Review: Benoît Blin’s Afternoon Tea at The Cadogan brings decadent French style to an English staple

Just a short walk from Knightsbridge or Sloane Square is the Cadogan, a Belmond Hotel, serving up contemporary luxury from its beautiful 1887 redbrick façade to its exceptional bar at The LaLee restaurant. But while many would probably assume The LaLee is the hotel’s go-to for fine dining options, tucked away in the botanically inspired Cadogan Lounge is a new take on an English classic – thanks to Benoît Blin’s take on a not-so-traditional afternoon tea. 

Afternoon Tea by Benoît Blin is designed by the acclaimed pâtissier to showcase fine seasonal produce with a decadent French twist, as I discover when I take my family on a pre-festive shopping trip. After a morning exploring the fine boutiques of Chelsea and Knightsbridge’s more well-known stores – including a mandatory mooch around Harrod’s Christmas Shop and its divine food hall – we settle in for a few hours of indulgence in The Cadogan Lounge. The room itself is inspired by nature, from patterned carpet and artwork to sumptuous furniture beneath the room’s stylishly quirky centrepiece: a seasonally decorated tree adorned with cups and saucers. 

We start, of course, with a glass of fine English sparkling wine – Rathfinny Blanc de blancs, to be exact – from the wine and champagne menu. This menu is only bettered by the venue’s incredible range of teas, divided by classic blacks and greens, aromatic blacks and greens, oolongs, white, roiboos and tisanes, and other hot and cold drinks. Between us, we opt for the Cadogan’s English Breakfast Blend, an aromatic green ‘Gunpowder’ blend (a fragrant, bright yellow tea with a mild, smoky finish) and a Lemon Verbena (a pale green-yellow citrus tea). Unlike tradition afternoon tea, Benoît’s fine dining experience comes in courses, with unlimited top ups should you find a favourite among the delectable treats – and have room. We begin with sandwiches – our seasonal selection includes salmon gravadlax on toasted croissant with quail egg and cream cheese, egg mayonnaise sandwich with parmesan crisp and a generous amount of winter truffle, barbecue corn bread with cured Wagyu beef and chilli sauce and – my personal favourite – a Cornish crab brioche. The rich variety and diverse selection makes for an upscale sandwich course, which is all the more impressive for the wide variety of vegan options created for one of my guests, encompassing many similar elements – from cornbread with peppers and chilli to truffle and vegan cream cheese sandwiches – ensuring there was no missing out. 

Next, a basket of freshly baked scones are presented with an array of house strawberry jam, clotted cream and vegan butter. The oven-warm, fluffy scones are promptly devoured before we welcome Benoît’s real centrepiece: dessert.

Exquisitely rich desserts include a chocolate religieuse, framboise and ‘la rhubarbe’ are presented before us. These are a chocolate-lover’s dream, elegantly presented and bursting with flavour. Again, vegan versions of these showstopping desserts are just as impressive – and pretty. By this point, we have forgotten everything our maitre d’ told us about the set-up, only to be reminded once more by the arrival of the cake trolley. Here, slices of chocolate sponge, pistachio cake, flan and almond slice are made available – plus a few extra slices that our hosts kindly pack away in boxes for us to take home. 

Having feasted for hours in the lounge’s relaxed and pleasant atmosphere, with guests and visitors having come and go, we leave the hotel only to realise that the afternoon has darkened into evening. While we might be calling it a day, the adjacent LaLee bar is just livening up for Saturday night in this elegant and timeless location.

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