Afternoon Tea, TravelSamantha Saravana-BawanDecember 09, 2025InterContinental London Park Lane, Festive Afternoon Tea, Christmas Afternoon Tea, Afternoon Tea Review, London Afternoon TeaComment

Celebrate the Season: Christmas Afternoon Tea at InterContinental London Park Lane Review

Afternoon Tea, TravelSamantha Saravana-BawanDecember 09, 2025InterContinental London Park Lane, Festive Afternoon Tea, Christmas Afternoon Tea, Afternoon Tea Review, London Afternoon TeaComment

To me, not much goes together better than Christmas and afternoon tea. The sparkle of festive decorations paired with the refined ritual of tea service creates an experience that feels magical and effortlessly luxurious. Britain is the birthplace of afternoon tea and while in London this December I knew I had to take the time to try a few different places.

Disclosure: Thank you InterContinental London Park Lane for collaborating on this post. All thoughts and opinions are always my own.

If you’re dreaming of an elegant, festive afternoon in the heart of London, let me introduce you to the Christmas Afternoon Tea at InterContinental London Park Lane. This indulgent seasonal tradition is served in the refined surroundings of the hotel’s Wellington lounge.

ABOUT THE HOTEL

The InterContinental London is located at Hyde Park corner with Park Lane. This prestigious and prime location once housed a row of townhouses including 145 Piccadilly which was the childhood home of Queen Elizabeth II. The townhouses were destroyed in World War II.

ABOUT THE TEA

Afternoon Tea is served in the Wellington Lounge. The Wellington Lounge has served afternoon tea since the opening of InterContinental London Park Lane on the 23rd of September 1975.

On 23 September 2025, the InterContinental London Park Lane reached its 50th anniversary. To mark the occasion, the Wellington Lounge is offering the “Golden Afternoon Tea”. This tea is inspired by the hotel’s royal connections and British baking heritage. For the festive season the Golden afternoon tea has been reimagined drawing inspiration from seasonal flavours and traditional holiday favourites.

While many places offer Champagne with their afternoon tea, the InterContinental has done one better. If you are a Champagne lover like myself, you can enjoy unlimited free-flowing Veuve Clicquot Brut Yellow Label NV or Veuve Clicquot Rosé NV.

The hotel serves TWG tea which is a personal favourite. I started off with the milk oolong. This tea was delicious. The flavours were delicate but savoury. It reminded me of buttered popcorn and complimented the sandwiches well. The rich buttery notes really came out the longer the tea steeped.

Although turkey is not my go to meat choice the turkey and cranberry sausage roll was amazing. Light and flakey pastry surrounding perfectly cooked turkey. The cranberry added the right amount of sourness to cut through the richness. The brie and fig cracker was the most aesthetic savoury dish. The cracker was shaped like a tree and the placement of the brie and fig chutney made them look like baubles adorning the tree. A ham sandwich may sound basic however the flavours from the mustard with the honey glaze had the perfect sweet and spicy mix. The smoked salmon blini was also delicious but stood out the least for me. However for my friend that was one of her favourites.

The scones themselves were perfect. Light and warm. I prefer raisin scones to plain ones so that is what I tried. What stood out to me was the Christmas conserve they serve. Imagine if mince pie filling could be made into a smooth preserve. Christmas in a mouthful!

For the sweets I decided to change up my tea to the 1837 White Tea. I love fruit teas and the floral notes were not overpowering.

The sweet course was truly delightful. Some of the treats that felt almost too pretty to eat. Although I am not typically a fan of mousse the golden Christmas bauble filled with both fig pieces and fig mouse was delectable. The mousse was more stiff to hold its shape but still tasted light. The chocolate clementine cheesecake shaped like a Christmas tree was a take on a Terry’s chocolate orange. Although both my mom and I are not cheesecake fans we both agreed that this was delicious. To us however the winning dessert was the Twelfth Night Cake with golden glace cherries, apricots and chestnuts. Not just adorable but delicious.

You know you loved your tea when you didn’t have leftovers to take!

If you are in London I highly recommend the InterContinental Park Lane Tea. The atmosphere is beautiful. I love the brightness of the space. The staff were so friendly and the service was seamless. I was impressed at how they were constantly refiling our Champagne glasses! I can see why the hotel has thrived and is celebrating a 50 year milestone!