An afternoon tea is a quintessential London treat, but why have any old afternoon tea in London when you can have a Charlie and the Chocolate Factory afternoon tea? This wonderful experience at One Aldwych was voted the best afternoon tea in London by Bookatable in 2017, and it isn’t hard to see why. I thoroughly enjoyed sampling all the sweet and savoury delights in this themed afternoon tea in London, read on for my full review!
Know Before You Go to London
Before travelling to London, make sure you book accommodation and popular attractions ASAP as hotels and tickets can sell out.
🛌 MY FAVOURITE BUDGET ACCOMMODATION IN LONDON:
$$ Pembridge Palace Hotel: comfortable hotel close to Notting Hill and Portobello Market
$$ The Z Hotel Covent Garden: stylish modern hotel in London’s theatre district
$ Wombat’s City Hostel London: Private rooms and shared dorms with a great bar in the basement
⭐ TOP 3 LONDON ACTIVITIES TO BOOK IN ADVANCE:
1. Tower of London and Crown Jewels Exhibition Ticket
Afternoon Tea in London at One Aldwych
Afternoon tea is served at One Aldwych from Monday to Saturday between 12.30pm – 3.30pm, and on Sunday from 12.30pm – 5.30pm. Afternoon Tea seatings are for two hours, which was more than enough time for us, even taking lots of photos!
Advanced booking is highly recommended, especially during the weekends and holidays. The Charlie and the Chocolate Factory themed afternoon tea is the only option for afternoon tea, although there are variations in the menu available for gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan diets.
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At One Aldwych we had our afternoon tea in the Indigo restaurant, which was relaxed and comfortable and had windows overlooking the Lyceum Theatre where we were going to watch The Lion King later in the evening.
If you are going to the theatre in London, then afternoon tea is a great way to make sure you don’t get hungry during the show! The location was perfect, in the heart of Covent Garden just 5 minutes’ walk from the Covent Garden Underground station.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Afternoon Tea Menu
The Tea Selection for our Afternoon Tea in London
When we were seated, the waiter presented us with a specially designed menu, each decorated with a family from Roald Dahl’s wonderful book. I had the Beauregarde family on my menu, and my dining buddy Helene had the Gloop Family.
The menu listed all the savoury and sweet items were going to enjoy and a selection of teas to choose from. I chose organic berries and hibiscus, a fruity tea which was bright pink when the waiter poured it for me. What better accompaniment to a Charlie and the Chocolate Factory afternoon tea!
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Sandwiches and Savoury Items
All of the sandwiches were delicious and arrived perfectly positioned on the plate. We had Smoked salmon with chive crème fraiche on poppy seed bread, free-range egg mayonnaise and watercress on brioche, and coronation chicken on onion bread.
As well as the sandwiches, we also had a caramelised onion, sage and chestnut quiche, and a Montgomery cheese scone with bacon jam. Bacon jam you say? YUM! The sandwiches were delicately flavoured and delicious, the quiche was soft in the centre with a crumbly crust, and the bacon jam is seriously the best kind of jam you will ever find (assuming you’re not vegetarian!).
I polished off all of the sandwiches quite happily, and one of the best things about this afternoon tea in London is that you could order extras of anything you fancied. So, I ordered a second round of everything.
I admit this was a little ambitious, even for me, but I managed! I think in hindsight just one extra scone and a sandwich or two would have been more than enough – but my eyes are always bigger than my belly.
Afternoon Tea Sweet Treats
Once we were suitably stuffed of savoury nibbles, then came the grand reveal of the sweet part of the themed afternoon tea. Being a Charlie and the Chocolate Factory afternoon tea, we expected quite a lot of chocolate, but what we got was way more than that. The presentation was fabulous, and there was a variety of sweet tasty treats to gorge ourselves on like Augustus Gloop.
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The hard part was deciding what to eat first, between the golden chocolate egg filled with vanilla cheesecake and mango, a bottle of chocolate caramel milk, a bubble-gum panna cotta with berries and meringue, homemade candy floss, and a blueberry and white chocolate cake pop. I resolved to try a bit of everything and save my favourite till last. Unfortunately, I still couldn’t choose a favourite so I kept trying a little bit of everything.
We were also given a basket of cakes and scones, filled with coco bean financiers, banana and caramelised walnut cake, and warm scones served with berry jam, lemon curd and Devonshire clotted cream. Wow.
Final Thoughts and Details for the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Afternoon Tea
I thoroughly enjoyed my afternoon tea at One Aldwych. The service was excellent, the food was delicious, and the presentation was fabulous. Perfect!
