We cannot refer to this as a snack or merely nibbles, prepare yourselves to discover the true English Afternoon Tea. Perhaps you have never heard of it? Maybe the very words “English Afternoon Tea” will bring to mind visions of elegant English ladies sipping tea from sumptuously decorated fine bone china teacups, dressed to the nines in their elegant frocks and lavish hats. You wouldn’t be far wrong, this is state of the art English afternoon tea.

However there is a lot more to it than hats and china! Sweet pastries, delicate finger foods, steaming cups of tea made from the most delightful blends. Time seems to come to a standstill when one is experiencing afternoon tea, as we are enveloped in the rich and buttery aromas of home made cakes and pastries and the warm steamy scents of freshly brewed tea.

But let us not reveal all too quickly. Firstly we would like to tell you about the origins of this graceful English tradition.

The origins of afternoon tea

We need to travel back to the stylish withdrawing rooms of 1840’s London. Here we find that a new vogue is beginning to spread throughout the nobility. It all began with Her Grace the Duchess of Bedford , Lady in Waiting to Queen Victoria, who often found herself to be a little peckish of an afternoon and so assuaged her appetite with a small snack of tea and biscuits. Once this elegant lady began to diffuse this practice amongst her highborn friends the simple snack soon became a veritable social ritual, and amongst its greatest fans, Queen Victoria herself! So thanks to our intrepid Lady Bedford afternoon tea has become one of England’s truly appreciated institutions.

However Queen Victoria’s absolute favourites were scones, deliciously warm, slathered in butter, jam and clotted cream. Who could possibly disagree with Her Royal Highness!

Afternoon Tea at Babingtons in Rome

The only place in Rome where you can relive this uniquely English of English experiences is of course at Babingtons . How could it be otherwise? We are after all the oldest Tea Rooms in Rome, and in Italy, having opened our doors in 1893 when our two English patrons and ancestors Anna Maria Babington and Isabel Cargill first introduced this splendid custom to the Capital. Theirs was truly a modern and courageous vision! And so it is that to this day it is possible to savour the delights of English afternoon tea in this magical setting, in Piazza di Spagna, in Rome, in Italy, just like you would in England!

Imagine yourselves on a cold winters’ afternoon. You’ve been on your feet and running around all day, you’re tired and suddenly peckish. Dinner time sees like an eternity away . . . Keep Calm and come to Babingtons!

Here you can choose amongst our selection of Afternoon Teas. Our choices range from the lighter option consisting of our petit four pastries to the more elaborate menu where you may savour our scones and our delightfully soft finger sandwiches, filled with a variety of condiments, all to be accompanied by your choice from our blends of tea.

Babingtons Afternoon Tea Blend

Every sip brings with it intrigue and surprise . On a melancholy afternoon this black tea will give you the charge you need and along with our pastries, the energy to launch you into the rest of your day. Especially as you will be drinking our blend of aromatic black teas consisting of the noble Darjeeling and the smokey flavours of Lapsang Souchong.

A perfect balance of fruit and flowers with a fine smokey aftertaste. It is also worth trying with a little milk and a half a teaspoon of sugar.

Babingtons 5 o’clock Tea

This is a perfect tea to accompany a happy afternoon spent with your oldest friends. This is a light and very agreeable tea perfect for your Afternoon Tea experience. Its blends come from Darjeeling, China and Formosa. The result is a triumph of sweet and gentle scents , ranging from fruity to flowery right to the very end.

This is an ideal tea for the afternoons as it contains less caffeine than your average afternoon teas. It is good with either milk and sugar or drunk black.