Introduction

Today I have a busy programme ahead of me. I have tickets to visit the Houses of Parliament in Westminster at 09h30, and then at 11h00 I’m joining a Commonwealth themed tour of Westminster Abbey, followed by afternoon tea at The Goring at 15h00 and then Shakespeare at the Drury Lane Theatre at 19h30.

Location

The Goring is located between the backyard of Buckingham Palace and the entrance to Victoria Station. From Westminster Abbey I walk up Whitehall to Trafalgar square, pop into the portrait gallery for about thirty minutes, and then walk past St James’ park to the palace and then on to The Goring. By the time I arrive there just before 15h00, I’m toast. I’m exhausted. It’s not just that you walk long distances in London, it’s also that there are just so, so many tourists crawling along at a snail’s pace, making progress very slow.

The Service

We arrive at the reception desk for The Veranda, where our coats are taken off us and we are invited to take a seat in the lounge while they finish preparing our table. Later on, during the tea, I don’t once have to poor my own tea, because the waiters come through making regular checks to make sure our cups are full. The service at The Goring is not unfriendly, but just a bit too clipped and brisk to be truly pleasant.

The Veranda

The Veranda overlooks a lush garden behind the hotel, which is where it gets its name from. It’s a peaceful little spot of tranquility in the usually insane chaos of the big city. As our luck would have it, we’re given a table in the middle of the room, right by the window.

The table is nicely set in yellow and gold crockery. The flutes are in case guests are having a glass of champagne with their afternoon tea, which we don’t. I think if I have champagne now, I’ll likely nod off to sleep this evening in the theatre.

The Afternoon Tea

The afternoon tea at The Veranda is traditional. We start with a small tartlet of beetroot and hazelnut crumble, which is nice but too big to be bite size and too small for a fork and knife.

The savouries are served on an elegant, long plate. From right to left on both stacks we have the Coronation Chicken, cooked ham, egg mayonnaise, smoked salmon, and cucumber. The sandwiches are nice and the bread is still soft, suggesting that they were freshly made.

And then the scones and sweets are brought out on an étagère. The scones are at the bottom. They are served with strawberry and raspberry preserves, and clotted cream, of course. There is a choice of plain and raisin scones.

The sweets on the top tier are lovely. One is a lemon madeleine with frosting, followed by a pear tart with caramel cream, and a chocolate mousse and raspberry cake.

Conclusion

I’m a bit in two minds about this one. On the one hand, I think the service was good and very attentive. The quality of the food was also good. However, the service was a bit too clipped and brisk at times, so that the whole experience felt a bit rushed. And the food, while good, was also unspectacular. I think I wouldn’t mind going there again for afternoon tea. But there are a few other places I’d like to try first, and others I’d like to go back to first.

From The Goring I cross the small park into Victoria Station and catch a District line train back to the hotel for a digestive nap before the theatre this evening. I’m getting old!