The Original Maids of Honour

You're walking down Kew Road in Richmond and suddenly you smell butter, almonds, and sugar. That's your cue to join what's probably a queue snaking out of this proper old-school tea house. The Original Maids of Honour is the real deal—they've been making the same tarts since 1850, and honestly, there's a reason people still line up for them. You'll squeeze into a cosy spot, order a pot of tea, and bite into a warm pastry case filled with almond paste that's somehow both light and indulgent. It's not fancy, it's not trying to be trendy, it's just deeply, unfussily good. The kind of place that makes you understand why people keep coming back.