There’s something about getting all dressed up that still makes the girlie girl hidden deep within me flutter with excitement. I never wear proper dresses and heels in London (work clothes don’t count). The walking, the raining, the cobbled streets… unless you actually want to sprain your ankle or god forbid, to damage the perfectly patently shiny heel of your new shoes, believe me you do not want to wear heels in London.

But of course, having afternoon tea at The RitzΒ falls outside of my no-heels rule. Not in the least because you have to dress up to even penetrate the revolving doors that hold the rich and beautiful in, and well, normally holds the rest of us out.

But we were all intent on being “in”, so dressed up we got.

After much deliberation about what we were all going to wear (a little trickier for me, might I add, since my boxes of clothes have already been shipped off to Sydney), my girlfriends and I showed up at The Ritz on Sunday, all purrrty and stuff, ready to pretend like we’re proper ladies. The pretence didn’t last long.

Tea at The Ritz is a very posh affair. Held in the Palm Court, we’re surrounded by men in jackets and ties and ladies who look like they actually wear dresses and heels every day. We couldn’t pretend to be posh for too long, where is the fun in that really? Certainly not as much fun as being ridiculous in the mirrors when trying to take decent photos.

Honestly you wouldn’t believe we were in our 30’s would you.

Anyway the food was delicious – standard afternoon tea sandwiches, scones and pastries – except better, because they come around with trays of more food, topping you up. That’s always a win in my books πŸ™‚

afternoon tea finger sandwiches, scones and pastries

eton mess

Victoria sponge

Afternoon tea is always fun, I don’t think I’ve ever not liked eating precious little finger sandwiches and nibbling on miniature sweets. Tea on Sunday was tinged with sadness though because I’m leaving my armour of girlfriends behind. Yes I did just use the word “armour” to describe my gorgeously dainty girlfriends.

And why not? They’ve always been there for me, they protect me, they make me strong and most importantly, they make me shine πŸ˜€

Le sigh.

The Ritz
150 Piccadilly,
London W1J 9BR
0207 493 8181
website

Ritz on Urbanspoon

20 Thoughts on “I’m sure gonna miss my girlfriends: afternoon tea @ The Ritz

  1. Lucy on July 12, 2011 at 7:39 pm said:

    πŸ™ for the leaving your friends

    πŸ™‚ for that rather delicious looking eton mess

  2. Glad you had fun and some nice photos. I didn’t don a fancy dress when we went, just a jacket (as required) πŸ˜‰

    Our afternoon tea there was a bit of a mixed bag foodwise and the service was utterly atrocious. It was also nearly impossible to book. I didn’t think it was worth the fuss personally (neither did Mrs. LF).

    Glad that you enjoyed the food and the setting…which is indeed grand. As my better half said, it is like going back and being on the Titanic…it really takes you back to those glamorous days.

    All the best,

    LF

  3. Nothing beats heading up for a good meal (having one at the Ritz helps too) with your pals!

    I love the decor when I was there but hated the tie that I had to don. Guess that I’m not one for fine dining. While I’m not sure the food is worth the price, the ambiance definitely makes up for it.

  4. I love afternoon tea! Scones are always my favorites πŸ™‚

  5. What a marvelous time! Gorgeous ladies, too.Every one of them.
    Why is that tasty looking glassful called a “mess” ? It feels stupid to ask, but, what is a “mess”? :0)

  6. Aww you all look great! Girlfriends are the best aren’t they! πŸ˜€

  7. Aw Catty, it sucks missing your peeps…BUT! You’ll be down here soon, yay!

  8. Lucy: I know.. πŸ™ and :D!

    LF: We had fabulous service! In fact we were actually really impressed with the guys coming around with extra food, replacing the hot water etc etc… but then there was a table of 8 girls in nice dresses πŸ˜‰

    London Chow: The decor is amazing. Dressing up is only fun for girls I think, most guys are like whaaaat? I gotta wear a tie?! πŸ™‚

    Katarina: I like the little cakes!

    Linda: Ahhh an eton mess is usually messier than this pretty one πŸ™‚ It’s actually just crushed meringue served with cream and fruit, so you can imagine how messy it usually is!

    Lorraine: They sure are πŸ˜€

    Sasa: You will dress up with me, won’t you??

  9. Lovely post, Catty – and great photos. Methinks your friends and London are sure going to miss you!

  10. such a lovely gathering! it’s been forever since i had a girl’s day/night out where everyone dressed up…i am missing it!

  11. Podgyrobin on July 13, 2011 at 1:12 pm said:

    Glad you had a good time Cat! Bonus that you could take photos after all!

    Miss you already. See ya in September (next) on the Sydneyside!!

  12. aforkful: thanks! I’m going to miss them πŸ™

    rita: (firstly, it was just too hard to type our mochachoco…) you SO need to get yourself out with the girls! It’s so refreshing..i love it.

    Podgyrobin: can’t wait to see you in Oz! can’t wait to take you out to eat!!!

  13. Gorgeous picture of you and the girls Catty and what a great way to finish your time in London at the Ritz. Worth dressing up for!

  14. Nothing beats an afternoon with ladies, frocks and a good cup of tea. Special times.

  15. Flower on July 14, 2011 at 4:25 pm said:

    WOW it looks REALLY NICE!

  16. Gourmet Chick: Definitely worth dressing up for, but not worth acting too posh for πŸ˜‰

    Tori: I know. Memories!

    Flower: Thanks, it was!

  17. Love it Catty! Reminds me of a baby shower tea I hosted for one of my girlfriends at the Ritz! So nice we loved! We used to call ourselves the Crazy 8’s in high school (er we still do!) since you guessed it there were 8 of us. Such cute pix! xoxo
    ~Juliane

  18. Kim-Anh on July 17, 2011 at 10:03 pm said:

    You girls look great! and yummy cakes! Your blog is awesome catty^^

  19. Ahhh this reminds me of the time Davina and I went to the Berkeley for afternoon tea, and felt ridiculously underdressed! The staff were lovely though and didn’t scoff at us.

    Must try the Ritz at some point, it’s just so fun having an excuse to get all dressed up. πŸ™‚

  20. Juliane: baby shower at the Ritz! Classy!!! Crazy 8’s hehehe πŸ™‚

    Kim-Anh: Thank you!! πŸ˜€ you’ve made my day!

    Su-yin: Oh that would have been fun. We should have gone to tea before I leave! πŸ™ no time now *sigh*

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