until the food arrives, and the pianist tinkles away at Disney specials in the background.

Address: The Langham, 1C Portland Place London, W1B 1JA United Kingdom

Days and times: Daily from 12 noon to 5.30pm

Cost: £29 per child (12 years and under)

Check availability: langhamhotels.com