Palm Court Afternoon Tea
Crafted by our talented pastry team and prepared fresh each day, the exclusive menu brings you a delicious cake selection including a Golden Pineapple, Passion Fruit and Mango Choux; Coffee and Chocolate Tart; Granny Smith and Rhubarb Macaron; and a Lychee and Raspberry, Rose Almond Cake.
Served with a selection of savoury sandwiches, inspired by British specialties, and home-made scones with Cornish clotted cream and seasonal preserves. As is tradition, our afternoon tea is paired perfectly with a collection of exotic teas, from floral Chamomile tea to our very own Sheraton Grand English Breakfast Tea.
Available to book from £65 per person.
Our 1920s Heritage
Guests can admire original panelling, stained-glass windows from the early twenties and exquisite 1920s-styled murals adorned with theatrical patterns. Combining 1920s flair and traditional ingredients, guests will enjoy an authentic taste of the era created by the hotel's talented pastry team and be transported back in time to the prosperity of late 1920s London.
The Palm Court Afternoon Tea is elegantly presented within the ‘birdcage' cake stand, aptly named after the nickname the hotel received in the early twenties. Sheraton Grand London Park Lane was one of the first buildings in London to be built with a stand-alone steel structure, after construction was abandoned during the first World War the steel frame was nicknamed the ‘birdcage'. Building recommenced in 1924 and the steel frame still forms the arches of the Palm Court today.
Discover our Exotic Teas
For a classic option, choose one of our black teas such as Chocolate Chilli Black Tea, Passion Fruit Black Tea or Berry Tea. Alternatively, discover more relaxing options, such as our soothing peppermint tea leaves from Egypt, or a floral and silky Chamomile Tea.
Enjoy our very own Sheraton Grand English Breakfast Tea - with poignant, rich, malty flavours, delicately grown and harvested in the beautifully picturesque, Assam.
Our exotic teas are served with our Afternoon Tea.
Afternoon Tea - A Brief History
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.