ONCE UPON A VILLAIN: DISNEY'S DARK SIDE AFTERNOON TEA ON MAYFAIR’S PARK LANE
October 2026
The Royal Recipe Book has fallen into rather different hands...
This autumn, London Hilton on Park Lane gives its afternoon tea a deliciously darker twist with Once Upon a Villain, a theatrical new chapter inspired by Disney’s most notorious characters. Arriving at Park Corner Brasserie on 2 October, it trades princess-perfect sweetness for Maleficent, Dr Facilier and a cast of beautifully wicked influences.
Created by Head Pastry Chef Sam Leatherby, winner of Bake Off: The Professionals, the menu turns the familiar afternoon tea ritual into something altogether more mischievous.
The savoury course offers playful references to well-loved stories: smoked salmon and cream cheese make up Ma Chérie Sandwich, while The Carriage Awaits combines chicken with pumpkin butter - best enjoyed, naturally, before midnight. Another sandwich is inspired by Prince Naveen’s lily pad perch.
It is, however, the patisserie where the villains truly take centre stage.
Enchanting Apple layers apple crumble sponge with caramelised apple and custard mousse, while Between Two Thorns combines vanilla cheesecake, blueberry compote and chocolate biscuit. There is salted caramel, blackberry and vanilla mousse in Deep Sea Swirl, and The Fairest of Them All pairs black carbon biscuit with single-origin chocolate ganache and cherry compote.
Even the scones have joined the plot, with Scones of Mischief offering black cherry and blueberry alongside the traditional plain variety. The final flourish comes in the form of chocolate truffles tucked inside a glass slipper.
Available daily from 12.30pm to 7pm, the afternoon tea is priced at £70 per adult and £45 per child.
For autumn in Mayfair, it is a suitably theatrical invitation to leave the fairy-tale ending behind and let the villains have their moment.
