I don't remember the name of the church, but I can recommend the Richoux tearoom chain as being less expensive than the hotel teas or Harrod's or Fortnum & Mason's. There is a Richoux across the street from Harrod's and up a bit toward the V&A Museum, there is one on South Audley Street near the Marble Arch End of Oxford Street, and there is one near F&M on Piccadilly Street. You can google and get the locations and the menu--they serve breakfast and lunch, as well, and have a yummy selection of pastries.

Can you tell I like them? The shops are not posh, but they are quite attractive and, as I said, not terribly expensive.

I suppose it's not a help but for anyone who can, get on a train and go to York or Harrogate in Yorkshire for the ultimate cream tea at Betty's. Words can't describe....

Liz give me a little while and I'll get back to you on the afternoon tea thing after checking with DD in London. I know that through work (she is in PR) she went to tea at the Ritz and had to book months in advance and then was offered a mid-morning slot! Eventually they fitted her in during the afternoon and she enjoyed the never-ending refills of sandwiches and cakes and the tinkling piano, but said it was, of course, very 'touristy'.

I seem to recall that the place I went to about 10 years ago with a gathering of new acquaintances was the "Cafe in the Crypt" at St. Martin-in-the-Fields, at Trafalgar Square. It was quite nice.

I am late but I hope it's not too late to comment? I've only had breakfast at the Café in the Crypt at St. Martin-in-the Fields and it was nice, would be cool in a hot summer, too. Plus it's for charity. I can also recommend the Orangery at Kensington Palace as a very nice place for a proper afternoon tea, a beautiful place with a beautiful view of the gardens. I was there in 2007 and I think they've raised the price since then, but it's still less than half the price of that in the classical hotels like the Ritz or Claridge's. And you don't have to book in advance or dress up.

Liz, I think Kensington Palace sounds very nice, I always understood that the crypt of St Martin's-in-the-Fields was used for 'down and outs', but maybe they are taken care of in another section. I hope that doesn't make me sound snooty and it is important for visitors/tourists to realise there are down-sides to life in the big city away from Changing of the Guard and Harrod's (which has got really tacky).

Thanks for all your comments. I have forwarded the info on to my friend who seemed to be grateful.... So thanks again!

Vee, St. Martin's offers soup and salad-type lunches that are open to the general public. If they have meals for the less fortunate, they must be served separately.

I do have a book to add to this discussion to make it on-topic. A few years ago my husband and I spent time wandering all over London with a book called Mystery Reader's Walking Guide: London by Aliza Dale. It was excellent. anyone who has so much as read Sherlock Holmes or seen an Agatha Cristie movie would get a lot out of this, though ardent mystery fans will get even more. The walks were arranged by neighborhood and we both had a marvelous time using this book. When I looked it up to get the author, I noticed that there is a more recent edition published in 2004.

BTW, this seems to be a series. There is a similar book for England, one for Chicago, one for New York, and one for Washington, all settings for many great mystery novels. None for San Francisco or Los Angeles, but perhaps someone else has done similar books for those places.

Rosefolly

Also, while I did not have tea at Betty's, we also found the city of York to be simply wonderful. It was well worth the train ride north.

What's happened to the posh hotels in London? They seem to have managed to market the charm out of themselves.

I went to the Ritz once, long ago, for tea - in the late seventies, it would have been. It was excellent, good cakes and tea, and beautifully served. And we just went along on the day and went in. The price didn't seem completely over the top, either.

And there is the story in Helene Hanff's The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street about her visit to London in 1972 (I think) - she was walking through London with some American friends, and saw Claridges (sp?) ahead of her - and again, they just walked in and had tea.

A mid-morning slot for afternoon tea? and having to book months in advance for it? Daft! It's afternoon tea - it's not a meal at the Ivy.

For what it's worth, I've been to the Cafe in the crypt of St. Martins-in-the-fields, and I also enjoyed it.

In the newest issue of Victoria magazine, there is an article about English food by an American, C. Calvert, who married a Brit and moved abroad to live. She dissects the English "tea" and other dishes she adapted to, as an immigrant.

The Langham Hotel was recently featured on the Australian version of "Masterchef". The contestants had to create an individual cake, themed by a Royal Crown, suitable for serving at the famous afternoon tea. As I went there once and had a lovely time, I was eager to see what they came up with.
(IMHO.... any mother making something special for a fund raising cake stall could have done better than most of the efforts. Oh dear!)

Martin--thanks for mentioning Helene Hanff--a reminder for me that it's once again time to re-read her books! Love, love, love them (and I liked the movie version of one of them equally well--and usually I don't like the movie translations!).