Inside The Milestone Hotel’s Celestial Afternoon Tea in Kensington

Afternoon tea is a much-loved tradition in the UK and one that comes in many forms. The custom can be traced back to Anna, Duchess of Bedford in the 1840s. At that time all fashionable dinners were often served quite late, around 8 or 9pm.

The Duchess found herself feeling hungry during the long interval between lunch and dinner and began asking for tea, bread and butter and small cakes in the afternoon. She enjoyed it so much she started inviting friends to join her and the practice soon became popular among the upper classes.

Tea started off as a real luxury in Britain at this time, having arrived from China in the 17th century. Initially it was very expensive, making it strongly associated with wealth and status, though its consumption became much more widespread by the Victorian era. Thankfully! I love my tea.

And now it’s so easily accessible in many forms with teas to sample from all over the globe. And today we’re heading into the elegance of Kensington to try the Limited Edition Celestial Afternoon Tea at the Milestone Hotel.

It’s quite a feast, as we are soon to discover. Having settled in the beautifully luxurious lounge, we’re treated to a selection of delicate sandwiches and delectable celestial-inspired pastries.

How I love a delicate sandwich. Today there are five fillings including egg mayonnaise, English cucumber, honey roast ham, Red Leicester cheese and the sandwich of all sandwiches – Bea Tollman’s chicken mayonnaise in toasted almonds. Mrs Tollman is one of the founders of the family-owned Red Carnation Hotels of which the Milestone is a part and her touch is seen across many of their menus.

Selection of colourful celestial-inspired cakes and pastries at The Milestone Hotel, decorated with stars, shimmering finishes and galaxy-themed details.

Celestial Afternoon Tea at The Milestone Hotel in Kensington, featuring finger sandwiches, an almond-coated chicken mayonnaise sandwich and colourful celestial-inspired pastries.

The chicken mayo is a circular sandwich coated with delicious crushed almonds. It’s substantial, creamy and rich. A real treat.

Sandwiches are accompanied by such a beautiful array of pastries all celestially inspired and decorated with stars, moons and everything galaxy related. We particularly loved the galaxy torte of blackberry and almond and the zesty Earl Grey passion fruit choux pastry. Melt-in-the-mouth stuff.

And as if this tower of delights isn’t enough, there’s another course. Freshly baked raisin and plain scones accompanied by strawberry jam, lemon curd and clotted cream, of course. So warm, fresh and buttery – jam first, naturally!

Freshly baked plain and raisin scones served with strawberry jam, lemon curd and clotted cream as part of afternoon tea at The Milestone Hotel.

Glass of Champagne served in the elegant lounge at The Milestone Hotel in Kensington during the Celestial Afternoon Tea experience.

There are so many teas to chose from, it would take a long time to go through this list. And they are all served up in silver tea pots complete with silver jugs and strainers and a touch of ceremony – the best way. I loved the fresh, crisp flavours of the Lover’s Leap Tea Estate Nuwaraeliya Ceylon tea from the Season Single Estate Teas section. We can’t try too much tea as there’s also champagne on offer. That’s the way to transform a traditional afternoon tea into perfection.

The Limited Edition Celestial Afternoon Tea at the Milestone Hotel from 11 September to 29 November. Of course, you can sample their traditional afternoon tea any time.

Words by Sandy Cadiz-Smith