Afternoon tea in Manchester

Housed inside the iconic former Free Trade Hall, this 5 star Radisson hotel in the city centre has 2 restaurants, of which it's The Library that offers the delights of an afternoon tea. And delightful it is, as curated by Assouline, the high-end book publisher. Available only at weekends from noon to 4pm and with live music on a Saturday, it'll set you back around the £30 mark but it's well worth it for a taste of proper indulgence.

Had Alice emerged from the rabbit hole in modern day Manchester and found herself pining for a spot of tea, she may well have ended up at Richmond Tea Rooms. Situated on a side street in the Gay Village, it’s a space of two halves and the tea room has to be seen to be believed, taking camp to a new level.

Halfway up Beetham Tower, Manchester's tallest building, separating the lower Hilton hotel with posh apartments above, sits two floors of Cloud 23, a bar offering the best views of any in the city, and afternoon teas of sandwiches, scones, cakes and unlimited teas and coffees start at £20 per person.

Open since 1903, The Midland is Manchester’s oldest hotel and it has been famed for its afternoon tea from the very beginning. A huge refurbishment in 2021 has taken in the tea room and an array of actually-rather-forward-thinking menus are well worth the trip. You can nab vegan and gluten-free options, as well as their traditional and ‘Royal’ selections.

Naturally drawn to life’s old-timey pleasures? Then take a trip to Sugar Junction (don’t worry, it’s nothing like TOWIE’s Sugar Hut). There you’ll find vintage wallpaper, mismatched crockery and enough nostalgia to make you wonder what decade you’re really in. The menu’s pretty trad, too – but expect a couple of surprising treats.

For an afternoon tea with a difference, Pan Asian restaurant Australasia is as different as it gets. For £25 per person, you get a high tea in two waves - the first offers salads and sushi with a glass of Australian 'champagne', whilst wave two is a three tier sweet indulgence.

These days, presentation is key. Sure your Nana’s little square sarnies might taste nice, but are they gonna cut it on social media? Sorry Betty, we think not. Menagerie have upped their afternoon tea visual game and then some, serving dashing ferris wheels full of edible delights, from scones to brownies.

Perhaps the best value afternoon tea is just outside the city center. This impressive, award-winning independent chocolatier in West Didsbury, specialising in handmade truffles, brownies, chocolates, cakes and other delicious and decadent things of a suitably sweet slant offers a range of fantastic afternon teas from their standard, a champagne and a bottomless one. That's a lot of fancies!