I Had Afternoon Tea at Fortnum & Mason in London
on Feb 03, 2026
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Take a look at the afternoon tea at Fortnum & Mason’s Piccadilly location in London. Here is a review of my experience.
Fortnum & Mason
Fortnum & Mason is a luxury department store located in London that specializes in food and kitchenware. The afternoon tea is served on the top floor in the Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon.
RELATED: Afternoon Tea at The Ritz London
Note from Jee
I didn’t have such high expectations when I went for afternoon tea at Fortnums since I figured “How good can it be?” since I’ve been to so many afternoon teas around the world.
Well, well, well. How wrong I was.
Before we go any further, I’ll just confess right here that I’m now OBSESSED with the afternoon tea at Fortnum & Mason in London. To me, it’s the absolute best.
Tea sandwiches made with fresh baked bread, unlimited tea and food, loose tea (no tea bags), and of course, the absolutely amazing clotted cream are the reasons why this place tops my list.
Fortnums Reservations
Reservations are a must. The afternoon tea at Fortnums is very popular and there’s no guarantee you’ll get a table as a walk-in.
Dress Code
Fortnums understands that most of their guests are tourists so they have a very loose dress code. It’s fine to wear jeans and sneakers although it’s always nice to dress up a bit if you wish.
Afternoon Tea Hours
Afternoon tea is served every day and it’s served all day from 11AM to 7:30PM.
How Afternoon Tea Works at Fortnums
Like a lot of afternoon teas in London, the one at Fortnums is also unlimited. That means you get unlimited tea sandwiches, scones, and sweets. The tea is also unlimited and you can change it up with each course if you like.
Once seated, look through the menu to select an afternoon tea type (Classic, Savory, Gluten-Free, and Vegetarian) and then select a tea (or teas if you want more than one).
The tea will come out first, then two separate tiered trays. A smaller 3-tiered tray has the jams and clotted cream and the bigger tray holds the courses on each tier. Eat the tea sandwiches first, then the scones with clotted cream and jam, then the sweets.
Fortnums Afternoon Tea Menu
Afternoon Tea
£84 per person (approximately $115)
Finger sandwiches, scones with clotted cream and jam, sweets, and a pot of tea.
Savoury Afternoon Tea
£85 per person (approximately $116)
Finger sandwiches, savory scones with cream cheese and marmalade, savory pastries, and a pot of tea.
Vegetarian Afternoon Tea
£84 per person (approximately $115)
Finger sandwiches, scones with clotted cream and jam, sweets, and a pot of tea.
Afternoon Tea Made without Gluten
£84 per person (approximately $115)
Finger sandwiches, scones with clotted cream and jam, sweets, and a pot of tea.
There is an option to get an expert tea tasting with a “tearista” at your table for an extra £8 per person, but you have you book that at the time you make your reservation.
The menu and prices may change at any time.
Setting: ★★★★★
The Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon is a dining room that only serves afternoon tea, which I love. White tablecloths and plushy chairs give the whole experience an elegant look.
The tea salon is bright, airy, and the tables are placed far enough apart that you don’t feel cramped.
Service: ★★★★★
The service was exceptional. My server was incredibly helpful in aiding me on what tea to pick and letting me know I can more than one kind of tea with my afternoon tea. He was somewhat formal yet approachable.
Tea & Tea Selection: ★★★★★
Everything on the tea menu is loose tea. The tea menu lists their blends first, and I went with the Queen Anne, as recommended by my server. It was excellent and I even bought some downstairs at the store to bring back home. The second tea I had was the Royal Blend, their most famous blend.
Savories: ★★★★★
The afternoon tea at Fortnums kind of blew my mind. Even with the countless afternoon teas I’ve had all over the world, I felt like I was having it for the first time the minute I took a bite of a tea sandwich. I realized I’ve never had tea sandwiches at afternoon tea made with freshly baked bread.
So flavorful, tasty, and pillowy soft, the sandwiches were absolutely amazing. I cannot stress how good the bread was on the tea sandwiches. I was in carb heaven.
Scones: ★★★★★
The best part for me was, hands-down, the clotted cream that’s served with the scones. Yes, I’m even putting a photo of the clotted cream instead of the scones because it was THAT GOOD. It was definitely a case of “Would you like some scone with your clotted cream” scenario. I’ve NEVER had clotted cream that was this good.
Even with all the other afternoon teas I went to that week in London, the Fortnum & Mason’s was by far the best. It was goopy, like caramel in texture. I could have eaten the clotted cream by the spoonful.
Sweets: ★★★★★
I loved the variety and portion size of the adorable sweets but I couldn’t finish all of it since I was so full from the sandwiches and scones. I ended up taking a bite of each and they were all very very good.
Just as I thought we were done, servers came around and handed out mini cones with flavored cream filling. A cute touch.
Overall: ★★★★★
Fortnum’s was absolutely amazing and I can’t wait to go back! (Especially to have more clotted cream!)
LOCATION:
Fortnum & Mason
181 Piccadilly
St. James’s, London
