Scotland and tea have been in a relationship since the 1600s, with the first tea served at Holyrood Palace in 1680. Originally smuggled into the country and affordable only for the very rich, by the mid-1800s tea was regularly taken with bread and butter in the afternoon and the rest is history: a saga of sandwiches, scones, cakes, cream and latterly, champagne. Afternoon tea has never been more popular and (Dundee cake notwithstanding) nowhere in Scotland does it better than enlightened Edinburgh .
After all, where else would you find tea served in a library, greenhouse, luxury lighthouse ship and a vintage bus, all in the same city? For further Edinburgh inspiration, see our guides to the city's best hotels , restaurants and cafes , nightlife , pubs and bars , shopping , things to do and things to do for free . Princes Street The Old Town The New Town Leith The Southside Fantastically popular with both locals and visitors, this Charles Rennie-Macintosh inspired enterprise has the master’s chairs, china and ornamental screens as well as very pretty original art deco windows overlooking the Princes Street gardens and the castle above. It's busy and noisy, with efficient staff whizzing round as if on roller skates delivering a generously portioned, traditional tea: think egg sandwiches, a squat but tender scone, the shortest shortbread imaginable, hefty slices of carrot cake or towering strawberry tarts.
There’s a savoury version too (haggis on oatcakes and mini cheese and.