Afternoon Tea at Lord's

Afternoon Tea at Lord's - something special for cricket fans

Getting access to the pavilion at Lord's used to be a money can't buy experience. Even though entry can now be yours for £38, it's still feels unique and was probably a once in a lifetime experience for many of the people who were at Sunday's event.

Even though I'm a junior member at Lord's and visit a few times a year I haven't lost the special feeling that entering the pavilion brings either.

Tea is served

We were seated in the Long Room without around fifty other tables. Linen tablecloths, fine china, Arthur Price cutlery and leather chairs embossed with the MCC logo added a touch of class. And then there is the rooms itself. Sweeping views of the ground and oil paintings lining the walls of famous cricketers. Any cricket fan probably can't help but get the odd goose bump.

The initial thrill subsided and then we were left to wait for fifteen minutes (the only time service was dropped during the afternoon) before our tea order was taken and the food arrived.

I thought the food got progressively better during our tea. The sandwiches (crusts off course) were solid. The scones were accompanied by an obscene amount of clotted cream and then everything was topped off with a selection of five mini cakes each. Every other tea stand I saw heading back to the kitchen had some cakes left, but we made the point of finishing the lot. We had to pace ourselves to get all five in!

Inside the Long Room

After the tea we were taken to the museum and given a short talk about the ashes urn. The ashes inside the urn are from the stumps/bails used in match when England first lost to Australia? Wrong, they were from a came in Australia - that wasn't even an international - several months later. It seems likely that the whole concept of 'the ashes' happened at all it because a law to legalise cremation was being debated in Parliament around the same time.

After the museum we taken into the England dressing room which was a thrill for me as a member as well, the room usually being off limits. Going into the dressing room wasn't the first time that the usual rules of the club were broken. Photos were being taken inside and people were using mobile phones. I almost felt a bit rebellious.

 

Sitting in captains corner in the England dressing room

I was surprised at how much I enjoyed myself. The more I reflect on the afternoon, the more I think it was a little bit special. Although I'll admit you probably need to be a cricket fan to get maximum enjoyment from the event.