Travel and Adventure by Various Travel Authors

We are sitting at a table in The Caramel Room in London's fashionable hotel The Berkeley, waiting for the main attraction. The plan is to appraise the hot new numbers modeled by mannequins to see first which might be fittingly flattering, and secondly, which might actually be affordable. Although He Who Does Math In His Head thinks that his fashionista wife's criteria should be reversed. The decision to splurge on the Pret-a-Portea collection results from an irresistible invitation to preview catwalk pieces from designers like Giambattista Valli. In anticipation, She Who Loves Clothes has been living on tea for weeks since arriving in the U.K.

She might as well eat cake. When the waiter rolls out the tea trolley, it is mortifyingly clear that what the mind covets, the eye misreads. Pret-a-Portea is a Pret-a-Porter pun for the style conscious. The only fashionista delectables on offer are this season's must-haves — a Smythson yellow "Maze Bag" made of banana Madeira cake and a stunning yellow Chanel coat, a confectionary masterpiece. In preparing the collection, Berkeley pastry chefs attend London fashion week shows for inspiration. The final touch — eat as much as you want then leave with the leftovers in a pistachio green and pale pink takeout box styled like a designer handbag.

We simply had to eat our anticipations.

Welcome to the latest creative twist on the classic elements of the traditional English afternoon tea. To see how high society has transformed high tea, we spent the next week sampling England's most famous gourmet haunts.

TEA TIME

You can't stomach tummy rumblings with hunger pangs when you're the 7th Duchess of Bedford. Because she felt much too "peckish" — "hungry" in Brit speak — for dinner at 8, in the early 18th century the Duchess introduced an additional meal of small sandwiches, tiny cakes, and tarts to supplement her cuppa. Three centuries later, afternoon tea with the rich, famous and well-healed at venerable institutions like The Berkeley, Claridge's, and Fortnum & Mason will set you back between $45.50 and 72.50 each plus service, while Bettys Cafe Tea Rooms are a bargain at $72.50 for two.

Each has a style uniquely its own as they create variations on the classic elements of finger sandwiches, pastries, tartlets, desserts and scones.

Claridge's sumptuous art deco Foyer restaurant was Winston Churchill's haven and doubtless kept him sane while planning strategy during World War II, sustained by tea, sandwiches, scones and pastries. Seated on a banquette in a corner of the Foyer, we have a superb view of the 300 hand-blown glass pieces in the towering Dale Chihuly silver white "light sculpture" chandelier, and of the trio playing classical music and requests.

The little touches sweep us away — the "ceremony" of pouring champagne like liquid poetry; the teasing surprise of discovering desserts in shot glasses; and the gorgeous scones served with Claridge's signature Marco-Polo tea-infused jam. The only dining room so busy we couldn't sneak in ahead of our 3:30 seating, in the end, the true measure of a class act is how it puts you at ease. Mission accomplished.

Smack in the middle of London's Piccadilly in the West End, 300-year-old Fortnum & Mason wows on location and overall gastronomic impact. Afternoon tea is served in the formal fourth floor St. James's restaurant, a huge open space furnished like a country home where we spotted several actresses lounging. Impressed by the expansive list of rare teas and imaginative sandwich fillings, it's F&M's total impact we most appreciate — the luxurious selection of goodies in the fantastically decorated ground floor Food Hall where, ironically, most customers were French!

We were stunned to see the long queue outside Bettys Cafe & Tea Room in York; this venerable institution is so popular it doesn't take reservations, and the maitre d' and some staff have been there for decades! Tea at Bettys should be — and probably is — a rite of passage for well-brought-up young adults learning the etiquette of fine dining.

Inspired by the art deco magnificence of the Queen Mary, Bettys' founder commissioned its designers to create a stunning wood-paneled room with ornate mirrors and huge curved windows overlooking elegant St. Helen's Square. We fell in love with the house specialty — a warm, fruity scone called a Yorkshire Fat Rascal — and we were deeply affected viewing the mirror downstairs on which World War 11 U.S. airmen etched their names. We couldn't leave without purchasing "Hearts, Tarts & Rascals," the charming history of Bettys Tea Rooms.

TEA TALES

How did a beverage "accused of sapping the moral fiber of men" evolve into a social ritual?

Imported originally from China in the 17th century, tea was initially a luxury reserved for the wealthy. At London's Museum in Docklands, converted from one of the original West India Dock Co. warehouses built to store tea, a re-created tea-sample office shows how the leaves, transported in blocks, become legal tender for trade. Also on display were the China tea clippers that imported the tea and the mechanisms used for weighing it. Talented interpreters explain the stories associated with the development of England's national drink.

Samuel Johnson was one of the 18th century's self-confessed tea "addicts" who suffered "an unmanly thirst" for the drink, "downing more than 25 cups at one sitting." At Dr. Johnson's House, exhibits describe the writer's fascination with tea, the "price" he paid for his addiction, as well as visits to factories manufacturing porcelain tea services.

With more than 3,000 items, the Twining Teapot Gallery at Norwich Castle Museum, two hours from London, houses the world's largest collection of British ceramic teapots, including quirky pots that look like a cauliflower, a fish with scales, one with two spots, miniatures and elegant pieces like the "SYP," simple yet perfect, designed by Lord Dundonald in 1905. Here too is a collection of fascinating tea trivia — the drink was first served in 17th century public coffee houses open only to men, where alcohol was also available. Because 1 pound of fine tea could cost close to a month's wages, smuggling became rife.

A visit to England's tearooms and museums gave us a great appreciation for what Johnson called a "watery luxury" and the delicious ritual of taking afternoon tea.

IF YOU GO

Where to Stay — London: The 4 star Radisson Edwardian Vanderbilt; www.radissonedwardian.co.uk/vanderbilt.html. We loved the location — a minute from Gloucester Road tube station and handy for buses to top museums, and the spaciousness of the sumptuously decorated bedrooms in this 215 room property, formerly the Vanderbilt family home. York — Best Western Dean Court Hotel; www.deancourt-york.co.uk. No wonder this boutique 37- room hotel was voted AA Romantic Hotel of the Year. We woke to a stunning view of the magnificent York Minister cathedral, and were pampered by the most attentive staff anywhere.

Tearooms: The Berkeley: www.the-berkeley.co.uk; Claridge's, www.claridges.co.uk; Fortnum & Mason, www.fortnumandmason.com; Bettys, www.bettys.co.uk.

Museums and Exhibits: Museum in Docklands, www.museumindocklands.org.uk; Dr. Johnson's House, www.drjohnsonshouse.org; The Twining Teapot Gallery, www.museums.norfolk.gov.uk.

Sheila Sobell and Richard Every are freelance travel photojournalists. . To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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