The five-star St James’s Hotel & Club is celebrating their rich history with a new Afternoon Tea menu. Inspired by the culinary works of Queen Victoria’s personal head chef, Charles Elmé Francatelli, the menu features a signature modern twist. Enjoy a slice of history with carefully selected teas that will tantalize your taste buds, alongside delicious delicacies prepared with love and attention to detail by talented chefs.

The Afternoon Tea showcases a selection of executive chef William Drabble’s expert creations, all based on authentic recipes and Queen Victoria’s favourites. Guests will be delighted with sweet bites including a milk chocolate choux with preserved cherries, a lemon and ginger sandwich cake, apple crumble with Bramley apple mousse, and a classic filbert financier with white chocolate.

Two types of scones - a traditional version with strawberry jam and clotted cream, and a Cheshire cheese and Montgomery cheddar muffin scone served with butter - will be offered alongside savoury treats. Enjoy miniature sandwiches of egg mayonnaise with mustard cress on white bread, cream cheese and cucumber on white bread, smoked Scottish salmon with black pepper on brown bread, and St James ham with Albert chutney on white bread.

Guests will enjoy teas from The East India Company, while those looking to truly luxuriate in the afternoon can opt for a glass of Roederer Champagne to accompany their sweet and savoury selection, priced at £59.

Illuminating the corner of Park Place, tucked away in the heart of St James’s, St James’s Hotel & Club is a small but perfectly formed bolthole with just 60 guest rooms and suites. The hotel boasts a history of welcoming illustrious guests including Winston Churchill, Henry James, Ian Fleming, Sean Connery, Liza Minnelli, and Samuel L. Jackson. Chef William Drabble’s continued Michelin success since the restaurant’s opening in 2009 makes this Althoff Collection hotel the perfect marriage of heritage glamour and understated contemporary luxury.

The British Afternoon Tea is priced at £45 (£59 with a glass of champagne).