Tis Me Michelle

If I ever get married, big if there, my bachelorette would most likely be some kind of afternoon tea. It’s pretty and aesthetically pleasing, plus I genuinely enjoy all the bites and tea. I partake in high teas with my friends just for random hangouts, so of course I wanted to go to an ‘official’ one when I was in London. It just seemed fitting, and I didn’t have time the last time I came to London, so I made sure I planned it for this trip.

I did some research to try and find the right afternoon tea for me. Honestly, I don’t know that I could have gone wrong at any place, but during my research, The Zetter Townhouse just spoke to me. It had a more quirky feel as opposed to ‘proper’ or ‘fancy’, and as a solo high tea-er, I wanted to feel comfortable. Ultimately, I think it was the right choice. But I am so up to try different spots (when I go back)!

The Zetter Townhouse was indeed a townhouse, and if it didn’t have a cutely decorated front door, it would have blended right in with the row of homes. I also probably would not have made it toward this side of town if I hadn’t chosen this spot, and I ended up going to a few places on my to-go list afterward, so it really worked out. Just like the pictures, the townhome was so quirky and cutely decorated. There was only one other solo high tea-er when I arrived. She and I had the same idea. We brought a good read and got comfortable. I can’t explain how lovely it is to have a nice slow day, read a good book, have a window seat to people-watch and enjoy all the clotted cream.

I do have a problem. I’m 99.9% sure I’m lactose intolerant, I just don’t want to admit it. If we are being so for real, I could even do without cheese. But with actual cream, like whipped cream, heavy cream, or clotted cream, I will happily deal with the consequences. Is this the real reason I went to high tea? No comment. Give your girl all the scones + clotted cream, please, and thank you. We don’t get clotted cream here in the U.S., blasphemy. So I had to indulge while I could. Is this just a love letter to clotted cream now? Sorry, not sorry.

Anywhos, I may have overestimated how much I could eat this entire London trip. The majority of my plans consisted of eating and… It was just me, myself and I. My high tea platter could have easily been split with someone. I had a great time, but I did feel like I ended up wasting a lot of food. I should have game planned a bit better.

One of the things that drew me to The Zetter house was that they had 2 options for afternoon tea, one that’s more hearty and one that’s more traditional. I fully went in thinking I was going to do the hearty one, which was more puff pastry-type items. However, when I arrived the options were different than what I saw online and not up my alley. So I opted for the more traditional finger sandwiches. I enjoyed the finger sandwiches, they weren’t anything out of this world, but simple and good. I wish I hadn’t eaten all four of them at the beginning, rather sampled them, because once I moved on from those I was already feeling full. And then I just went extra hard on the carbs, because I had to have my scones and clotted cream. Those were delightful and I wish I could have smuggled some for later.

I ended up filling myself up with those that I barely had room for the pretty desserts. There were three desserts including, an orange & almond macaron, a chocolate delice and a vanilla custard tart. The chocolate one was my favorite, it was decadent, rich, and delicious – quite a lot at the end of a hearty tea. Having had delightful tarts in Portugal, this tart did not compare. And as much I love macarons and it’s so brand for an afternoon tea, I’m not a fan of orange-flavored desserts. The chocolate was spot-on and worth it.

I had a lovely time just enjoying my time really. The staff was sweet and left me alone to my reading for the most part. There was only one other party while I was there, so relatively quiet. I do believe I went on a weekday, so I imagine it’s probably a bit busier on the weekends. Regardless, it’s a small, cute spot. If you enjoy a cup of tea and cute aesthetics, give it a go. Look into the other places that offer it too and find one that fits your vibe!

Rating: 8.6/10