The Gallery Restaurant, Fortnum & Mason's, London

It has become a tradition in our house that during the first full week of the summer holidays a visit is made to the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition.  This amazingly eclectic show never fails to elicit delight, bewilderment and incomprehension in equal measure and this year was no exception.  Indeed our experience was enhanced by the active participation in what we can only assume was an extreme art installation called 'Fire alarm practice' in which a penetrating siren drove us out of the building via an extensive metal stairway and out onto the street.  Great fun was then had in finding our way back round to the front of the building and into the gallery again!  We also make our visit even more interesting by playing a game whereby each person must select an artwork from each room which they would like to take home without first consulting the catalogue.  After all the works have been chosen, the cost of all the items is added up and there is a winner for the biggest spender and a winner for the skin-flint.  It must be said that in some rooms, the search for an item to take home is woefully difficult, whereas in others one is spoilt for choice.  Sadly this year yielded no models of beavers with space packs, nor yellow waste bins fashioned from bronze, but we were particularly taken with an installation of a coloured screen that slowly changed colour.  Two of our party were also convinced that the surrounding wall changed colour too, and this caused quite some discussion, especially as one member also claimed to hear hypnotic music.  All very mystical!

Now if you have remained with me so far, dear reader, you must be wondering how all this relates to my given subject of the delights of afternoon tea.  I shall weary you no longer........obviously the contemplation of all this visual feast leaves one with a hearty appetite and very fortunately across the road from the Royal Academy lies the wondrous emporium that is Fortnum and Mason's.  And so we repaired there in search of some liquid refreshment and a tasty morsel or two.



We selected to eat in the Gallery Restaurant located on the ground floor.  A sumptuous afternoon tea may be taken upstairs, however this requires adherence to a dress code for which we were not prepared.  We were welcomed cheerfully and chose a table that overlooked the shop floor selling teas and confectioneries.  Rectangular wooden tables are set with linen napkins and plain white crockery.  We chose the Afternoon Tea blend which arrived in separate pots of looseleaf tea with individual strainers, but a shared jug of milk.  A number of other tea blends were available.  The array of cakes was very tempting, all rather in the continental tradition, including chocolate forest mousse, blueberry sponge, almond tart, carrot & walnut, marmalade sponge.  I chose a raspberry sponge and our youngest son chose the chocolate forest mousse cake.  My husband was his reliable self and chose the scones, jam & cream, and our eldest son chose a savoury dish of crab on toast.

We were impressed that glasses of water were first delivered to quench our thirst before commencing the tea, which was pleasant and slightly bland in flavour.  The raspberry sponge was very tasty, with buttercream that was not too sweet and a sponge of quite a firm texture.  The chocolate forest mousse was declared to be delicious, and the crab on toast was also very well received.  Unfortunately the scones were something of a disappointment.  They certainly looked almost plastic and the texture resembled more of a malt-loaf.



The ambience was quietly buzzing and we enjoyed watching people of various nationalities arriving and settling down for tea.  The staff were all attentive and friendly.

The facilities, 'Ladies Powder Room' were located on the first floor of the shop and are obviously well used (a small queue had to be endured).  They were clean enough and supplied paper towels and hand-cream.

It must be remarked that although this was a very pleasant teatime adventure and perfectly located for our needs; the price paid to partake in afternoon tea at an elite establishment is no guarantor of superior quality.  However, it did conclude a very pleasant family outing and a useful space to sit and calculate the winners of the Academy game.  I am pleased to report that I was the 'Skin-flint' winner and unsurprised to report that my husband was the 'Big Spender'!