The Tea Guild’s Top London Afternoon Tea 2012 Awards of Excellence

LONDON WINS 21 PRESTIGIOUS AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE

The Tea Guild has bestowed 21 Awards of Excellence in this year’s Top London Afternoon Tea Awards 2012 to leading establishments in the capital. The venues achieving this coveted Tea Guild award for recognition of their consistently exceptional standards of quality and tea service are: Brown’s Hotel; Claridge’s; Four Seasons Hotel Park Lane; Grosvenor House Park Room & Library; Sofitel London St James; The Capital Hotel, The Chesterfield; The Connaught; The Dorchester; The Goring; The InterContinental Park Lane; The Lanesborough; The Langham; The Milestone; Hyatt Regency London The Churchill; The Montague on The Gardens; The Royal Garden Hotel; The Royal Horseguards Hotel; The Savoy; The Ritz and The Wolseley.

Now in their 27th year, the acclaimed Tea Guild Awards of Excellence are seen as the ‘Michelin star’ of all tea awards, with leading tea rooms and world class hotels throughout London competing for the fashionable and renowned honour. Taking afternoon tea is a cherished experience steeped in British tradition and will be particularly popular in the capital this year as the British public and many of this year’s overseas visitors celebrate British traditions with the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and the 2012 Olympic Games.

The Tea Guild’s secret inspectors have assiduously been searching the capital to seek out the finest tea experiences to see who is deserving of an “Award of Excellence” and who should win the Top London Afternoon Tea 2012 Award. As well as judging London’s top tea rooms and hotels, The Tea Guild’s judges have travelled across Britain to find the annual winners of the Top City and Country Hotel Tea Award 2012 and the Top Tea Place 2012 Award. All visits have been anonymous to ensure the results are completely fair and accurate. The anonymous judges awarded points for the variety, flavour and knowledge of the teas offered, together with the quality of food, service, décor, ambience, and presentation. With 125 points to be lost or gained on the judge’s scorecard, only those establishments achieving the very highest standards across a number of categories can make it to the top.

The judges were so impressed with the quality of the afternoon tea served at the following London Establishments that they awarded them high marks in every category: Brown’s Hotel; Claridge’s; Four Seasons Hotel Park Lane; Grosvenor House Park Room & Library; Sofitel London St James; The Capital Hotel, The Chesterfield; The Connaught; The Dorchester; The Goring; The InterContinental Park Lane; The Lanesborough; The Langham; The Milestone; Hyatt Regency London The Churchill; The Montague on The Gardens; The Royal Garden Hotel; The Royal Horseguards Hotel; The Savoy; The Ritz and The Wolseley.

The Tea Guild has now also presented the 2012 award for the Top London Afternoon Tea, which was received by The Athenaeum Hotel in Mayfair. The rest of the Awards are yet to be announced.

Commenting on the 21 ‘Awards of Excellence’ received in the capital, Irene Gorman, Head of The Tea Guild, notes: “Each year the judges’ task of choosing those who receive an ‘Award Of Excellence’ gets more challenging, as standards within The Tea Guild continue to reach new levels and this year’s London competition was no exception.”

“The Awards of Excellence to these leading establishments were presented in recognition of their admirable and consistently high standards of tea making, evident in the care and attentiveness with which they prepare and serve afternoon tea.”

She added: “In the Capital afternoon tea is now the most fashionable way to catch up with friends. It has become increasing popular be it after a busy morning’s shopping, a business meeting, for that special family occasion, a romantic date or a truly memorable experience for the bride to be and her girlfriends. More and more people are taking time out to enjoy that ‘very special afternoon tea moment’.”