2014 Teatime Adventure Awards!

As 2014 draws to a close, I am very delighted to have concluded a whole year of teatime adventures! It has been a lovely thing to set time aside each month to take afternoon tea with friends or family, where for a wee while nothing else matters except gentle conversation, a refreshing cup of tea and a home-made cake in lovely surroundings.  Each tea room has offered something unique and I have enjoyed every experience.  People sometimes ask me which is the best tea room I have visited, and although I have no desire to rank them in any order as each individual establishment has its own charms and everyone looks for something slightly different in their teatime experiences; nevertheless I thought it might be appropriate to highlight outstanding examples in certain categories, so here goes:  (drum roll, fanfare and very, very, very long silences before announcing winners!!!)



BEST AMBIENCE..................Hempstead House Hotel, Bapchild.

The nature of the building allows them to offer an unparalleled
ambience in the soft drawing room furnishings and leisurely
personal service offered.  To be transported to an earlier age
of gentility - this has to top them all!





BEST CHARACTER...............Melinsey Mill, Veryan

This is amazing setting for a tea room - in the grounds of an old
water mill, and the owners have created a wild and wonderfully
quirky place with a distinct personality all its own.











BEST MENU VARIETY............Oad Street, Borden

This is an undisputed winner.  Every possible teatime combination
was itemised on the menu from full sandwiches to half sandwiches,
scone varieties and cakes, which also includes a big gluten-free choice.









BEST VALUE..............Peggoty's Tea Room, Rochester

A very nice tearoom offering a good choice of cakes, nice
atmosphere and a complete bargain!  Can't go wrong!





BEST FACILITIES...............Willow Tea Room, Burwash

A nice loo always makes a teatime experience that little bit
better, and here I was quite doutful when directed out of the
tearoom and around to a separate building.  However, my doubt
turned to delight at a clean, bright loo complete with flowers and
handcream.  Perfect!  (didn't take a photo of it, though!)





BEST CAKE...................Moat Tea Rooms, Canterbury

An all-round great tea room, but with a big variety of interesting
cakes, which all looked delicious.  Certainly my lemon one with lemon curd filling and tangy lemon icing was just a perfection of lemony yumminess!










HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO EVERYONE AND HERE'S TO A 2015 FULL OF NEW AND WONDERFUL TEATIME ADVENTURES!

Headcorn Village Tea Rooms

Amidst the madness of the last few days before Christmas, I managed to create a small window of calm and sensibility for the last teatime adventure of the year with a visit to the charming village of Headcorn.  I am known to visit Headcorn a couple of times a year as it is home to a musician friend of mine whose beautiful grand piano I am always pleased to stroke my fingers over!  My visit to her usually involves lunch and a perusal of the charity shops, where I have been always been extremely lucky.  For instance on my last visit, I found a gorgeous brand new 'Per Una' coat which has been greatly admired, and of course cost only a few pounds.    And so husband, younger son and I set off for Headcorn - my husband content in the knowledge that the charity shops do not open on Sundays.

 The Village Tea Rooms is housed in a traditional clapperboard building with a low-beamed ceiling, and younger son having attained the giddy heights of over 6 foot by admirable perseverence and a lot of sleep, found this quite a handicap - although husband and I were not at all troubled in this respect.  It was quite busy, but we were met by a friendly waitress and found there was a vacant table in the window. Tables are covered in green checked table cloths with painted country chairs.   The tea room extends into a second room at the back and houses a number of gift items for sale and pictures on the walls which makes a pleasing visual environment to while a way a pleasant afternoon.  There was a pleasant ambience with plenty of chat and good humour amongst locals and staff.


The menu lists a good variety of lunches, and selection of teas including breakfast blend; Earl Grey, Ceylon, Assam, Darjeeling, Jasmine, Lemon and fruit & herbal.  There is also a range of coffees available.  Husband and I both chose Assam, and son chose a fresh orange juice. We viewed the available cake selection which today comprised chocolate, Victoria sponge, lemon.  There had also been carrot cake but this had run out.  I noted that all the cakes were made of similar construction whatever their flavour - with sponges sandwiched with butter icing,  although the menu did refer to them as 'homemade cakes'.   Perhaps it is just the 'house style'.  I chose the lemon sponge and my son chose the coffee & walnut.  Husband chose a fruit scone with butter and jam.  When the cakes arrived, we thought that the portion size was not overly large, but in fact the sweetness of the cakes meant that the portion size was more than adequate, and in fact son and I both left some unfinished.  This is not to say that the cakes were unpleasant - but we neither have a very sweet tooth for too much icing.  The scone arrived warm and had a good amount of fruit.  The jam was a pot of Tiptree strawberry and butter in a little packet.  The tea cups were also warm which was rather nice on a cold day, and the tea was a good flavour made with tea bags and plenty of milk, but no extra hot water.

