We’ve been exploring afternoon tea option in London and so far this is Pip’s favourite by far! There are two options for afternoon tea; Science Tea and Jurassic Tea, we went for the Science Tea. The Ampersand Hotel is absolutely beautiful and the staff were so friendly and helpful.
What to expect?
There is a set menu for the Science Afternoon Tea with options for Vegetarian, Vegan and Gluten-free afternoon teas. The adult menu is different from the child menu both in content and experience. Menus can be found here. There is also the option to have just a cream tea (tea with jam and scones).
There are various options to upgrade your afternoon tea with a glass of something fizzy, a Tea-Pot Tail (Teapot cocktail) or a non-alcoholic drink or cocktail.
There is a tea menu of Jing Teas including Ampersand’s own tea blend. I chose the Earl Grey which was delicious.
The afternoon tea is a real experience. We started with a science experiment by making our own flavoured lemonade with the test tubes and ingredients provided.
The afternoon tea stands came out next. Mine was a traditional stand with sandwiches on the bottom, scones in the middle and cakes at the top. Pip’s was in the shape of a space rocket which then had dry ice added to it so it seemed that Pip’s rocket was about to blast off in to space!
Pip’s afternoon tea also came with a DIY hot chocolate; a mug of hot milk, astronaut chocolate stirrer and toppings.
Pip’s also came with a small wooden box and a paint brush. The box was filled with chocolate shavings and the paintbrush was to allow her to conduct her own archaeological dig to find chocolate dinosaurs.
The menu
The menu options when we went were as follows:
Is it child friendly?
Completely child friendly! The atmosphere was relaxed, there was several groups of adults having afternoon tea while we were there but there was also family groups with children of all ages. The set up and layout of the room meant that there were lots of tables chatting so I didn’t feel that we had to whisper and make sure Pip stayed quiet. She was completely engaged by the afternoon tea and making all the different elements kept her busy and in her seat.
Dress code:
There isn’t a dress code but it is a smart hotel. If you would like to dress up then you wouldn’t feel overdressed but smart/ casual is also fine. We visited before Christmas so were in Christmas jumpers!
Location:
The Ampersand Hotel is in South Kensington and is a stones throw from South Kensington tube station, it is also served by various bus routes.. It started life as the boutique Norfolk hotel and has been in it’s current incarnation as The Ampersand Hotel since 2012. The hotel is based in the same neighbourhood as some of London’s most iconic museums; The Science Museum, The Natural History Museum and The Victoria and Albert with the first two influencing their afternoon tea options.
We visited in November 2022 when Pip was 10.
Go everywhere, Do everything 