A Charlie and the Chocolate Factory afternoon tea at One Aldwych cost £45 per person, and £35 for children under the age of 12. Afternoon tea with a glass of Lallier Grande Réserve Champagne or a Cherry Delight cocktail is £56 per person, or with a glass of Lallier Grande Réserve Rosé Champagne its £59.
For full details of the current menu and to make a reservation for your Charlie and the Chocolate Factory afternoon tea in London, check out the One Alwych website here.
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Where to Stay in London
There are so many different options for where to stay in London it can be overwhelming to choose! I love the area around Tower Bridge as it is walking distance to a lot of the attractions such as the Tower of London and Tower Bridge, while not being crazy expensive.
It is also well connected by the Tube to the rest of London, being close to the underground stations Tower Bridge for the Circle and District Lines, and Aldgate East for the Hammersmith Line.
Hostels in London
I stayed at Wombat’s City Hostel London, a fabulous hostel close to Tower Bridge, and I have to say this had a massive impact on my enjoyment of London. The hostel was spotlessly clean, the staff were friendly, and the location was unbeatable.
Wombat’s London is about 10 minutes’ walk from Tower Bridge, the Tower of London and Tower Hill underground station, and is walking distance from Shoreditch, Borough Market and plenty more places to see in London.
Dorm rooms are great for backpackers or visitors on a budget, or you can treat yourself to a private room for all the perks of being in a hostel, with the privacy of your own room.
You can read my full review of Wombat’s London here. You can also read other reviews and book Wombat’s London on Hostelworld, or check out other hostels in London here.
Hotels in London
There are thousands of hotels in London to choose from, and you can find something for every budget, although getting the balance between good quality and good value isn’t easy! Staying outside of the city centre is cheaper, so if you are staying in London for several days you could save money that way, but if you are short on time then somewhere close to central London is a must.
CitizenM Tower of London is right next to Tower Bridge underground station, and the rooms have great views of the Thames and Tower of London. Guests loved the comfy bed, friendly staff and the views!
Hotel Indigo Tower Hill also gets great reviews for the friendly staff, comfy beds and quiet rooms.
Search for more hotels in London here:
Want More London travel tips?
Check out these blog posts for your next London trip or click here to browse all of my United Kingdom travel blog posts for more UK vacation inspiration!
❗Have You Got Travel Insurance?❗
Unfortunately, things can and do go wrong when you travel. I never leave home without travel insurance, so consider getting insurance for your trip to cover things like adventure sports and activities as well as emergency medical, lost luggage, stolen items, trip cancellation and more.
I have used SafetyWing travel medical insurance for several of my trips abroad, and while (thankfully!) I’ve never had to make a claim, I love how they make it really easy for you to buy and claim when you need to. SafetyWing’s new Nomad Insurance plans are designed specifically for nomads and long-term travellers.
The Essential plan covers the basics with options for adventure sports and electronics theft, while the Complete plan offers comprehensive health coverage with routine healthcare, mental health support, and maternity.
You can sign up before your trip or while you are travelling, there is coverage across more than 180 countries (coverage in the US is extra), and SafetyWing provide 24/7 human support and a simple claims process so you can get your money back within a few days.
If you’re looking for digital nomad travel insurance or health coverage for your next adventure, SafetyWing could be a great option for you!
You could also get a quote for your trip from True Traveller if you're based in the UK, or World Nomads is another popular option that offers travel insurance for backpackers and long-term travellers. Alternatively, use a comparison site like Travel Insurance Master to find the best cover for you.
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This post was brought to you as a result of the #wombatsTraveller blog trip, created and managed by iambassador in partnership with Wombat’s CITY HOSTELS. However, as always, all opinions are my own and I maintain full editorial control of the content published here on Tales of a Backpacker.
That looks like a nice way to spend some time in London, I can’t wait to go back. Thanks for the tip!
Oh that looks like it was just such a nice way to spend an afternoon! Looks fantastic!
This is such a great afternoon tea! They put so much thought and detail into the theme. The Charlie Cocktail was the best!
What a fun theme for an afternoon tea! It must have been fun to realize you couldn’t choose a favorite treat because they were all so good.
Trying afternoon tea at a hotel in London is absolutely a must do. Loved the article and the photographs are yummy.
Looks amazing!
I’ve heard so much about this from others as a recommendation, and pleased it gets your thumbs up.
It’s certainly top of the list when I get chance to go back to London.
What a different kind of afternoon tea! Loved Charlie and the Chocolate factory so this would be a perfect afternoon! Michelle