Toilet facilities were spacious, clean functional and the cost of the tea was also very reasonable.  

This is a nice local village tea room, which I imagine is at the heart of the community and a good place for people to meet and exchange village gossip together.  The service is friendly and efficient - long may it flourish!

Duddleswell Tea Room, Ashdown Forest

A mild but foggy November day was the backdrop for this month's teatime adventure.  I was spending the weekend with one of my oldest friends at her home in Crowborough, East Sussex and I had asked her to suggest somewhere for afternoon tea.  We had spent a very happy hour or so browsing the numerous charity shops of Uckfield where we had been delighted by the high quality of ladies' clothing and several successful purchases had been made.  Our appetite for retail therapy duly satiated, we returned to the car and took a drive out through the village of Maresfield into the Ashdown Forest to find the Duddleswell Tea Room which has been proudly serving tea since 1936.

The Ashdown Forest is in the heart of the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, but most importantly is the home of Pooh Bear.  The bridge from which the game of Pooh sticks was invented is located in the forest near to the village of Hartfield.  The foggy conditions on our day of visiting, however may have made the game a little tricky.  It was easier to imagine the hound of the Baskervilles, created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle who lived at nearby Windlesham Manor, emerging from the gloom!

The tea room is housed in a lovely old cottage standing in splendid isolation on one of the roads through the forest.  We entered and gratefully noted the log fire and homely atmosphere.  A friendly young waitress greeted us and we were pleased to find a vacant table in the bow window.  The tea room is clearly popular and was very soon full to capacity.  The room is furnished with country oak chairs and tables with cheery teapot design curtaining.

We perused the menu which offers a number of savoury items and various set teas which included a Sussex Tea, an Ashdown Forest Tea,  a Yeoman's Tea, a Duddleswell Tea and delight upon delight - a Pooh Bear Tea!  Each contained different permutations of scones - plain, fruit or savoury, jam, cream, cakes and sandwiches.  Having enjoyed such a nice girly time, I didn't feel any affinity to the Yeoman's tea, but the Pooh Bear tea beckoned strongly! This comprised a scone (plain or fruit) with honey (of course) and a choice of cake.  There was also a good selection of teas.  I settled on a plain scone and a slice of apricot and almond tart.  A very tempting cake display included fresh cream Victoria sponge, a mountainous 3 tier chocolate cake, a huge banoffee roulade, banana & honey cake, besides the more conventional lemon drizzle, coffee & walnut and carrot cake.


Having foregone lunch in order to prepare for a teatime adventure, my companion was feeling the lack of savoury sustenance and opted for a tuna sandwich.  It looked perfectly pleasant but it is not the stuff of afternoon tea and so I will refrain from further comment!  My scone was served warm and had a lovely golden colour and soft texture into which the runny honey melted beautifully.  I have not previously considered honey as a scone accompaniment, but it worked like a dream.  It was also served with clotted cream but I saved that as an accompaniment to my warm apricot and almond tart.  This was perfection with really succulent apricots and a light texture so often lacking in this sort of pastry concoction.  We shared a pot of loose-leaf house blend tea (Assam & Ceylon) which came with additional hot water.


The single toilet was a 'no-frills' affair but perfectly clean and adequate.

I don't know if Pooh Bear enjoyed home-made scones with his large jar of honey, but I suspect that he may have done given his impressive figure, and I am very grateful to him for this tasty inspiration!

Hempstead House Hotel, Bapchild

After the impromptu surprise of September's Teatime Adventure, imagine my delight at a second surprise adventure this month!  An invitation came my way to accompany my dearest friend to Hempstead House Hotel where she had been given a voucher for their afternoon tea.  Now strictly speaking, my remit in recording these adventures is to uphold the independent tearooms that battle valiantly to continue this most English of traditions, however I certainly wasn't going to pass up the opportunity of an afternoon tea, especially with my dearest friend in such a delightful setting as the charming Hempstead House Hotel, (which is independently owned and run) and especially as it fell only a few days after my birthday!

