Orange Pekoe

Marianna Hadjigeorgiou opened Orange Pekoe on White Hart Lane in Barnes in 2006, sourcing loose-leaf tea directly from estates in China, Japan, India and Sri Lanka rather than through wholesalers. Time Out named it London's best tea room in 2008, the same year the shop received the Tea Guild's Award of Excellence, a distinction it has held in subsequent years. The single room seats around thirty at close-set tables, serving a short menu of soups, sandwiches and salads made on the premises alongside a full afternoon tea service that needs booking ahead. Tins of loose tea line shelves behind the counter for sale to take away or by post, though the room in Barnes remains the only place to drink them on site.