A Right Royale Tea - living it up with an immersive theatrical tea in London

We love London, we love theatre and we definitely love teas, so there was little hesitation when we found out that one theatre company was putting on an immersive comedy dining experience in our home town!

Let Robert, who's now 14 tell you more:

"This weekend Mum and I travelled back to 1922 for an immersive performance and A Right Royale Tea. For the first time in my lifetime someone recognised my noble blood and, whilst Robert and Sarah entered the beautiful Amba Hotel, it was Lord Robert and Lady Sarah who exited. The hotel was directly connected to Charing Cross station and so was very convenient to get too – no long walks for the upper class!

After one of the servants took our names we were directed to a waiting room where we practised our formal greetings – “Air Hair Lair” ("Oh, hello" for those who don't speak aristocracy) before entering the hall and sitting down on tables of six or seven with other visitors. Throughout the afternoon we were introduced to Lord and Lady Right, their daughter Ginnie and the family’s witty and blunt members of staff.

[caption id="attachment_4471" align="alignnone" width="900"] The food - especially the sweet treats - was really delicious.[/caption]

The food:

Sandwiched in between the performance that recounts the lives and situations of our hosts was, well, sandwiches, as well as a variety of cakes and scones accompanied by tea and coffee to wash it down. There was egg, ham (which we didn't eat), cucumber and smoked-salmon sandwiches – as any acceptable afternoon tea should have, and as for the desserts there were lemon tarts, mini Victoria sponges, cherry drops and scones with jam and cream. We were both more than full by the end and there was definitely enough options for vegetarians.

[caption id="attachment_4472" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Patrick - who always referred to himself in the third person - was especially good[/caption]

The performance:

The storyline and actors themselves were very funny – in particular the audacious gin-drinking Lady Right and butler Patrick who refers to himself in the third person. We were treated to a performance of opera, a communal rendition of Oh Brittania and the audience were involved heavily. There were chances to take pictures with the actors in their costumes and plenty of breaks to chat within your tables. The whole event lasted around two and a half hours although it flew by and felt like much less.

[caption id="attachment_4473" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Lord and Lady Right and us![/caption]

Overall:

Mum and I had a really fun time at A Right Royale Tea and would definitely recommend going if you enjoy immersive performances or just want re-earth some old memories of yourself from 1922. If a similar experience ever came about I would definitely hope to be going."

Sarah adds:

We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and it was fun to meet the other people on our table. The audience was a mixture of locals (from London or nearby) and tourists, and the actors were really good at chatting to everyone and getting involved. I felt the acting part of it started a bit slowly, but definitely got better and better and ended on a high.

A small niggle was that the smoked salmon sandwiches were put next to the ham ones (not great for those who eat fish, but not meat and wouldn't want them to touch) and that one of the three cakes (the cherry one) wasn't suitable for vegetarians and nothing else was offered instead. However, these were, as mentioned, small niggles and I have to say that we were pretty stuffed at the end (we didn't eat any supper afterwards, put it that way...). The sweet treats were really delicious and there was copious amounts of cream and jam. All the staff were friendly and helpful and it really was a different and fun experience - a step up from just going out for afternoon tea! Plus, I had no idea that the Amba hotel even existed. It's literally right next to Charing Cross station and inside it was amazingly large, quiet and plush.

The Right Royale Tea takes place at the Amba Hotel, Charing Cross, London, on Sundays across the summer, from 2.30-5pm, finishing on September 1st. Tickets cost £69.95 per adult, £59.95 per child under 12 and £65.95 for students and senior citizens.

Disclosure: We were given free entry to the Right Royale Tea in order to write about it for this blog. However, all the opinions contained in the post are our own and no one else had any input into them.

Indulging in an Afternoon Tea at The Arch Hotel

Jess, aged 15, writes: Being British, our family loves a good afternoon tea. This is why I was so excited to try an afternoon tea in the Arch Hotel, Marble Arch, in celebration of dad's birthday. It's not do often we get to eat unlimited food in a gorgeous setting, so we all had an amazing time.

[caption id="attachment_4048" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] The Arch Hotel[/caption]

After entering the hotel, we were directed to the Salon de Champagne, where we were given our own private booth. This was very exciting, as there was a curtain which we could draw. This meant that the four of us were effectively sitting in private - something that felt extremely luxurious. On top of this, our plush seats were extremely comfortable, there was a beautiful chandelier above us, and our floral crockery looked amazing.

[caption id="attachment_4049" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Our booth was really luxurious![/caption]

Our main server was named Rebeca and she was really kind and friendly, but also extremely helpful. Our family is not able to eat certain foods, but she was really good at making adjustments and making sure we knew what we were eating. We were presented with a menu of different types of tea, which I loved. I adore tea, and it took me a long time to decide on what to drink. I eventually decided on a silver needle white tea, and afterwards a green tea with jasmine pearls. The variety was so wide, and it was all delicious.

[caption id="attachment_4040" align="aligncenter" width="900"] The tea menu was long and extensive[/caption]

Soon, the food arrived. Our stand was simply magnificent - piled high with sandwiches, biscuits, cakes, and scones. We had not eaten a big lunch in preparation for the occasion, and soon got to work stuffing our faces. The sandwiches were divine, and much more impressive than I was expecting. These were English cheddar with apple chutney, mozzarella and avocado with sun blushed tomato on sourdough toast, smoked salmon and cream cheese on a blini, egg and cress, and cucumber and cream cheese. Particular favourites of mine were the sourdough with mozzarella, and the apple chutney. We devoured these quickly, and were allowed replacements soon after.

[caption id="attachment_4042" align="aligncenter" width="900"] The food was all so delicious, especially the sandwiches![/caption]

Next was the second tier, filled with all sorts on cakes. There was coffee cake, millionaire's shortbread, teacakes, Battenberg cake, and a strawberry tart. Had we not had dietary requirements (no gelatine), there would have been trifle and cheesecake, but we were more than happy with our selection. It was fantastic, particularly the tart and the Battenberg cake, and nothing was too rich or overpowering.

[caption id="attachment_4047" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Robert piled his scone high with cream[/caption]

Our final tier was the scones, but by this point I was so full that I could only manage one! Piled high with jam and clotted cream, it was a perfect end to the tea.

Overall, we had such an amazing time at the tea. We stayed there for over two hours, and by the time we time we left we were unbelievably full. It was such an incredible experience which I would love to relive.

A Royal Afternoon Tea at The Arch hotel, near Marble Arch, London, costs £25 a head. We were given a special media rate to sample the tea, but the hotel had no input into this review.

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