We arrived at the hotel wearing our posh frocks and found our way into reception where we were greeted and shown to a private drawing room called 'The Snug'.  We had the use of this absolutely delightful room all to ourselves for the afternoon, and it offered the perfect blend of country house elegance, with a lovely fireplace, dual aspect windows giving views of the grounds and the swaying trees, and comfortably upholstered chairs.

Having settled ourselves in we were greeted by our waiter and chose our blend of tea from the comprehensive tea and coffee menu.  My friend selected the English Breakfast and I chose Assam.  The cake stand was decked with a sandwich selection on the bottom tier and little cakes on the top.  The middle tier just held a pot of cream and jam, as the scones would be brought in warm when we were ready.  We tucked into the finger sandwiches:  ham, cream cheese & cucumber and egg - all very tasty.  We then managed one of the two scones each - fruit and plain; warm and tasting slightly of cinnamon.  However, despite taking plenty of time over excellent conversation and many cups of tea, we felt unable to continue our feast until we had taken a gentle perambulation of the grounds.  This completed, we returned, still unable to face a second scone, but refreshed by more tea we each ate a little swiss roll (incredible light) and a sweet little strawberry and blackcurrant pastry tart.  We were defeated by the little lemon drizzle sponge cake!  However, our friendly and attentive waiter brought a little box for us to take home our scones and cakes so nothing was wasted!

I must say that the whole experience was absolute perfection - from the delightful setting, to the understated but attentive hosting, to the quality of the food - there was nothing to be found wanting here at all.  For the consummate afternoon tea experience, this would take a lot of beating and I am very appreciative of such a lovely treat!

Tiptree Tea Rooms, Heybridge, Essex

I must start the report of this little adventure with a confession, dear reader!  Although I am writing this at the very end of September, the delightful adventure which I am about to recall actually took place during August.  The summer holidays afforded more leisure time for such pleasantries, and I was keen to share this one with you as again it offered something quite different.

And after that little preamble,  I shall begin..... Our journey into Essex and up the A12 to Maldon is one that is undertaken a number of times in the year in order to visit our very dear friend and godmother to our two sons, and her delightful daughter. After enjoying a particularly fine home-cooked chicken curry, it was then suggested that we might like to take a little drive out to Heybridge for a wander along the tow-path of the Chelmer and Blackwater canal and to conclude with tea.  And so ensued the particular pleasure of an unplanned afternoon teatime adventure!

Having basked in endless days of glorious sunshine, we sallied forth unprepared for the torrential downpour that awaited our arrival at Heybridge.  However, we were quietly determined and sat in the car for about 25 minutes until the rain had eased sufficiently for our adventure to begin.  Your writer is exceedingly fond of rivers and canals and the peace that they exude, and our stroll along the towpath was a perfect precursor to an afternoon tea.

The tearoom is located at the Heybridge basin affording lovely views of boats bobbing gently on the water and in the flat landscape, some beautiful big skies.  The tearoom is run by Wilkin & sons who make the Tiptree jams & preserves.  It is located in a long clapperboard building right by the basin, and we entered and selected our table.




The menu comprises the usual cream tea, an afternoon tea special which includes a sandwich, and the traditional English afternoon tea which is the full works of sandwiches, scones, and patisseries. However, after such a tasty and filling curry, we mostly opted for cakes, except for hubby who as you will anticipate, dear reader, opted for a cream tea!

As one might expect, the choice of jam to accompany the scones was myriad, and husband was very satisfied with his little scarlet strawberry preserve.  I chose a St Clement's cake which came in a large slice, but was slightly disappointing in it's lack of citrussy flavours.  Our companion had patisserie which again was large and very creamy.  The tea was a pleasant afternoon blend and all was served on plain white china.

Our tea concluded, we then took a further stroll across the lock and along the basin to observe the plentiful water fowl and dramatic skies before returning, with grateful thanks to our dear friends,  from yet another delightful teatime adventure!

