Food guide

Afternoon tea

What you get, how a cream tea differs, and places in our guides whose own websites mention afternoon tea.

Facts last checked Oct 25, 2026. Britlens is independent: see our editorial policy.

Cream tea with two scones, clotted cream, jam and a pot of tea
Photo: Andy Li, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

What it is

Afternoon tea is a meal built around tea with baked goods such as cakes, scones and bread and jam, and perhaps sandwiches. These are the pillars of the traditional afternoon tea offered by London hotels.1

A cream tea is an afternoon tea of tea, scones, clotted cream, jam and sometimes butter. Cream teas are sold in tea rooms across England, especially in Devon and Cornwall.2

Check before you go. We list a place when its own website, fetched on Oct 25, 2026, mentions afternoon tea. We do not give prices, sittings or menus: they change, and many places need booking. Ask about dietary needs when you book.

Scones topped with cream and jam beside a cup of tea in a flowered china cup
Photo: AlphaLemur, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Where to find it

Each name links to the area page in our guide; "Official site" opens the venue's own website.

London

Bath

Cambridge

Edinburgh

Manchester

Oxford

The Cotswolds

York

Three-tier stand of afternoon tea with sandwiches, scones and small cakes
Photo: Ji-Elle, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Related

Browse every neighborhood's eat and drink pages, read about Sunday roast, or see regional specialties.

Sources

Fetched and read on Oct 25, 2026. Rules, prices and opening times change: check the source before you rely on it.

  1. Tea (meal) (opens in new tab), Wikipedia
  2. Cream tea (opens in new tab), Wikipedia