When visiting London this festive season, cosy up in The Drawing Room and enjoy the hotel’s new, limited-time-only afternoon tea, featuring a celebratory twist on British classics.
As London’s festive lights begin to glisten, one of the city’s most iconic addresses invites visitors to enjoy a quintessentially British dining experience with a seasonal twist. Raffles London at The OWO has launched a new Festive Afternoon Tea, a limited-time offering served in the atmospheric surroundings of the former Old War Office.
Guests step into history through discreet doors along Whitehall into a building that once bore the weight of empire. Completed in 1906 and designed in grand Edwardian Baroque style, the War Office was the nerve centre of British military power for decades – and the ideas fountain for the fictional James Bond character, created by author Ian Fleming, who worked as a naval intelligence officer at the OWO during World War II. Today, after a majestic transformation, those same walls contain one of the most elegant places in London for afternoon respite. During the festive season, the welcome is even warmer: Christmas trees illuminate the lobby, garlands sweep around the hotel’s famous staircase and the iconic façade glows with seasonal decorations.
Inside, the ambience of The Drawing Room is the perfect foil to the city’s winter chill. The room is a rich tapestry of wood panelling and original fireplaces, with a pianist playing softly at the grand piano and mahogany sash windows looking out over Whitehall, beyond which the mounted Household Cavalry guard the palace gates. Festive touches continue here too, with subtle garlands threaded through mantelpieces and winter foliage bringing a seasonal ambience to the space.
This festive season, the Drawing Room presents a polished adaptation of the classic English ritual: the Festive Afternoon Tea, available daily from midday until early evening for a limited time. The stand arrives neatly arranged over three tiers. A seasonal amuse bouche of delicate pumpkin and caramelised onion opens proceedings, swiftly followed by delicate finger sandwiches — no crusts in sight. Traditional favourites like coronation chicken have been set aside in favour of more seasonal choices, including honey-roasted ham on onion bread and Fosse Meadows turkey breast on walnut bread layered with festive trimmings. Some classics remain, such as Arlington White egg on white bread and The Drawing Room’s signature cucumber sandwich. Freshly baked scones — both plain and with fruit — follow, wrapped in linen and served with decadent clotted cream and jam.
On the top tier, a sculpted chocolate tree dusted with sugar stands on a dark base, a clear focal point. Below it sit petits gâteaux glazed in winter colours and creatively presented cakes with seasonal names — White Christmas, Jingle Bell Rock, Here Comes Santa Claus and Deck the Halls.
Guests are taken on a journey through the tea menu, guided by the venue’s expert tea sommeliers. Sip on signatures such as The Churchill, inspired by the favourite tea of Sir Winston Churchill, who served as Secretary of State for War at the OWO. Seasonal favourites also make a return — must-tries include the sweet Dark Chocolate blend and The Christmas Carol, a festive infusion of black tea and sweet orange rooibos with exotic spices and vanilla, finished with cranberries and cacao nibs.
Whether treating yourself after a day of Christmas shopping or enjoying a cosy rendezvous with a loved one, the Festive Afternoon Tea at Raffles London at The OWO is one to remember — made all the more enchanting by the building’s heritage, its festive finery and the celebratory sense of occasion that defines this storied address.