Melinsey Mill, Veryan, Cornwall

Now I know that there are some of you who have taken to visiting the tearooms which I have written about, and so far these have all been in Kent - with the exception of last month's London adventure.  However, you may be seriously challenged with August's teatime adventure as it took place during the family holiday to Cornwall.  We were first introduced to this particular tearoom a number of years ago by friends who live in Cornwall, but even they found great difficulty in actually locating it and after driving around the area for quite some time, I recall that directions were finally requested.  However, once found - never forgotten and we have made a point of visiting regularly since.

 The tea room at Melinsey Mill is located on the beautiful Roseland peninsular on the south Cornish coast.  It is now well signed from the Tregony-St Mawes road and a dark winding lane takes you down to the secluded valley bottom where suddenly you come upon this little treasure.  It is beautifully unkempt with tables made from mill stones and rustic chairs arranged haphazardly around the mill pond.  There are a couple of wooden shelters, but otherwise some simple tarpaulin is the only defense against precipitation.  There are no menus, but the wide range of simple excellent homemade cakes is on display in the little kitchen building.  On offer today were carrot, coffee & walnut, Victoria sponge, scones, brownies, chocolate cake, treacle, bakewell tart, and almond slice. 








We chose to sit in one of the shelters and ordered tea for two and elderflower for two.  The tea came with a pot of hot water.  All the cakes that we ordered were well received - the chocolate cake is dark and not too sweet, a light sponge with very chocolatey buttercream filling; the bakewell tart was described as lovely and sticky. We also had a brownie and an almond slice.  All the cakes were generously proportioned.

I must say that Melinsey Mill counts as one of my absolutely favourite tea places, because it is nestles comfortably in it's wild natural surroundings; it is unpretentious and although the menu is not as extensive as some (no varieties of tea or coffee for example); the quality of the home-baking more than amply makes up for this.  The toilet facilities are housed in the mill where you can also see the mill workings and purchase some local crafts.  

So if, like me, you enjoy an excellent cake and a really good cuppa served up in friendly fashion in quirky, wild surroundings, then do make the trip down to Cornwall!  You will be rewarded.

The Gallery Restaurant, Fortnum & Mason's, London

It has become a tradition in our house that during the first full week of the summer holidays a visit is made to the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition.  This amazingly eclectic show never fails to elicit delight, bewilderment and incomprehension in equal measure and this year was no exception.  Indeed our experience was enhanced by the active participation in what we can only assume was an extreme art installation called 'Fire alarm practice' in which a penetrating siren drove us out of the building via an extensive metal stairway and out onto the street.  Great fun was then had in finding our way back round to the front of the building and into the gallery again!  We also make our visit even more interesting by playing a game whereby each person must select an artwork from each room which they would like to take home without first consulting the catalogue.  After all the works have been chosen, the cost of all the items is added up and there is a winner for the biggest spender and a winner for the skin-flint.  It must be said that in some rooms, the search for an item to take home is woefully difficult, whereas in others one is spoilt for choice.  Sadly this year yielded no models of beavers with space packs, nor yellow waste bins fashioned from bronze, but we were particularly taken with an installation of a coloured screen that slowly changed colour.  Two of our party were also convinced that the surrounding wall changed colour too, and this caused quite some discussion, especially as one member also claimed to hear hypnotic music.  All very mystical!

Now if you have remained with me so far, dear reader, you must be wondering how all this relates to my given subject of the delights of afternoon tea.  I shall weary you no longer........obviously the contemplation of all this visual feast leaves one with a hearty appetite and very fortunately across the road from the Royal Academy lies the wondrous emporium that is Fortnum and Mason's.  And so we repaired there in search of some liquid refreshment and a tasty morsel or two.



We selected to eat in the Gallery Restaurant located on the ground floor.  A sumptuous afternoon tea may be taken upstairs, however this requires adherence to a dress code for which we were not prepared.  We were welcomed cheerfully and chose a table that overlooked the shop floor selling teas and confectioneries.  Rectangular wooden tables are set with linen napkins and plain white crockery.  We chose the Afternoon Tea blend which arrived in separate pots of looseleaf tea with individual strainers, but a shared jug of milk.  A number of other tea blends were available.  The array of cakes was very tempting, all rather in the continental tradition, including chocolate forest mousse, blueberry sponge, almond tart, carrot & walnut, marmalade sponge.  I chose a raspberry sponge and our youngest son chose the chocolate forest mousse cake.  My husband was his reliable self and chose the scones, jam & cream, and our eldest son chose a savoury dish of crab on toast.

