London bus drivers are notorious for their rudeness but don't tar them all with the same brush.
Riding around in central London enjoying the sights of famous landmarks while consuming a delectable afternoon tea spread proved to be quite an experience. If the red bus wasn't eye catching enough, when pedestrians looked through its windows they saw colourful pastries elegantly laid out on tables, which only made them stare further in unexpected surprise.
We were next to a bored, middle-aged bus driver in traffic when the food caught his eye. Eagerly and clownishly, much to the delight of my daughter, he opened his window and stuck out his hand asking if he good have some which made her bawl with laughter. Unfortunately, delivering food to him was impossible, due to the bus' infrastructure, because I seriously would have because by that time we were stuffed.
As an early birthday present to Robyn, I decided to take her to London for the day. Can you detect a hint of excitement? Children as young as 6 can go on this tour and tickets are priced at £35, and £45 for adults.
There are two tours on a day, at 12:30pm and 3pm. The tour starts at the London Eye and does a full circle around London, going past places such as Royal Albert Hall, Marble Arch and Trafalgar Square. The whole trip lasts around 75 minutes, depending on traffic.
During the tour drinks, served in sturdy mugs by staff, flowed freely. There are an array of teas to choose from, even Red Bush (!), and hot chocolate. The tables are cleverly designed with cup holders which made spillage nearly impossible. The food, from the mini-quiches to the chocolate macarons, lived up to expectations and what I especially liked was the generosity of the BB Bakery. Towards the end of the trip we were handed bright, pink closable carton boxes to take leftovers home with us. My son was very appreciative of the little tea party we threw for him afterwards!
A special thanks to Rennies for organising this trip because we had a blast. Luckily, the only time I suffered from heartburn was while pregnant which was a pretty horrid experience so it's nice to know there is a solution out there for this uncomfortable condition.
Fancy hosting your own afternoon tea?
Here are some books to help you out:
- Afternoon Tea
- Vintage Tea Party
- The Ritz London Book Of Afternoon Tea
- The Perfect Afternoon Tea Recipe Book
- Tea at Fortnum & Mason
BB Afternoon Tea Bus Tour
+44 20 3026 1188
Sally - My Custard Pie
This looks like great fun. I'd love to drink tea and eat cake on a bus.
Jan @GlugofOil
What a very different idea for afternoon tea (on a bus) - love it!
Jan @GlugofOil
What a very different idea for afternoon tea (on a bus) - love it!
Rosana, Hot&Chilli Food and Travel Blog
what a fun day out! I love afternoon teas so this is definitely on my list! R
Meeta
Oh yes! This looks like something I would love to do. I love doing those Hop on hop off tours no matter how many time I have been to London but this would be the perfect highlight. Great tip!
Emily Leary
This looks like fantastic fun! Definitely something I'd like to try. The kids would love it.
Andrew
This looks too much fun for a olden to cope with! Now if they did a child-less alcohol fuelled version I'd be there! 😉
Helen @Fuss Free Flavours
That looks huge fun. Although I'd hope they drive more carefully than the drivers of the buses that I usually use!
Jeanne Horak-Druiff
What a cool idea!! Nice to know that they have cup holders because I had visions of tea flying everywhere, given the stop-start nature of London's traffic... Robyn is as cute a button and the food looks delish - glad you both had a good time!
Gillian Brewster
Sounds like a fabulous fun idea. Are the seats just upstairs or are there some downstairs to?
Gillian Brewster
Sounds like a fabulous fun idea. Are the seats just upstairs or are there some downstairs to?
SuburbanGent
Hey, love your write up, it looks like you had a blast! 🙂 I've just done this tour and have just shared my London Bus Afternoon Tea review which I'd love your thoughts on! 🙂