London: Gluten Free Afternoon Tea

Dreamy London Days… and a Dream come true for me. Gluten Free Afternoon Tea!

{Photos by Taylor Leopold}

I had always dreamt of exploring the posh and historic streets of London. And when I say Always, I mean that this was something that I had wanted to do since the day I learned about Princess Diana and the two young princes that I was sure were awaiting my arrival to London just as much as I was excited to get there! ;) (I had a vivid imagination growing up… let's be honest, it's still pretty active.)When my sweet boyfriend and I began planning our trip to Iceland we realized London would be our gateway stop to our travels that would follow our Iceland trip. This brought a huge smile to my face, realizing I was finally going to get to explore a city that I had forever been fascinated by. And what made this even better is when we learned that we would get to spend at least a full day in London exploring together before our individual adventures split us up.{P.S. We can complete my fairytale by calling him the real prince in the picture… forget Harry and Wills ;) }This will forever be a very memorable several hours spent with my man getting to explore London's Best with no agenda, except one MUST stop for me.That "must stop" was for a real English Afternoon Tea. I would never have imagined when I had to become gluten free that I would get to enjoy a real English Tea in London someday, but sure enough that dream came true thanks to the absolutely stunning 108 Pantry at The Marylebone Hotel. 108 Pantry at Marylebone offers the most beautiful menu that doesn't exclude anyone from getting to enjoy this beloved English past time, offering gluten free, dairy free, and several other options being incredibly accommodating to all needs. To be honest, when I booked our reservation for this afternoon tea (I planned for it to fall around brunch/lunch time) I didn't expect to get to eat much, but at least be able to say that I experienced tea while in England. But I was more than pleasantly surprised when they brought each of us our own personal 3-tiered tea delights!Friends, mine was ALL gluten free, from the bottom to the top! (Taylor had his own personal selections too!)Starting from the bottom, I devoured delicately sampled my tea sandwiches on divine gluten free bread, followed by scones that I may or may not have smothered with clotted cream… when in Rome, or London. :) Then that top tier… the sweets that literally melted in my mouth. I think I asked about a million times to be sure that everything I was eating was gluten free, because it was that dreamy!! And get this… they say you can request more of any specific tea bite, and as much as I wanted to ask for one more of everything, I was stuffed to the brim and so beyond content. I was floating on a (perfect fluffy gluten free food coma) cloud. All manners were probably out the window too… good thing I gave up on the dream of being a "princess", I wouldn't have ever passed the Queen's test. haha.Located among the trendy shops and restaurants of Marylebone Village, The 108 Pantry at The Marylebone Hotel was beyond stunning. With it's modern and upscale vibe, we both felt like we were experiencing a hidden London gem away from the regular tourist traffic. I especially loved the cozy corner window seat where we sipped our Rosé, nibbled on strawberries, tried rare teas, and ate to our hearts content.If you find yourself in London, Afternoon Tea is absolutely a must! But make sure you don't just settle for a touristy tea experience, you HAVE to experience the 108 Pantry Afternoon Tea, no questions asked! Gluten Free, Dairy Free, or any other sensitivity needs, or just a good classic tea experience will be enjoyed here.Just like our adventures in Iceland {click HERE for Day 1 in Iceland} we packed our day together in London full of everything we wanted to see and do. I'll be sharing more about our time in Iceland and London, so of course, stay tuned!Share your favorite London experiences or London "to do" wish list below, I can't wait to read them.Cheers to your adventures ahead wherever they may be taking you!