Tea at the National Gallery

Yesterday we did a three-generations day trip to London. It was my mum's birthday, so I tried to plan a day that she would really enjoy. Star billing went to afternoon tea at The National Gallery, which I would highly recommend if you are planning a visit this autumn and want a relaxing experience away from the crowds. And London was very, very busy. Half term, lots of tourists and families everywhere. But this was a little oasis of calm. Love those windows and shutters.

There are two parts to the cafe, an informal, takeaway area with hot food and lots of wonderful cakes to choose from and a more formal sit down part. As it was a special occasion, and we'd had a busy morning exploring The Imperial War Museum and then some of The National Gallery's art treasures, we opted for the seated section with waiter service. Mum had a proper afternoon tea with sandwiches, scones and cakes:

Husband and dad chose a cream tea, with a warm scone and home made jam, pretty good value for £6.50 in central London, we thought...

Sons went for banana and chocolate cake....

 There were two gluten-free options for me to choose from, too. I shall come back again, it is a great meeting place. I'd forgotten how brilliant The National Gallery is, and the fact that it is still free to get in is fantastic.
Afterwards, we rounded off with some shopping in Covent Garden. We managed to avoid the showers but this amazing rainbow appeared on the skyline. I saw in today's paper that it was a double one.

A few small purchases were made: I fitted in a quick visit to the Cath Kidston store, as I needed some oilcloth for a chair makeover (more about that tomorrow), but our feet were pretty weary by this point. Time to catch the train home after a long but lovely day.