Award-winning Chef Sally Abé has designed her first-ever afternoon tea menu, just in time to celebrate Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

The British chef’s RoyalTea concept launches on 30 April at Conrad London St. James, where it will be served in the hotel’s afternoon tea lounge, The Orchard. 

Abé drew inspiration from the hotel – a nineteenth-century building that was once Queen Anne’s Chamber – for the menu, which pays tribute to Queen Elizabeth II through an array of sweet treats. The delicacies feature several ingredients from producers that have their own Royal Warrants – such as Lyle’s, Rowntree’s, and Wilkin & Sons, purveyors of Tiptree jams. 

The elegant cakes on offer include a traditional English strawberry Victoria sponge, a treacle and pecan tartlet and a glazed Seville marmalade cake. A highlight is ‘Liz’s choccy biccy sandwich’; Chef Abé’s take on the Queen’s favourite chocolate biscuit, which incorporates pieces of biscuit and chocolate mousse coated in chocolate.

The savoury section of the menu is equally British, nodding to the regal history of afternoon tea – which is believed to have originated with the seventh Duchess of Bedford before being adopted by Queen Victoria. Guests can expect a selection of traditional sandwiches such as coronation chicken with baby gem lettuce, truffled egg mayonnaise with watercress, and cucumber and white pepper with mint.

Diners will also be able to choose from no less than 21 teas on offer from Lalani & Co, who specialise in finding small-batch teas. Champagne Bollinger, which has enjoyed a close association with Britain since 1858 and prides itself on having held a Royal Warrant continuously since it was first awarded by Queen Victoria herself in 1884, is also on offer for those seeking a fizzier experience. 

Abé, one of London’s leading chefs, joined Conrad London St James as Consultant Chef in 2021. She has overseen the development and opening of four new food and drinks concepts in Westminster, following a £1.75 million investment from the hotel. These include The Hedgerow, The Orchard, Blue Boar Pub, and her fine-dining restaurant The Pem.