We were impressed that glasses of water were first delivered to quench our thirst before commencing the tea, which was pleasant and slightly bland in flavour.  The raspberry sponge was very tasty, with buttercream that was not too sweet and a sponge of quite a firm texture.  The chocolate forest mousse was declared to be delicious, and the crab on toast was also very well received.  Unfortunately the scones were something of a disappointment.  They certainly looked almost plastic and the texture resembled more of a malt-loaf.



The ambience was quietly buzzing and we enjoyed watching people of various nationalities arriving and settling down for tea.  The staff were all attentive and friendly.

The facilities, 'Ladies Powder Room' were located on the first floor of the shop and are obviously well used (a small queue had to be endured).  They were clean enough and supplied paper towels and hand-cream.

It must be remarked that although this was a very pleasant teatime adventure and perfectly located for our needs; the price paid to partake in afternoon tea at an elite establishment is no guarantor of superior quality.  However, it did conclude a very pleasant family outing and a useful space to sit and calculate the winners of the Academy game.  I am pleased to report that I was the 'Skin-flint' winner and unsurprised to report that my husband was the 'Big Spender'!

Lime Tree Tea Rooms, Burwash

I have occasion to drive with reasonable regularity on a Tuesday through the charming Sussex wealden village of  Burwash, and have noticed, when passing, the promising 'Lime Tree Tea Rooms'.  It is closed on a Tuesday, but I made a mental note to seek an opportunity for a visit,  and a cunning plan formed in my mind........  This weekend is husband's birthday and he is an ardent admirer of the works of Rudyard Kipling - the strain to memorise a recitation of his poem 'If...' frequently greets the ears in our abode. ( I won't record here my personal opinions of Imperialistic jingoism that gush forth when pushed to the parameters of my sensibility.)  However, Kipling's residence was a property called 'Bateman's', now in the hands of the National Trust, which lies just outside the village of Burwash.  Hence my wifely suggestion that a lovely birthday visit could be made to the property and that afternoon tea could then be taken at the Lime Tree Tea Rooms!  Happily he fell for it hook, line and sinker and so the proverbial two birds were killed!

It was a beautiful hot afternoon and we gratefully entered the cool interior of the tea rooms, gently decorated with soothing green walls and country pine furniture.  We were the only visitors, but I gather that a number of people had been in for morning coffee and light lunches earlier.  Classic FM played serenely in the background and we selected a table with a good view of the cake stand.  The waiter greeted us on entry and then allowed us sufficient time to peruse the menu.  

The cake counter was most impressive. Varieties on offer were: carrot, gluten free Victoria sponge, apple & blackcurrant crumble cake, passion fruit & white chocolate cake, lemon drizzle, meringue, chocolate & cherry cake, butterscotch cake, raspberry & Eton mess cake, lemon & blueberry cake, brandy biscuit slice and toffee, pecan & cranberry cake.  Such fantastic combinations of flavours - I was really spoilt for choice!  I settled on a Burwash Tea which comprised a buttered toasted teacake and a slice of cake.  Hubby chose his favourite cream tea styled as Lime Tree Cream Tea.  We shared a pot of Assam tea - speciality teas included Earl Grey, Lady Grey, Darjeeling, Lapsang Souchong, Red Bush, Peppermint, Lemon & Ginger.  

Other interesting variations on the menu were a Rambler's Tea which comprised a cheese scone with chutney and a slice of cake; and 'Children's Favourite Sandwiches' - marmite, chocolate spread, peanut butter and strawberry jam.

There were some pieces of artwork for sale, together with a card stand; but husband much enjoyed the stack of books for browsing and I lost him for quite some time in 'One hundred After-Dinner Speeches'.  

Our order arrived and I was particularly pleased that the napkin matched the plum-coloured Gerbera on the table!  We were asked whether we preferred milk or lemon for the tea, which was plentiful and enormously refreshing after the homage to Kipling.  Husband reported that his scones (fruit at his request) were warm and light, with homemade strawberry jam and a pot of clotted cream.  My teacake was perfection - oozing with melted butter, and my slice of cake also very satisfying.  I had chosen the raspberry & Eton mess cake - it was a light sponge cake with a filling of raspberry jam and buttercream, and topped by a buttercream icing sprinkled with meringue and raspberries.  It was quite delightful and not overly sweet as I feared it might be.  I did so wish to try the passion fruit & white chocolate and the apple & blackcurrant crumble cake, but alas, my appetite could not possibly stretch that far!

