If you’re looking for a fun and unusual afternoon tea in London with kids, the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Afternoon Tea at One Aldwych in Covent Garden is definitely one to know about. Inspired by Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the experience is filled with themed food, colourful drinks, enormous candy floss, activities for children and lots of little references to Willy Wonka throughout.
We actually did this afternoon tea a couple of years ago and, at the time, it wasn’t one of our favourites. Since then, though, they’ve changed the menu around and added some new elements, so I was interested to see what it was like now.
I definitely enjoyed it more this time around. The whole experience felt really nice and there were some parts of the menu that I genuinely loved.
What you see when you arrive
The Charlie and the Chocolate Factory theme starts before you even sit down.
As you enter the afternoon tea area, you’ll see a large illuminated Charlie and the Chocolate Factory backdrop surrounded by colourful pipes and Wonka style factory machinery.
There’s also a Good Nut and Bad Nut display, plus lots of bottles, sweets and colourful details around the bar that make it feel like you’ve stepped into a little part of Wonka’s factory.
One of the neon signs reads “Tremendous things are in store for you”, which is such a nice touch.
There was also a Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Whipple Scrumptious Popcorn cart, along with displays featuring copies of the Roald Dahl book, Golden Ticket mugs and an “I’ve Got a Golden Ticket” bag.
There’s actually quite a lot to look at before you even get to the food.
It starts with a hot chocolate trolley
Once we were seated, the experience started with the hot chocolate trolley.
A member of staff brings the trolley directly to the table and makes your hot chocolate for you. There are lots of different toppings laid out, including mini marshmallows, sprinkles, chocolate pieces and other sweet treats.
You simply choose which toppings you would like and they put everything together for you at the table.
It’s such a simple part of the experience, but it immediately makes it feel more interactive for kids rather than just being handed a cup of hot chocolate.
Children get their own Charlie and the Chocolate Factory menu
Children aged 12 and under have their own dedicated Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Afternoon Tea menu.
Their food is served separately and includes more familiar sandwiches alongside all the themed sweet treats.
The children’s savouries included ham, cheese, cucumber and cream cheese and jam sandwiches.
The sandwiches are presented in different colours too, so even the more traditional parts still fit in with the Wonka theme.
The kids’ menu is also an activity sheet
Another little detail I liked is that the children’s menu doubles up as an activity sheet.
Turn it over and there’s a Charlie and the Chocolate Factory maze where kids have to help Wonka find his lost hat, a space where they can draw Willy Wonka, a Wonka Pick n Mix wordsearch and a “How Well Do You Know Mr Willy Wonka?” quiz.
Crayons are provided on the table, so it gives kids something to do while they’re waiting for the next part of the afternoon tea.
The savouries were one of my favourite parts
I really liked the adult savoury selection because it wasn’t just a plate of traditional finger sandwiches.
The menu included:
Classic cucumber cream cheese sarnie
Entire roast dinner in a sandwich
Magnificent mushroom melt
Mr Wonka’s smoked salmon quiche
“Not quite as it seems” macaron
There was also a Tastebud Tickler called “Cabbage Soup”.
My absolute favourite was the entire roast dinner in a sandwich. I genuinely loved this one. It takes something really familiar and turns it into something a bit different, which works really well with the whole Willy Wonka theme.
The Magnificent Mushroom Melt was really good too and was probably another of my favourites from the savoury selection.
A quick note about allergies
My afternoon tea might look slightly different to the one you receive because I have a nut allergy.
I told One Aldwych about this in advance, so some of my items were adapted to make them suitable for me. Because of that, the food and presentation shown in some of my photos may look a little different from the standard version.
If you have any allergies or dietary requirements, I would definitely mention them when booking so the team can advise you on what they can accommodate.
Then come all the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory sweets
The sweet section is probably the part kids are going to get most excited about.
The desserts arrive on a huge gold display inspired by Willy Wonka’s top hat, with different treats arranged around it on colourful platforms.
There are chocolate creations, colourful cakes, the Green Caterpillar Crunch and several desserts inspired by characters and moments from the story.
There is a lot of sweet food in this afternoon tea, which is worth knowing.
I feel like the older I get, the more I struggle with things that are really sweet, so some of it was a little too much for me personally. That doesn’t mean it wasn’t nice, it’s just very sweet.
I actually think that’s part of why this experience will probably appeal even more to kids.
Caramel Noir Tea
I went for the Caramel Noir Tea, which is described as a smooth black tea scented with soft, sweet caramel.
It was nice, but it was definitely on the sweeter side for me.
Again, that’s completely personal preference rather than there being anything wrong with it. If you have a big sweet tooth, you might absolutely love it. I just find now that I prefer things that aren’t quite as sweet.
The enormous candy floss
One thing my daughter absolutely loved was the candy floss.
And these are not small sticks of candy floss.
They are huge.
Massive pink clouds of candy floss arrive standing upright as part of the afternoon tea display and they look brilliant on the table.
This was definitely one of her favourite parts of the experience.
Scones with snozzberry jam and chocolate
You still get the traditional afternoon tea scones, but of course they have been given a Wonka twist.
The menu includes scones served with snozzberry jam, clotted cream and warm chocolate dip inspired by Mr Wonka’s chocolate river.
The scones arrive wrapped up to keep them warm and you can add whichever accompaniments you want.
My daughter really enjoyed the scones and they were probably one of her favourite parts alongside the candy floss.
Caramel chocolate milkshake
There’s also a caramel chocolate milkshake, described on the menu as being “mixed by waterfall”.
It arrives in a little bottle with a red and white striped straw and forms part of the main dessert display.
It’s these little presentation details that help make the afternoon tea feel more like an experience rather than simply being served a collection of cakes.
Fizzy Lifting Drinks and mocktails
There are themed drinks for children too.
The children’s menu includes mocktails such as Just Like Gold, made with passion fruit, orange, lemon, peach and mango soda.
There’s also The Almost Entirely Edible One and Delicious Purplicious.
The bright drinks fit really well with the Willy Wonka theme and add another fun element for kids.
How much is the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Afternoon Tea?
At the time of our visit, the prices were:
Adult Afternoon Tea: £75 per person
Afternoon Tea with Champagne or a cocktail: £90 per person
Children’s Afternoon Tea: £55 per child for children aged 12 and under
Prices can change, so I would always check the latest prices when booking.
Where is the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Afternoon Tea in London?
The Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Afternoon Tea takes place at One Aldwych in Covent Garden.
Address: 1 Aldwych, London WC2B 4BZ
It’s in a really good central London location if you want to combine your afternoon tea with Covent Garden, a West End show or another London family day out.
Our overall thoughts
As I mentioned, we had actually visited the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Afternoon Tea a couple of years ago and it wasn’t one of our favourites at the time.
This visit was definitely better.
They’ve changed the menu around and there were quite a few things I really enjoyed, especially the savouries. The entire roast dinner in a sandwich was easily my favourite item from the whole experience and the Magnificent Mushroom Melt was really good too.
For me personally, there is a lot of sweetness involved. Even the Caramel Noir Tea was a little sweeter than I normally prefer, but that really comes down to personal taste.
For kids, though, I can completely see the appeal.
There’s the hot chocolate trolley, colourful sandwiches, activity sheet, enormous candy floss, themed desserts, scones with chocolate dip and all the Willy Wonka details around the room.
My daughter particularly loved the scones and the candy floss.
If your child is already a fan of the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory books or films, I think they’ll get even more out of all the little references throughout the experience.
It’s definitely one of those London afternoon teas where the presentation and theme are a big part of the fun, and I’m glad we came back to try the updated version.
