Putting it on

I have very fond memories of the Ritz London. Years ago, when I was newby at Vogue Australia, I was sent to London to interview Barbara Cartland, the romance novelist, for her 80th birthday. Vogue didn't have a budget for the Ritz, or anything else much as it turned out, so I was lodged in the Royal Horseguards Hotel, where breakfast was included. Not being able to afford restaurant meals, I hit upon the brilliant idea of making my one other meal of the day aftrenoon tea at the Ritz. For four pounds I could eat as much as I liked in the most glamorous of surroundings - better than a cheap curry in a dismal Indian dive. But things are quite different these days, I believe. Ruth Jones, Director of Sales & Marketing at the Ritz, in Sydney to celebrate the hotel's centenary, tells me that tea costs almost ten times that much these days and that guests need to book up to twelve weeks ahead if they want to dine on weekends. I suspect it's still a bargain, though - especially if the waiters are still as keen to ply you with food. If you're thinking of taking tea at the Ritz you can now book online. Of course, if you're a guest at the hotel, tea tables are reserved for you upon checking in. Which, I suppose, might make it the most expensive cup of tea in London.