The toilet facilities are located in a separate old building at the back of the property, but they are spotlessly clean with fresh flowers and hand lotion.



And so concluded another delightful teatime adventure.  The Lime Tree Tea Rooms are quite a revelation and so birthday boy and devoted wife both returned home with smiles of satisfaction from the birthday outing. Husband refrained from any recitations on the journey back, and wife refrained from making any connections between Mr Kipling and cakes.  Job done!

Peggotty's Tea Shoppe, Tenterden

A surprisingly sunny May bank holiday, saw our little party - myself, husband and gluten-free friend - driving off through the pretty Wealden villages and the may covered lanes to Tenterden.  I'm never quite sure if Tenterden qualifies as a large village or a small town, but it is certainly a favourite destination for ladies in search of a new outfit, boasting as it does a host of middle-market dress shops, plus a Waterstone's to complete the pleasurable shopping experience (all the better of course, if one's husband is in tow with the credit card!).

We walked down the length of the High Street, and after the modest purchase of a book, arrived at Peggotty's Tea Shoppe.  This is a delightful bow windowed property in the traditional white clapboard style.  It was quite busy with the subdued murmer of a genteel tea shoppe, but we found a table and surveyed the scene.  The shop is furnished with a number of nice matching round tables and comfy chairs, set with pretty china and fresh flowers.  The decor is quirky with displays of ladies' hats and bold artwork all providing a feast of colour for the eyes.  

The menu offers a cream tea or an afternoon tea (sandwiches, scones and cake) and there are various cakes on display including the usual offerings of chocolate, Victoria sponge, lemon, coffee & walnut, but also carrot, Earl Grey tea bread, and Greek orange cake.  We noticed before having to ask, that the latter was labelled as 'gluten-free' - hoorah!

All the teas were loose-leaf, and the 'house' tea on offer was a local blend of 'Pluckley Tea' from the Kent & Sussex Tea Company.  Some discussion ensued as to the increasing significance of climate change and whether there were tea plantations in Pluckley that had hitherto gone unnoticed by any in our party, however we concluded that the tea was probably grown in hotter climes and packaged locally.  (Further research on returning home revealed that this was indeed the case!)  Speciality teas included Assam, Darjeeling, Earl Grey and various fruit teas.  We had one pot of the Pluckley Tea and a pot for two of Assam.

Turning our attention to the comestibles, our gluten-free friend was delighted with her Greek orange cake which she declared was 'as light as a feather' with a scrumptious creamy yohurty topping.  I chose the carrot cake, which was darker and richer with more fruit and nut than is usual, and also had the creamy yoghurty topping - a substantial and rewarding cake.  My husband chose the cream tea and was very pleased with the scones, cream and jam.

Greek Orange Cake

Carrot Cake

The attention and service was very good - an enquiry was made whether we would like some hot water for our tea, and although there was an ebb and flow of customers, the shop was generally busy throughout our visit.  Tables outside the shop were filled and I noticed that there was some additional seating in the pretty, shaded back garden.

The toilet facilities are accessed in an outbuilding at the back of the shop.  These are clean and functional with a most strikingly coloured lime green loo seat!

Our return stroll through the High Street took us via several charming antique shops, and then finally to one of your writer's favourite dress shops.  With the happy glow of a cream tea in his tummy, husband was quick to whip out his credit card and so concluded a most satisfactory teatime adventure!

Peggotty's Parlour, Rochester

A most perfect Spring day provided a backdrop of blossom trees and baby lambs as April's teatime adventure took myself and my two lady companions through the countryside and up the motorway to Rochester.  This historic cathedral town owes much of it's fame to Charles Dickens who lived nearby and many of the shops are named after Dickensian characters which is also the case for this month's tearoom;  'Peggotty's Parlour'.  

 The parlour is situated on the first floor in a row of shops on the high street.  It is well signed with tempting menus, and a flight of stairs opens onto a galleried landing upon which stands proudly a magnificent dresser filled with a great variety of cakes.  This promising beginning was further enhanced by the friendly greeting of a waitress who signalled us through to the tearoom.  This is a moderately sized room with large bright windows, festooned with plants, and decorated with the work of local artists, some of which was for sale.  We chose a table in the window which looks onto the high street and the side of the cathedral for some welcoming 'people-watching'.  (The warm spring weather always brings with it some unfortunate misplacement of seemly apparel!)

