Is there anything more British than a Paddington Bear themed afternoon tea, on a red double decker bus, making it’s way through London?
Molly and I were kindly invited by Brigit’s Bakery to try out their Paddington Bear Afternoon tea bus tour, and let me start by saying, it did not disappoint! We were welcomed aboard the double-decker and led up to the top deck, where beautifully themed tiers of sweet and savoury treats awaited us. Each table came with a special built-in screen that provided us with a animated guided tour of London with Paddington and Mrs Bird. They told us all about some of the City’s most famous landmarks, such as Big Ben, The Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Hyde Park, Nelson’s Column, Downing Street, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Borough Market, Green Park and Piccadilly Circus.
For our afternoon tea, we went for the Vegetarian option ( they offer Traditional, Vegan, Vegetarian, Halal, and Gluten-free options ) which included savoury options such as Cheddar & Mustardy Mayo Finger Sandwich’s, Cream Cheese & Cucumber Finger Sandwich’s, Mini Margarita Pizza’s, Mozzarella Pretzel with Cherry Tomato & Pesto and a Marmalade Finger Sandwich. If you have a sweet tooth like us, the sweet treats were *chefs kiss*! They included Shortbread Cookie, Vanilla Rice Pudding, Chocolate Cupcake, Lemon Meringue Tart a Chocolate Macaron. We were then given a freshly baked, plain scone with clotted cream. Paired with either jam or marmalade. Yum!
We were also each given a Paddington themed reusable cup to use throughout the tour. You could fill these up multiple times with an array of drinks from tea, coffee and hot chocolate to orange and apple juice. They also have a sparkling wine and champagne list should you wish you have something a little stronger – these are however an extra cost.
The important bits
- There are no toilets onboard so make sure you go beforehand. ( There is a pub close by that you can use )
- Price: Adults are from £45 and kids are from £35.
- The tour lasts approximately 1hr and 45 minutes but this can potentially be longer due to traffic. So keep this in mind if planning a whole day of fun!
- The tour is for children aged 5 and over. If you have younger ones, check out the Peppa pig tour where the minimum age is 2.
- Pick up address: No. 8 Northumberland Av, London, WC2N 5BY
- The Paddington Afternoon Tea Bus Tour is available weekly from Wednesdays to Sundays.
The tour takes just under two hours, which was almost enough time to work our way through all the food. They do offer you a little box to pop anything left over in. Also, you get to keep your reusable cup which I thought was a nice little touch! We had the most amazing time. Staff were incredible ( HUGE shout out to Tommy and Louana ) and accommodating. You can check out our Reel from the day here.
Even though this is on the more expensive things to do in London, I would highly recommend this. It would make the perfect treat for a birthday or Christmas – I always say that experiences and time together are better than materialistic things. But, if Paddington isn’t your cup of tea, Brigit’s Bakery have an array of afternoon tea bus tours to choose from. There’s even a Grinch themed one at Christmas time to get you in the festive mood!
