"I booked the Wellesley Hotel as I had read the reviews and thought it sounded ok and was a reasonable price. I didn’t want to spend £70 or more on a festive tea as I had done in the past, so £35 pp was a good price. We arrived early for our seating but the table wasn’t ready. No problem there as we were asked to sit in the bar and complimentary nibbles were brought out. We were called in after 15 minutes and were advised that the lunch service had gone over time. We were to be the only party in the room for a little while until 2 other guests arrived. The room was small but the tables were spaced adequately apart, so we weren’t sitting on top of one another. We ended up choosing the champagne tea at £50 per head. Drinks came out first followed by fresh strawberries as a starter. Next was a plate of sandwiches each and we were told by the wait staff we could ask for more at anytime, which we did. They were delicious especially the small tomato and mozzarella focaccia. An added touch was a small glass of mulled wine each. Scones and cakes were next and these were also very good. The cakes weren’t very Christmassy but that was fine. We asked for an extra plate of plain and fruit scones as they were pretty good and so was the jam and lemon butter accompanying them. The second serving also meant the plates of jam, cream etc were refreshed which was most welcome. We thoroughly enjoyed our afternoon tea. We were not rushed, service was excellent and the room and table very comfortable. Staff were friendly and helpful and did a great job. Congratulations to them all (including the pianist). Having experienced quite a few afternoon teas in London, I would recommend The Wellesley."