The waitress brought menus and enquired whether the temperature was comfortable for us, or too warm.  The menu offered a wide range of beverages, including various speciality teas.  Light lunches are catered, but I was particularly struck by the mention of 'Farmhouse Tea' which comprised a pot of tea, 2 cheese scones and apple & chutney.  What a refreshing twist for those whose predilections are more savoury than sweet!  A 'plain tea' (no cream) is offered along with a 'cream tea' and of course, slices of the aforementioned cakes.  This latter included: walnut layer, almond slice, lemon sponge, chocolate sponge, cappuccino sponge, cherry & almond, simnel cake, bakewell tart.  My companions chose the house blend tea, whilst I chose my favourite, Assam.  I chose a slice of the chocolate sponge and one of my companions chose the almond slice.  Unfortunately my other companion was unable to sample the edibles, as none of the offerings were gluten-free.

The tea was served with a pot of hot water (always welcome), and the Assam had a good robust flavour.  The chocolate sponge was a wonderful creation, crowned with coloured chocolate decorations, and with a hint of orange in the butter icing.  The almond slice was thick and generous.


The toilet facilities were easily accessed, and hand lotion provided which is always welcome after using a harsh hand dryer.

This was a most delightful tea room which was greatly enjoyed by all three ladies in all its aspects.   However an additional mention must be made of the bill, which your blogger queried but was assured was correct,  as the total sum amounted to a mere £8.00!  Mr Micawber would have been proud!

Shelly's Tea Room, Chilham

A distinctly chilly day suggested a visit to Chilham for this month's teatime adventure.  Chilham is a delightful little village arranged around a small market square and has been used as a location for films and television including the author's favourites, 'Poirot' and 'Miss Marple'.  My companion and I parked at the free car park at the bottom of the village and tottered up the hill to bolster our appetite for the tea.  We then took a turn around the church (nice to see if left open for visitors) and the remarkably well-stocked gift shop before turning our attention to 'Shelly's Tea Room'.

Shelly's Tea Room is housed in an old building on the square, with leaded light windows and a nice feature chimney breast.  It felt warm and welcoming and there was a well chosen CD of light jazz music playing which aided the atmosphere.  My companion and I selected a table with a view out onto the square and surveyed the menu.

Unfortunately it transpired from the menu that an Afternoon Tea, comprising sandwiches, scones and cake, had to be booked in advance and having failed to be aware of this,  we both settled on a Cream Tea.  The tea was brought quickly and served in tea bags in aluminium tea pots with plain white china crockery.  My companion chose Assam tea and I chose what was described as 'ordinary' tea.  They were both perfectly pleasant.  The friendly waitress informed us that a new batch of scones was just emerging from the oven and there would be a wait of 2 - 3 minutes.

A number of cakes were also on offer, and I had espoused the idea that I might follow my cream tea with a slice of cake.  (The chilly afternoon and the light canter around Chilham had obviously aroused my appetite!)  The cakes on offer were:  Victoria Sponge, chocolate, country carrot (not quite sure how this is different from an urban carrot?!), fruit, lemon sponge, cappuccino plus flapjacks and teacakes.

However, when the cream tea arrived I quickly rejected my notions of cake consumption as before me sat quite the largest fruit scones I have ever seen!  They were indeed very warm and delightfully irregular in the best traditions of home-made produce.  In accompaniment was a dish of butter and of strawberry jam, and a generous dollop of clotted cream.  The scones were very tasty, and I cannot fault the jam and cream, but despite washing them down with several cups of tea and pausing to eavesdrop for a while on the most interesting discourse of other customers (another lamentable but irresistible failing of your author!) I must confess that I was defeated and had to leave half a scone uneaten.

The toilet facilities are located upstairs, where there is only one loo, but it was clean and functional.

Suitably engorged, my companion and I staggered slowly down the hill back to the car and enjoyed a leisurely drive through the glorious Kent countryside back home.

www.shellystearooms.com

Oad Street Craft Centre, Borden, Sittingbourne

Spurning invitations to watch the testosterone feast of a Six-Nations rugby match, my teatime companion (also a rugby widow) and I sallied forth accompanied by a delightful young couple to sample the offerings of the tearoom at Oad Street Craft Centre.  The craft centre comprises a shop and smaller galleries, featuring artwork, an extensive array of candles, silk flowers, gift items and some gorgeous glassware and so there is plenty of very pleasant browsing, or even shopping, to do before or after the tea.



