Afternoon Tea at The Berkeley

Set in the seriously sexy Caramel Room whose colour-scheme roams through varying shades of salty brown, afternoon tea at The Berkeley is experienced within the confines of sultry stylishness. The carpets and soft-cushioned furniture, together with the gently illuminated surroundings, create a quiet atmosphere with a delicious lick of unadulterated comfort. The brilliance doesn't stop at just the upholstery though, because the geniuses behind The Berkeley's afternoon tea creations have worked equally as hard to come up with cakes, biscuits and sweet treats in rainbows of colour. Shot glasses of hot pink and snow-white mousse, or mint green, sunny yellow and puff pink are presented on plates whose rims are striped (the teapots and teacups match this pattern) with a spectrum of blues, yellows, blacks, oranges and greens to set off a fantastic display of artistic, culinary, and chinaware delight.

To keep up to date with the local current events, the Berkeley are laying on a new line of afternoon tea options which they've called the Prêt-à-Portea. Especially for the fashion experts among us, this new line of afternoon tea choices changes every six months and is designed to stand out from its competitors and it's worked, there's really nothing else like this out there. During the summer of 2012, they whipped up Royal inspired delights, including a praline profiterole inspired by the rather outlandish fascinator worn by Princess Beatrice at the Royal Wedding, as well as a vanilla biscuit with sugar diamonds made to resemble the Queen's crown worn in 1953. Other themes in the Prêt-à-Portea collection include the fashionista's afternoon tea (£39 per person), influenced by London's thriving fashion scene, you'll be nibbling on the Manolo Blahnik 'Neurotica' pink polka dot cake which is pumped with gianduja cream and the Yves Saint Laurent 'cabas chyc' green Victoria sponge handbag.

As far as actual cups of tea are concerned, the selection is rife. There are loose leaf Ceylons, Earl Greys, Vanillas and White Poneys; herbal-infused Camomiles, chocolate mint truffles and African ambers or, for a real experience, the beautifully smooth Caramel Indulgence.

The Berkeley, on the fringes of London's gorgeous Hyde Park, offers afternoon tea in a league not shared with any of its other counterparts. At The Berkeley, they clearly show signs of staying relevant to the world's events, forcing them to be creative, and not stagnating by keeping their menus typical for all eternity. It's a different experience altogether at this place - definitely worth checking in to and checking out.

Tea Times: Served from 1pm - 6pm in the Caramel Room