The Montague on the Gardens is one of the few hotels in London which serve the afternoon tea on a nice relaxing terrace, away from the noise of vibrant London. It’s perfect on a warm and sunny day, thus the “Summer Garden Afternoon tea” is what we’ll review today.
Summer Afternoon Tea
Summer Garden Afternoon Tea
The Montague on the Gardens Hotel, London
Red Carnation Hotel Collection
Overall rating: ★★★★★
Price: £32/person with tea & cocktail
£30/person with tea only
(excl. 12.5% service charge)
Tea refills: Yes (2-3 choices of tea/person)
Food refills: Yes
Service: 12 to 6 pm
in the Conservatories or on the Terrace
The Montague on the Gardens Hotel Setting ★★★★★
Located near the British Museum, the hotel is decorated in such a way that makes it feel homely and luxurious at the same time. The tea can be taken in the many of the hotel’s outlets, such as the Conservatories or The Park Terrace.
As I arrived at noon, I was able to get a table on the terrace, enjoying the view on the gardens behind the well-named hotel. Not a soul in the gardens, not a noise… That’s how I like a terrace and God knows it’s hard to find in London!
The terrace can be covered if it starts to rain, so guests can still enjoy the summer temperatures despite the rather capricious British weather.
The Tea & Beverage Selection ★★★★☆
If you decide to go with the “Summer Garden Afternoon Tea”, you’ll be able to choose from four different cocktails. We were able to try two cocktails: “The International Cocktail” and the “Darjeeling Sunrise”. I am not an expert wen it comes to cocktails, but both turned out to be a welcome addition to this afternoon tea. I recommend the “Darjeeling Sunrise” (the red cocktail in the picture below).
The selection is varied, with several Twinnings teas (Wulong, Green, White…) and a few infusions. I recommend the White tea “Rose Twigs”, a very refreshing blend that fits the summer theme perfectly. It’s a pity that you cannot try out each tea but you’ll still have unlimited refills for the teas you’ve chosen.
The tea is served in a very functional teapot that enables you to choose the strength of the infusion, with the help of a triple hourglass. When you’ve reached the desired brew, simply lift the container to stop the infusion. So brilliant, I bought the same one!
The Savouries ★★★★☆
Four sandwiches, all of them tasty and made with a different sort of bread: “Chicken Almond & Celery”, “Smoked Salmon”, “Cream & Cucumber” and “Egg & Mayonnaise”.
My favourite is probably the “Chicken Almond & Celery”, it’s a delightful combination and slightly more original than the others. The staff was always mindful not to put almonds for my guest to suit his dietary requirements, and they kindly offered us a few refills which we happily accepted.
Below is a video detailing the full contents of the Afternoon Tea, with the cutest Ukrainian accent I ever heard:
The Scones ★★★★☆
The tea comes with two scones, one plain and one fruit, both wrapped in a napkin so they’ll still be warm once you’re done with the savouries. The homemade strawberry jam and cream were perfect as well, I love it when the jam is a bit liquid as it makes the scone preparation a lot easier.
Do note that if you’re not feeling hungry enough for the full afternoon tea, guests may order the Scones Afternoon Tea for £15, with the possibility to choose four scones from six different types: plain, fruit, cheese, chocolate….
The Sweets ★★★★★
It’s rather unusual to have such variety in the pastries, another reason to love this afternoon tea, we were served with eight different types of cakes: “Lavender Meringue Lollipop”, “Coffee éclair”, “Cheese Cake”, “Strawberry Tart”, “Red Velvet Cupcake”, “Mango & Lime Cake”, “Rose Macaron” and “White Coconut Mousse”.
These were all delicious and very beautiful looking, I would like to add that these pastries were both refreshing and light, very fitting of a Summer afternoon tea.
I really enjoyed the “strawberry tart” and my guest’s favourite was the “Mango & Lime Cake”. Needless to say, we also asked for a few pastries’ refills as they were too good not to!
The Service ★★★★☆
Great service, the staff always checked up on us to see if we had enough food and some of them displayed a great sense of humour. I did enjoy a bit of bantering about the beach bar, which my guest and I called “cheesy” and “different” while the hotel gentleman simply laughed and said “It’s fun!”. He does have a point, but I think I’ll still favour the terrace for an afternoon tea!
I would like to thank Tibor and the rest of the team for a great afternoon, particularly since they let me stay until 8 pm which was a nice opportunity to start working on this this article straight away.
As I mentioned earlier, the staff was very careful about my guest’s dietary requirements going as far as serving the pastries in separate plates for extra safety. It’s probably standard procedure for most establishments, but it’s still much appreciated.
Conclusion & Overall Mark ★★★★★
This was my second afternoon tea at the Montague on the Gardens and both times were an absolute delight. Whether you grab it in the conservatories or on the terrace, you’re bound to have a great afternoon, drinking perfectly brewed tea (by yours truly, thanks to their brilliant teapots) and eating delicious food.
In this price range it is simply among the best summer afternoon teas I ever had, all countries considered.
+: Beautiful hotel with a gorgeous terrace
+: Solid tea selection, best teapot!
+: Great service, friendly and efficient
+: Excellent price, £32 with tea & summer cocktail!
-: Good weather is preferable
-: Not the warmest welcome
