Fans of Bridgerton can enjoy a flavour of Regency Christmas afternoon tea at an iconic theatrical venue in Covent Garden.
Georgians loved to attend the theatre to see and be seen, and you can channel your inner Lady Whistledown with a gossip over delicate china cups and cake stands loaded with delicacies in the sumptuous surroundings of the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane.
There's been a playhouse on this site ever since 1663, when Charles II's mistress Nell Gwynne was a famous actress of the day.
The current Grade I listed building opened in 1812, right on the nose for Julia Quinn's Regency romance. Today this theatrical jewel is owned by Andrew Lloyd Webber, who spent 18 months and £60 million restoring it to its former glory including marble columns, rotunda, sweeping Royal staircases and period paintwork.
Afternoon tea, that most English of inventions, is served in the high-ceilinged Grand Saloon which has a terrace over the portico. Service has to finish by 5.30pm so the theatre can get ready for performances of Disney's Frozen.
Seated beneath a chandelier, we watched waistcoated staff sweep in carrying specially-designed bone china, decorated with 'mythical characters' based on period costume designs for pantos, comic operas and ballets.
You can choose from a menu of tea flavours to accompany cakes and savouries by baker Lily Vanilli. They include a delicate smoked salmon pastry, a cranberry-infused sausage roll, a mini mince pie, and a gorgeous sticky toffee pudding lifted with gingerbread spices and topped with salted caramel popcorn.
There's also a prettily decorated dark chocolate cake whose lightest of sponges is encased by pale green icing, piped with Christmas wreaths and a star on top. Lady Danbury would approve.
Our favourite was the fruit scones; kept warm in a white napkin, they were melting and moreish, spread with thick cream and homemade jam.
The Lane is a lovely oasis of elegance and handy pit stop between the bustle of Christmas shopping and perhaps a show.
Christmas Afternoon Tea runs from December 1-31 at The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, Catherine Street. Priced £49 per person. Bookings https://thelane.co.uk/
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