The Best Afternoon Tea in Scotland: 6 Places Worth Booking
Looking for the best afternoon tea in Scotland? As Afternoon Tea Week gives us the perfect excuse to indulge, we’ve picked six beautiful places to book, from Edinburgh institutions to Highland hotels.
There are few occasions that can’t be improved by the arrival of a tiered cake stand. Afternoon tea in Scotland has long since escaped the confines of birthdays, baby showers and visiting mothers, becoming one of those pleasingly extravagant things we’re perfectly entitled to book simply because it’s Friday.
And this week there’s an official excuse. Afternoon Tea Week runs from 10 to 16 August, celebrating the great British ritual of finger sandwiches, warm scones, proper pastries and, depending on your mood, something sparkling alongside the Earl Grey.
Scotland does it particularly well. Some of the best afternoon teas in Scotland come with settings every bit as tempting as the cake stands. You can take tea beneath a Venetian chandelier in Edinburgh, aboard a floating hotel in Leith, overlooking Perthshire countryside or in a Charles Rennie Mackintosh-designed room in Glasgow.
Frankly, the only difficult bit is choosing where.
BEST AFTERNOON TEA IN EDINBURGH
Palm Court at The Balmoral
From £72.50pp*
An Edinburgh institution and surely one of the city’s most glamorous places for afternoon tea. The Balmoral afternoon tea is served beneath Palm Court’s glass dome and Venetian chandelier, with loose-leaf teas, delicate sandwiches, pastries and a harpist providing the soundtrack.
A FIVE-STAR AFTERNOON TEA IN LEITH
Fingal Hotel
£65pp
For afternoon tea in Edinburgh with a difference, step aboard Fingal. The five-star floating hotel in Leith serves its afternoon tea against glamorous Art Deco interiors, with sweet and savoury treats and an impressive tea selection. Add Champagne and settle in for the afternoon.
HIGHLAND AFTERNOON TEA
The Golden Gorse at Dornoch Station
A very good week to head north. If you’re looking for an afternoon tea in the Scottish Highlands, Dornoch Station combines a beautiful setting with a particularly tempting Afternoon Tea Week offer.
Book afternoon tea for 15 or 16 August and the hotel will upgrade you to a Champagne Afternoon Tea with Piper-Heidsieck at no extra charge.
LUXURY AFTERNOON TEA IN PERTHSHIRE
The Gleneagles Hotel
From £75pp
Few places do grand occasions quite like Gleneagles. Afternoon tea at Gleneagles is served in The Glendevon and takes its inspiration from the golden age of train travel, with Scottish flavours worked through sandwiches, scones, cakes and beautifully crafted patisserie.
Come hungry.
AFTERNOON TEA IN THE SCOTTISH BORDERS
SCHLOSS Roxburghe Golf Resort, a Destination by Hyatt Hotel
A country-estate setting, beautiful interiors and plenty of reason to make an afternoon of it. Afternoon tea at SCHLOSS Roxburghe is one for combining tea, cake and sandwiches with a proper Scottish Borders escape.
BEST AFTERNOON TEA IN GLASGOW FOR SOMETHING DIFFERENT
House for an Art Lover
£37.50pp
If you’re looking for an afternoon tea in Glasgow with a cultural twist, this is a rather lovely option. On Sunday 16 August, afternoon tea moves into the Charles Rennie Mackintosh-designed Music Room at House for an Art Lover, complete with handcrafted patisserie and live music.
Tea and cake in a Mackintosh masterpiece? We’re in.