Comparing Ballantyne Hotel's Afternoon Tea To A Real English Experience

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After several years of living in the U.K., one of my favorite British traditions became having afternoon tea. I’ve indulged in this luxury from Cambridge to Cornwall and around a dozen or so venues in between. I even served afternoon tea at my wedding reception; yes, that is how much I love it. When I heard the Ballantyne Hotel here in Charlotte had an afternoon tea service, I knew I had to give it a try. But, I wondered how the Ballantyne Hotel’s Afternoon Tea service would stack up to an authentic English experience.

I was eager to share this tradition with a friend and get their thoughts. So for this adventure, I swapped out Jeremy in lieu of a lady’s day with my friend Kathy. As someone who appreciates the finer things in life, and has never done afternoon tea, Kathy was the perfect companion.

Ballantyne Hotel's Afternoon Tea Experience

When we arrived, to our surprise the Ballantyne Hotel served afternoon tea in the lobby, instead of the restaurant. Though this felt unusual, once sat, the large high-back chairs made the experience feel more private.

To be super fancy, Kathy and I agreed to do the Royal Afternoon Tea. This added a glass of champagne for each of us.

The Teas at the Ballantyne Hotel

Impressively, the hotel partners with the Royal Tea Company of London to offer a respectable selection of teas. There were 10 varieties on the menu during our visit, ranging from black and green teas, to herbal infusions.

Unfortunately, instead of using an infuser, the tea leaves were loosely placed in the pot to steep for the duration of the service. This can make tea stronger than the drinker prefers. Or, with a tea like Jasmine, which is what I ordered, can leave the tea bitter.

Sampling the Sandwiches

Every prefect afternoon tea starts with three to four finger sandwiches per person on the bottom layer of a three-tiered serving stand.

Typical English sandwich fillers include Coronation Chicken (a personal favorite), Chutney and Cheese, Cucumber with Dill, etc. I wasn’t expecting the Ballantyne to serve these particular sandwich varieties as they are not well known in the U.S. However, there were a few English favorites in the mix.

We were actually able to try all of their sandwiches on offer. The hotel accidentally gave us the vegetarian version. They quickly realized their mistake, and returned with a full plate of the non-vegetarian options.

Egg Salad
Hummus
Olive Tapenade

Veggie
Strawberry & Cucumber
Chicken Salad

Salmon
Hanger Steak

The sandwich fillers were very nice, especially the hanger steak. However, we were both disappointed with the size of the sandwiches. Instead of the traditional finger sandwiches, they were tiny circular cut-outs of bread.

Ballantyne Hotel's Afternoon Tea Scones

Following traditional afternoon tea etiquette, once finished with our sandwiches, we moved on to my favorite course, the scones.

I was glad to see the traditional accompaniments of jam, cream and lemon curd, but was again disappointed in the portion. We only received one scone each, compared with the typical two served in the U.K.

The scones themselves, were different from any English scone I’ve had. They were smaller, with softer tops and lightly dusted with cinnamon. For readers who have never had scones, they look similar to a biscuit, but are much sweeter. I included a comparison photo of scones from The Ivy in Cambridge, England.

Even though they were different, we both felt the Ballantyne’s version of a scone was very tasty. I just wish they served more than one each.

Finally On To The Afternoon Tea Desserts

Cream puffs, mini cakes, white chocolate balls and macarons awaited us on our final course. This part of the service was not only spot on for our taste, it was spot on for an authentic English Afternoon Tea. It’s typical to have between three to five miniature decadent desserts for each guest.

How Does The Cost Compare With The UK?

Comparing cost is a little challenging due to currency exchange rates. At time of writing 1 = 0.78

Afternoon tea outside of London ranges from £20 to £40 pp ($26 – $51 USD) with an additional £7 to £12 pp ($9 – $15 USD) to include champagne.
At the Ballantyne Hotel we paid $42 pp, plus an additional $16 for the champagne.

Though the cost of afternoon tea at the Ballantyne is comparable with services in the U.K., a 24% service charge was automatically added to our bill. Personally, I do not prefer service to be automatically added. And, though the service was lovely, I felt this percentage was a little high.

For reference only, as culturally the U.S. and the U.K. have very different tipping practices. Typically, 8 to 10% for service is customary in the U.K. Some finer London establishments ask for 12.5%, which is considered high. Tipping in the U.K. is not mandatory, it truly is done in relation to good service.

So, Did the Ballantyne Hotel's Afternoon Tea Stack Up To An Authentic English Experience?

Though there are definitely differences in the experiences. And, there are things I prefer with authentic English Afternoon Tea, like traditional finger sandwiches and scones. I felt the Ballantyne Hotel did a good job recreating a luxury experience around this beloved English ritual.

It’s picture perfect, totally luxurious, and oooohhh those desserts.

Overall, I enjoyed my experience at the Ballantyne Hotel and I’m glad I was able to share the experience with wonderful company. A special thanks to Kathy for joining me on this one.

The Ballantyne Hotel (704) 248-4100 serves afternoon tea Thursday – Sunday, 1 p.m. – 4 p.m. They also hold specialty themed teas and are open for additional services during summer. You must call the hotel to reserve a place ahead of time.

Note: This post is NOT sponsored by the Ballantyne Hotel.

Interested in learning more? See our article on Experiencing Afternoon Tea in England.