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!
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!
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.
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'!
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!
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.
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| Greek Orange Cake |
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| 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!
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!
