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"  Image courtesy of the Ritz\u00A0 In London, a city devoted to the search for the new and exciting, an experience must be something pretty special to remain popular for over a century.\u00A0 Tea at the Ritz is precisely that. Indeed, you still need to book weeks in advance for a weekend table (indeed, the hotel has five &amp;#039;afternoon tea&amp;#039; sittings starting at 11.30am, in order to meet the demand).\u00A0 Otherwise, it appears barely to have changed since 1906, which is part of the charm.\u00A0 Where other restaurants have been forced to relax their dress codes, tea in the Palm Court still requires gentlemen to wear ties and jackets, and on the\u00A0chilly Thursday afternoon of my visit, several women had\u00A0arrived in evening dress. \u00A0Rightly so, for the elegant frivolity of the surroundings, all gilt mirrors and decorative trellis-work, demands such a sartorial tribute.\u00A0  Having been taken to the Ritz for tea on my fifth birthday by an indulgent aunt who was in turn\u00A0reliving her own childhood birthday treat, I wanted to give my own daughter the same experience when she celebrated her 10th. It was a sheer delight for both of us, from the instant that the tail-coated waiter escorted us to our Louis XVI chairs, addressing Rosie to her immense delight as &amp;#039;Madam&amp;#039;.\u00A0  Within minutes, a pot of Ritz Royal blend tea had arrived in a silver pot surmounted by a lion rampant. It was accompanied by a tiered cake\u00A0stand brimming with platefuls of dainty finger sandwiches with old-fashioned fillings (chicken breast with parsley mayonnaise, egg and watercress) and jewel-like pastries.\u00A0 As soon as one serving\u00A0had been devoured, another was brought in its stead. We moved on to fresh, hot apple and sultana scones, served with clotted cream and strawberry jam; then, a trolley groaning with more cakes was pushed up for us to choose from. At a certain point, even Rosie could consume no more; but the pi\u00E8ce de r\u00E9sistance was yet to come. The lights dimmed, the pianist played a discreet Happy Birthday and a candle-lit chocolate cake with Rosie&amp;#039;s name iced onto it was brought to our table, to general applause. She went home carrying the cake, her eyes shining. I fully expect the family tradition to continue into a fourth generation. Afternoon Tea at The Ritz costs \u00A350 per person.\u00A0 Reservations are required (it is recommended they are made well in advance) for a choice of five daily sittings at 11:30am, 1:30pm, 3:30pm, 5:30pm or 7:30pm and can be made online at\u00A0theritzlondon.com/tea, by emailing tea@theritzlondon.com or by calling 020 7300 2345. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.harpersbazaar.co.uk/culture/going-out/news/a36391/what-to-book-afternoon-tea-at-the-ritz/>