You do not need to spend £95 to have a proper afternoon tea in London. The cheapest legitimate options sit between £18 and £35 per person — and at the lower end of that range, the scones are often better than at the five-star hotels because they’re baked on the day, sometimes to order. This is our running list of the best affordable afternoon teas in London for 2026.
For the full 2026 picture — including the £75+ classics, price bands, and how to book — see the complete guide to afternoon tea in London.
The cheapest hands-on option in London
The Scone Workshop in Camden is £34 — and you bake your own four scones from scratch, sit down to a loose-leaf tea tasting with clotted cream and real strawberry jam, and take three warm scones home. The £27 covers the apron, the certificate, the tea, the cream, and the jam. There is no cheaper hands-on afternoon tea in London.
Cheap afternoon teas in London under £35
The London Scone Workshop — £34
Camden, NW1
60-minute hands-on baking class. Four scones baked from scratch. Three loose-leaf teas. Clotted cream and real strawberry jam. Apron and certificate included. Three warm scones to take home. The cheapest legitimate afternoon-tea experience in central London that includes both clotted cream and a proper tea tasting.
Tea and Tattle — from around £24
41 Great Russell Street, WC1B 3PE
A small Bloomsbury tearoom opposite the British Museum. The “afternoon tea for one” package — a pot of tea of your choice, lemon drizzle, a scone, a small selection of sandwiches — has been one of the most affordable real afternoon teas in central London for years. Best for solo visitors after a museum afternoon.
MAP Maison — from £34.50
321 Kingsland Road, Dalston, E8 4DL
A vintage tearoom-meets-cocktail-bar in east London. Quirky themed afternoon tea sets, generous portions, and one of the only properly affordable east-London options with character.
Brigit’s Bakery (Covent Garden) — from around £32 in-store
6 Chandos Place, WC2N 4HU
Best known for its £55+ afternoon-tea bus tour, but the in-store sit-down service is much cheaper and still genuinely good. Bakery-fresh scones; small French-leaning pastry selection on top.
Cutter & Squidge — from around £30
20 Brewer Street, W1F 0SJ
A central-London bakery with a casual afternoon-tea service. Better pastries than scones, but reliably under £35 and walk-in-friendly.
The Tea Terrace (selected House of Fraser stores) — from £30
Oxford Street and Westfield branches
Affordable themed afternoon teas in department-store settings. Less polished than the hotels but a proper three-tier service.
Department-store cream teas — £15–£25
The simpler version of afternoon tea — scones, clotted cream, jam, pot of tea, no sandwiches or cakes — is available at Liberty’s, Selfridges, and several Fortnum’s outlets for £15–£25. Excellent low-commitment option if you mostly came for the scones.
How to keep an afternoon tea under £35
- Skip the champagne. The “Champagne afternoon tea” upsell adds £15–£30 to almost every booking.
- Book mid-week off-peak. Mid-tier hotels run early-afternoon weekday seatings (2 p.m. on a Tuesday) at noticeable discounts.
- Use group-buying sites carefully. Wowcher, Buyagift, and Virgin Experience Days regularly list hotel afternoon teas at 30–50% off. Read the small print — some require a specific time slot or block the best rooms.
- Look at department-store services, not hotel services. Liberty’s, Harrods, and Fortnum’s all offer their tea services at price points lower than their five-star hotel competitors.
- Pick a workshop instead of a hotel. The Scone Workshop in Camden is £27 and you also get to take three scones home, which the £95 hotels politely do not let you do.
FAQ — cheap afternoon tea in London
What is the cheapest afternoon tea in London?
Legitimate, properly-made afternoon teas start at around £18–£25 at independent tearooms (Tea and Tattle, MAP Maison, small Marylebone and Borough bakeries). Anything below £18 is usually a cut-down cream tea — scones, jam, cream, pot of tea, no sandwiches. The cheapest hands-on option with a tea tasting included is the Scone Workshop in Camden at £34.
Are cheap afternoon teas in London any good?
Yes, often better than the five-star versions on scones — independent bakeries bake on the day, sometimes to order, while hotels frequently work from a morning batch reheated for later seatings. Where the cheap places lose out is the room, the pastry variety, and the service.
What’s the cheapest afternoon tea at a famous London hotel?
Fortnum’s at around £75 is the cheapest of the famous rooms. The Wolseley at £45–£50 is technically not a hotel but is the closest “famous-room” experience under £55.
Is there an afternoon tea in London under £20?
Rarely as a full three-tier service. Under £20 you’re looking at cream teas (scones, cream, jam, pot of tea) at neighbourhood cafés — Borough Market, Notting Hill, Camden, and Marylebone all have options at £8–£15.
Where can I get cheap afternoon tea in London with a view?
Aqua Shard’s afternoon tea is the cheapest skyline option (£60–£70). Below £35 with any kind of view is unusual; The Tea Terrace at the House of Fraser on Oxford Street is the closest you’ll get to a central, elevated, affordable option.