Afternoon Tea

Served in the iconic Palm Court, Lock & Co. Afternoon Tea celebrates 340 years of millinery excellence from our established Mayfair neighbours, Lock & Co. Hatters.

Our pastry team have finely crafted each sweet on the menu to replicate Lock & Co.'s classic designs. Such as the Drab shell top hat with Rhubarb, pistachio & lime and Dick Tracy Fedora Hat with Strawberry crémeux, candied strawberries, vanilla mousse & fuschia pink glitter glaze.

The menu also features freshly baked plain and golden raisin scones served with homemade selection of seasonal preserves and clotted cream. The tempting selection of luxury sandwiches includes Scottish smoked salmon with caper crème fraîche and Cotswold white coronation chicken.

Enjoy your Afternoon Tea with free-flowing bubbles £48 per person or with Classic Tea Selection £39 per person.

Exclusively from 21st to 25th May our Lock & Co. Afternoon Tea will have a floral makeover to celebrate the historic Chelsea Flower Show.

Indulge in an afternoon of hats, heritage, style and afternoon tea!

>>Lock & Co. Afternoon Tea with free-flowing bubbles
£48 per person

>>Lock & Co. Afternoon Tea with Classic Tea Selection
£39 per person

Established in 1676, Lock & Co. Hatters is the oldest hat shop in the world & one of the oldest family-owned businesses still in existence.

Revered for their centuries-honed craftsmanship and innovative designs, Lock has graced the heads of some of the greatest figures in history. No matter the customer, what they have all come to expect from Lock is the best: the best designs, the best fabrics, the best service.

Afternoon tea is recognised around the world as being something traditionally British. Nobody knows the exact origins of the Afternoon Tea but one lady features in all theories, Anna, Seventh Duchess of Bedford (1783-1857), lady in waiting to her majesty, Queen Victoria.

Traditionally, dinner was not served until 8.30 or 9.00 in the evening and the Duchess often became hungry, especially in the summer when dinner was served even later. Every afternoon, she experienced a "sinking feeling" and requested sandwiches and cakes between 3pm and 4pm in the afternoon.

Soon others followed the duchess' lead. In 1842, a well-known actress named Fanny Kemble heard of Afternoon Tea, and began to invite some guests to join her. Soon all of fashionable London was sipping tea with a variety of sandwiches on the side. The custom of "taking tea" in the afternoon had become well established, along with a complex set of rules and etiquette.