Quintessentially British: Gallery Mess

Last week, I ventured off into London to sample some of the delights Chelsea has to offer and found myself at the Saatchi Gallery/Gallery Mess.

It wasn't my first time visiting, but I realised how perfect a setting it is to base a blog post around and thought I would share my findings with you, my lovely readers!

Nothing less than perfect in Chelsea

Being a lover of all things British and absolutely patriotic (you know me) afternoon tea is one of my favourite things. So how did this experience rate?

      Details-Radley, Thomas Sabo, and Ralph Lauren

Well, first of all let me start by saying that The Saatchi Gallery/Gallery Mess is a fantastic fusion of British tradition and modern influences. By this I mean that the scones were beautiful and classic:

                                          And the wall art was slightly on the funkier side:

The whole venue takes this juxtaposition on. The gallery is in the heart of Chelsea, on the Kings Road and is next to a beautiful green (a rarity in London) so if you're looking to escape the hustle and bustle of the city, this is the place to be. Yet when walking around the Saatchi Gallery, the art presented there is much less traditional than that which you could find in some of London's better known galleries. It's an intimate venue-15 small rooms of various pieces-and many of them seem to challenge modern society (take a look at this utterly ginormous model of carrier bags that meets you in the first room of the gallery). 

If original art is your cup of tea, this is definitely a good spot. Speaking of tea....

The food at Gallery Mess (the Saatchi Gallery's accompanying building which seems far too established and good quality to call a 'cafe') was a blogger's dream. Although the portions were small in comparison to other afternoon teas around London, I suppose this is more appropriate-you don't really need to be bursting at the seams a few hours before dinner, do you? I was certainly left satisfied though, and much more comfortable! We (my sister and I) were served an array of sweet treats and finger sandwiches, along with the classic tea and scones, all of which were gorgeous. And that's just based on how they looked, not to mention the evident skill used in creating them and the (how can I deny this) utter yumminess.

Where's your favourite place in London?

Lizzie x