Andrew Gravett on continuing The Langham’s historic afternoon tea legacy
The responsibility of continuing The Langham’s proud afternoon tea legacy is not lost on Andrew Gravett.
Andrew has been executive pastry chef at the iconic London hotel for more than eight years.
And at this time of year, business is booming with visitors to England’s capital flocking to try a traditional British afternoon tea.
The Langham of course is not the only high-end hotel in London to provide such an offering, but it does have a unique backstory.
“It’s not a well-known fact, but The Langham was the first place to serve afternoon tea, in 1865,” Andrew explained.
“Apparently Lady Bedford was getting hungry in the afternoon and wanted some little snacks, and there we are: afternoon tea was created.
“I don’t know exactly what she ate; it’s probably very different to what we serve now! But it’s a big thing, and something we probably don’t talk about enough.
“It’s a great thing to be serving afternoon tea in such an old hotel.
“It was the first hotel to have hot water, the first to have lifts. When you walk along the corridors, they’re wide enough for ladies with big dresses to pass each other. There are some really interesting facts here.
“I hope we continue to live up to the expectations of the birthplace of afternoon tea. It’s certainly something we try to do.”
Creating a Christmas Afternoon Tea
The Christmas afternoon tea is something which requires plenty of thought.
Andrew and his team of 15 pastry chefs got their heads together to create something nostalgic, with some crowd-pleasing flavour combinations. The result was the Release Your Inner Child menu.
“We came up with the idea of Release Your Inner Child, because The Langham is doing a partnership with Hamleys, the toy store,” Andrew explained.
“We had to try and find a way to have childlike influences, but to be able to serve to adult customers.
“So Release Your Inner Child is making afternoon tea a bit more fun, a bit more childish, but the adults are happy to eat it. It seems very simple, but it’s quite a difficult balance to get to have that - not too childish, but a bit fun.
"Hamleys is a super old toy store, like the Langham. We looked back at traditional toys from Hamleys and we found a rocking horse, a Christmas cracker and a train.
“Especially the rocking horse and the train have been around for years and years. And the cracker is something that's really celebratory.
“That's what we based our tea on, those forms.”
He continued: “In regards to flavours, we went quite classical - cranberry and pistachio. It’s a common mix, but it also helps us with the colours that we can use.
“Cranberry and pistachio are flavours that people recognise. The vanilla and the chocolate in the cracker, again, it's a really traditional flavour and ginger pear is something quite common with the caramelised white chocolate.
“I think sometimes in the past we've tried to complicate flavours, but it can be more difficult to use simple flavours to make them relevant, to make them nice. If you see a flavour written on a menu, I'd quite like to taste it.
“In the train, for instance, there's cranberry and pistachio and you taste cranberry and pistachio.
“Pistachio is actually a really difficult flavour to serve because I think we associate pistachio with ice cream and the Italian ice creams that most of the time have almond essence. The flavour of pistachio is actually not super strong.
“You can roast it and get a stronger flavour, but when I’ve eaten pistachio ice creams from gelaterias, they’ve been really fake pistachio — very often a pistachio paste with almond added to it. It makes it cheaper, but the flavour is not pure pistachio.
“So in the train that we have, the pistachio is as natural as it can be and add a little salt to lift the flavour.”
Balancing Playfulness with Luxury
The childlike, playful nature of the festive afternoon tea is a juxtaposition of the finery and prestige of The Langham’s dining room.
Asked how he managed that balance, Andrew said: “We had to have this childlike slant on the afternoon tea, but we had to keep it luxurious.
“The ingredients we use are the best we can find: Valrhona chocolate, really good French cream, the best fruit we can source, Sicilian pistachios. Ingredients are a really important way for us to create luxury.
“And then you're coming to The Langham, you're sitting in one of the original Palm Courts. We're using fantastic china, brilliant silver stands, and we have a fantastic service team. All of that adds to the luxury.”
It is not just for adults though, with an under-12s children’s afternoon tea also available, featuring a carousel, inspired by a Wagon Wheel, and teddy bear.
And there are also some added extras to what is included on the menus.
“We have a fruit cake that's a family recipe we can't reveal,” said Andrew.
“We have Christmas pudding–flavoured truffles as a little surprise - the service team will come around and serve them at any moment in the day.
“When guests sit down, we want them to feel they’re in a luxury place. These little touches, extras that sometimes aren’t written on the menu, and the fact the guests are continually being served - there’s a bit of a show going on in the room - and that adds to the luxury.”
A Team Effort Behind the Scenes
While Andrew is at the helm, it is far from a one-man show pushing the ideas and running the kitchen.
“There’s a team of 15 in pastry, a mix between afternoon tea, events, restaurant and amenities,” he explained.
“There’s a mix of skills, nationalities and ages. It’s a really funny bunch of people. If you stood them in a room and looked at them, we are all looking a bit crazy.
“But somehow we manage to serve teas, dinners, chocolate products — and the majority of the time we’re happy.
“Sometimes it's stressful and busy, but we try to collaborate as much as possible. As a chef, it’s interesting to create things, and I’m often saying to them: what would you like to do? What are your ideas? And then working with them to come up with a final product that is good to serve here.
“On the tea, for instance, four or five chefs have had input into what we’re serving. When we taste things, sometimes three or four will say it's lovely, and two of us will say the flavour isn't right.
“This happens continually throughout the year across the menus. They have input — otherwise they’re just machines making cakes, and it’s very boring.
“The team is super important. It’s a cliché, but it’s true. I'm not doing it on my own.
“I'm not doing half the things people might think. They’re grinding out the numbers every single day and doing a good job being consistent.”
Creating Memories at Christmas
For those heading to The Langham this Christmas, what does Andrew hope they take away from their experience?
“I hope they leave happy having had a really good time at The Langham,” he said.
“That’s what we come in every day for.
“We come to make cakes and savoury products that the guests will enjoy. That’s hospitality.
“When you put the pastries in front of them, there will be memories for some people.
“Someone’s first Christmas gift might have been a train. Someone might remember a cracker with a ring in it. Someone might have been horse-mad and dreamed of a rocking horse they saw in the shops.
“It could even be the hot chocolate reminding them of going out on Christmas evening, carol singing, and someone giving them hot chocolate to warm them up.
“I hope people come and it reminds them of good things, and they just leave happy. That’s it.”
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Andrew Gravett on continuing The Langham’s historic afternoon tea legacy