The tearoom was not overly busy, and we chose a table and were quickly attended to.
The afternoon tea menu (served between 2pm & 5pm) lists every possible permutation of tea, sandwiches, scones and cake.  The heinous possibility of wanting coffee instead was not even entertained!  This brilliantly removes the problem of wanting only one scone or only scones and sandwiches and no cake, for instance; and for those like me, keen to sample a little of everything, there is the option of half a sandwich, one scone, and half a slice of cake.  The sandwich fillings available were: cucumber & cream cheese, egg or egg mayonnaise, cheese, ham, beef, or for a small supplement - salmon; served on a choice of brown or white bread.  Fruit or plain scones were offered with homemade jam, with or without cream, and there was a dazzling array of cakes on display including: apricot & almond, lemon & almond, date & walnut, Victoria sponge, lemon, treacle tart, chocolate & orange and Bakewell tart.

We all chose differently.  I chose a half salmon sandwich, followed by plain scone with jam & cream and followed by a half slice of cake.  Our young couple both chose sandwiches (egg mayonnaise and ham respectively) and a scone with jam & cream.  The sandwiches were all quite muscular - with good sized chunks of ham, and lovely fresh salmon.  The scones were served warm - always a bonus, and the strawberry jam had a nice consistency and taste.  The cream was light and airy.  Sandwiches and scones dealt with, my other companion and I surveyed the cake selection in awe.  This was indeed homemade cake heaven with so many scrumptious looking offerings.  There were also a number of gluten-free cakes available.  In the end we were both seduced by almonds - I opted for the apricot & almond cake and she chose the lemon & almond.  I am happy to report that they were indeed a feast for the tastebuds as well as the eyes - perfectly moist and full of flavour.  The tea was a suitably pleasant loose-leaf blend.

Everything was served with clean white crockery on green patterned tablecloths that really have now seen better days.  The toilet facilities were clean and functional.

Our little party enjoyed a tour of the gallery and shop, allowing our ample teas to settle before returning to discover the fortunes of the home team.

The Moat Tea Rooms, Canterbury

The first tea-room visit of the new year was to the delightful Moat Tea Rooms in Canterbury.  I have visited this tea room before on a few occasions after going to Sunday Evensong at nearby Canterbury Cathedral, but these have always been in the summer months.  In contrast, yesterday was a perfect winter's day - probably the only perfect winter's day this dreadfully wet season - it was cold, clear and very sunny.  My companion and I arrived there at about 2pm.

The tea room is housed in a two storey building dating back to the fifteenth century.  There is a lovely bow window in which the day's cake selection is temptingly displayed.  We were greeted in friendly fashion and chose a table upstairs in the wood-panelled front room.  The walls are painted a rich heritage red and complemented by Rennie Mackintosh design curtains (particularly appreciated by your blogger!) and red & white spotted tablecloths. The atmosphere is warm and muted, and although I am pleased to say that the tea room was full, the noise level was quiet.

The menu features an astonishing number of teas with several varieties of black, white, green, herbal and fruit infusions as well as coffees.  My companion chose Pu Ehr - a Chinese black tea with a good, strong flavour but no dryness.  I opted for the house blend of Assam and Ceylon which was very refreshing.

The tea room offers a cream tea; a special cream tea which includes sandwiches, scones & cake; and a champagne cream tea (as above with the addition of champagne.)  There were also a number of very attractive homemade cakes:  lemon, chocolate, victoria sponge, coffee & walnut, madeleine and carrot.

I chose a slice of lemon cake which had a nice tangy lemon icing and a lemon curd filling.  The sponge was light and the slice was large but not overwhelming.  My companion chose a cream tea.  This comprised a fruit scone and a plain one - both served warm; together with strawberry jam and clotted cream.  He reported great satisfaction.  It was all served on pretty blue & white floral china.

I had imagined that the toilet facilities in such an old building might leave a little to be desired, but they have nice modern fittings and were absolutely pristine.

All in all, a delightful start to my teatime adventures!

www.moattearooms.co.uk