UNITED KINGDOM: London hotel Claridge's says tourists, Brits and business people are increasingly taking afternoon tea

Record ID: 731353

  • Title: UNITED KINGDOM: London hotel Claridge's says tourists, Brits and business people are increasingly taking afternoon tea
  • Date: 1st June 2011
  • Summary: LONDON, ENGLAND, UK (MAY 9, 2011) (REUTERS) WOMAN PLAYING CELLO MAN PLAYING PIANO WAITER WALKING THROUGH ROOM WHERE TEA IS SERVED AT CLARIDGE'S HOTEL IN CENTRAL LONDON, WHILE CUSTOMERS ARE TAKING AFTERNOON TEA WAITRESS DELIVERING BIRTHDAY CAKE TO BEVERLEY ELLIOTT, CLARIDGE'S CUSTOMER WHO IS CELEBRATING HER FIFTIETH BIRTHDAY ELLIORR BLOWING OUT CANDLE (SOUNDBITE) (English) BEVERLEY ELLIOTT, CLARIDGE'S CUSTOMER, SAYING: "It's nice to get dressed up and it's nice to come somewhere special for a special birthday." ELLIOTT'S MOTHER AND SISTER DRINKING TEA TEA BEING POURED FROM POT INTO CUP FEMALE CUSTOMER DRINKING TEA MALE CUSTOMER EATING CUSTOMERS SAT AT TABLE CUSTOMER TAKING PHOTO / CUSTOMER PASSING ANOTHER CUSTOMER CAKE TEA BEING POURED INTO CUP
  • Embargoed: 16th June 2011 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: United Kingdom
  • Country: United Kingdom
  • Topics: Industry,Lifestyle
  • Reuters ID: LVAD3SCM7EFK704P4EW2IIUVBO3Y
  • Story Text: It's a quintessentially British pastime - which has become equally popular with tourists - taking afternoon tea.
    Brits have been reportedly been taking afternoon tea since the eighteenth century. But London hotel Claridge's says it's no longer the preserve of visitors and ladies who lunch, but afternoon tea is increasingly popular for both business and pleasure.
    Claridge's recently won the Tea Guild's award for best afternoon tea in London for the second time. It serves a traditional combination of savoury sandwiches and sweet scones, and patisseries, with a choice of tea - and an optional glass of champagne.
    Beverly Elliott is one customer who wanted to take tea at Claridge's to celebrate a special occasion - her fiftieth birthday. Dining with her mother and sister, Beverly told Reuters Television: "It's nice to get dressed up and it's nice to come somewhere special for a special birthday."
    But Claridge's say alongside those visiting for pleasure, like Beverly, they find business people are increasingly choosing to hold business meetings over tea rather than lunch or dinner. They serve afternoon tea to around 120 people each weekday and up to 170 people on the weekend.
    Claridge's Executive Chef Martyn Nail oversees the afternoon tea. He says the Tea Guild award not only boosts the number of customers, but was a great accolade for the staff.
    "It's wonderful for the kitchen team because I think the perception is, it's just a sandwich or a just a cake, and I know from making 220 sandwiches every day that you don't just make those and they come out consistently every single day by accident, you know there's a respect that goes into making all these things and for them it's a wonderful achievement for the work that they put into it and all their tiny bits of detail. Also for the service team as well, you know for their hard work and dedication learning the teas, learning the style of service, learning all the ingredients," Nail told Reuters.
    Nail says tea seems equally popular with Britons as with tourists, and especially so with Japanese and Americans. He says he has noticed a change in the guests who come to the hotel for tea: "I think it's more accessible now to everybody, which is a lovely thing, because I think people in the past would have looked and thought gosh, I wouldn't go in there, so part of the battle is getting them in," Nail said.
    Claridge's General Manager Thomas Kochs also told Reuters that interest in taking tea during the week has increased. He says they welcome a mix of guests:
    "You see a great deal of the fashion industry, you see a lot of our female business clients using the afternoon tea period for meetings, you see a lot of celebrations, be it a birthday, an anniversary, and I guess for each party it's interesting to be part of the other."
    Luxury sports car maker Aston Martin says they prefer doing business over tea, says Jeanette Green, Aston Martin's Brand Communications Director:
    "It encourages you to relax and talk and that's what, from an Aston Martin perspective, we like to do rather than the formality of formal lunches or dinners," Green told Reuters.
    It seems even at a time when consumers are tightening their belts, an altogether more classy kind of cuppa is now in vogue whether for business or pleasure.
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