5 of the Best Spots for Scones in London

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Is there anything more quintessentially English than scones with strawberry jam and clotted cream? It’s a simple but devastatingly good combination, especially with a nice cuppa.

The Ritz London

At £54 (about $95) per person, putting on the Ritz at The Ritz over afternoon tea is certainly no small beer. But as well as scones with strawberry jam and clotted cream in the richly ornate Palm Court room, you get the full monty, including ribbon sandwiches and a choice of 18 types of loose-leaf tea.

150 Piccadilly, St James’s

Orange Pekoe

The debate over jam before cream (the Cornwall method) versus cream before jam (the Devonshire method) is answered firmly in the former’s favour at this sweet teashop. The scones (one plain and one sultana) are served fresh from the oven, with housemade jam and clotted cream, Cornish style.

3 White Hart Lane, Richmond upon Thames

Fortnum & Mason

Afternoon tea in The Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon at the storied London grocer’s Piccadilly flagship covers a choice of plain and fruit scones, Somerset clotted cream and a selection of the brand’s own preserves, including lemon curd and strawberry jam.

181 Piccadilly, St James’s

Cake Hole Cafe

Step back in time at Cake Hole Café, found at the back of a vintage emporium in London’s trendy inner east. The cream tea is made with scones from 106-year-old Rinkoff Bakery, while Bermondsey’s England Preserves supplies the jam. As a bonus, you can order just one scone instead of the usual two.

82 Columbia Road, Bethnal Green

Soho's Secret Tea Room

One of London's Best kept secrets, Soho's Secret Tea Room's scones are divine. The 1950s vintage style tea decor and crockery takes you back to a simpler time, giving a much needed moment of respite from the frenetic pace of London. Scones can be enjoyed individually, or in the traditional way with a pot of tea, petit fours and sandwiches.

29 Greek St, Soho