The Cake Shed, Pantiles, Tunbridge Wells

April's teatime adventure saw us heading over to the far west of the lovely county of Kent, to the Spa town of Royal Tunbridge Wells.  In fact when we set off, we were in search of a tearoom but unusually we hadn't selected one first.  The occasion was a visit to my brother who has Down's Syndrome and lives in a beautiful residential home in Tonbridge, the town where we both grew up.  I have fond memories of Tonbridge, the castle and grounds are really lovely open green spaces and the old bridge is a very attractive feature.  In fact, many years ago, my father won a photography competition with a picture of the bridge!  Anyway, I digress..... these days, like so many places, Tonbridge has changed considerably and of course is home to all the usual chain stores.  A drive through the town centre didn't suggest any very likely prospects for afternoon tea, and so we continued on the road to Tunbridge Wells.  

My first job was in Tunbridge Wells, as a lowly music secretary in a regional arts association, and it was always a great place for shopping and eating.  These days, probably even more so.....there are plentiful establishments offering all sorts of cuisines and some very delightful-looking afternoon tea rooms, which I took note of for future visits.  However, with my brother in tow, and it being quite a warm and sunny day, we passed them all and headed on down to the Pantiles where there is a proliferation of cafes and coffee houses all with tables outside.  Here we found 'The Cake Shed'.  

The whole area was very busy, but my brother and I settled ourselves at a nice wooden table outside, and sent hubby and younger son inside to make our choices for us.  Therefore unfortunately dear reader, I am unable on this occasion to furnish you with details of all the available cakes as of course, this went un-noted.  I can report that the choices made for us were an orange and polenta cake for me; a Victoria sponge for brother; a Guinness & chocolate cake for younger son and a pistachio and something cake for hubby - we never did find out what the something was!  

 My orange and polenta cake was delicious - very moist and well flavoured.  Son was delighted with his Guinness & chocolate cake - what an inspired combination to tempt the gentlemen!  And hubby enjoyed his pistachio and something cake, which definitely won the prize for the prettiest creation.  Although brother ate up all his Victoria sponge (he is not known for leaving anything on his plate whatever the contents), to me it seemed quite dry and a bit disappointing.


The tea was served in attractively coloured pots and cups, with the milk in little baby milk bottles - very charming!  The service was prompt and efficient.

Once tea was consumed, brother sees no reason for continuing to sit and soak up the atmosphere, and so our teatime adventure was rather on the shorter side than we are used to.  However, before we left, a visit was made to the facilities.  These are housed downstairs at the back and were perfectly adequate if not enhanced by decorative features.  However, the room through which the toilets were accessed was a revelation.  It was equipped with low sofas and chairs and decorated in a Moroccan style.  I could imagine that taking a leisurely tea there with girlfriends on a winter's afternoon would be hugely delightful!

And so concludes April's adventure - somewhat brief, but with interesting features and plenty to note for future occasions!

Where Memories Meet, Wateringbury

Mothering Sunday and a perfect opportunity for a teatime adventure!  One that I was able to hint at heavily when having to drive 15 miles to take my son a spare set of car keys when he had lost his on a stony beach!!  And so, the four of us - hubby and two strapping great teenage sons - set off for Wateringbury.  They had done me proud as they had sought out this tearoom and booked afternoon tea there all on their own, and it was all kept as a surprise!

The tearoom sits on the crossroads at Wateringbury and parking is conveniently available at the village hall opposite.  The tearoom is a quaint affair, stuffed with collectibles, and with  charming hand-written notices.  The accommodation is on the ground floor and basement where we were led to our table amongst the myriad trinkets, pictures, and pottery for sale.  Hubby even noted that his chair was available to buy - we earnestly hoped that nobody took a fancy to it whilst he was sitting on it!  

The afternoon set tea for Mothering Sunday was strawberry themed and we were each presented with a glass of pink sparkling cordial to start, a rather nice touch! As one son didn't care for the cordial I was presented with two to drink, and here I got the whiff of testosterone that was to flavour the proceedings.  Having sipped one glass of cordial, I picked up the second and was greeted with the chant 'Get it down, you Zulu warrior' and the incitement to down the glass in one go.  Naturally, I ignored this wholly inappropriate behaviour and continued to sip delicately.

The table was then laden with two cake stands replete with sandwiches, scones & little cakes and two pots of looseleaf houseblend tea.  All the crockery was pretty and individual and absolutely none of it matched, which I always find rather delightful. A pot of hot water was the only thing missing.

The waitress told us that the finger sandwiches comprised smoked salmon & creme fraiche, cheese & chutney, cream cheese & cucumber and turkey with cranberry.  By the time I had taken in this information and pondered which one to start with, I was appalled to see that most of the sandwiches had already disappeared and I had to quickly assert my intention to sample one of each before they all went.  When I asked number two son which sandwich he had just eaten, his reply was 'I scoffed it so quickly I didn't notice what the protein bit was'!  The sandwich plate was prettily garnished with salad leaves which hubby was nibbling on when number one son remarked 'Oh look, dad's eating the scenery!'

In due course I proceeded to the scone.  It was a tiny affair, but warm and light and accompanied by butter, strawberry jam and cream.  And in fact, in the context of an afternoon tea, the size of scone was perfectly adequate in my eyes at least.  The cakes comprised a chocolate cupcake, a square of Victoria sponge decorated with half a strawberry and a strawberry macaroon.  They were really all delicious.  I'm not usually a fan of cupcakes as they tend to be overly sweet, but the cake mixture in this one erred on the bitter side of very chocolatey and so the sweet icing complemented it well.  

An attempt was made at genteel chatter, but after a rather limp opening remark of 'very changeable weather we're having lately', I'm sorry to say that it quickly gave way to male banter, although I was thoroughly heartened to discover that both my sons appreciate the usefulness of cushions - a subject which completely confounds poor hubby.

The facilities are again rather interesting with a vintage toilet and wash basin - well worth a visit whether needed or not.

I was very pleased with my teatime adventure this month - lovely that my family were prepared to indulge in this quaint pastime even if, for them, the food hardly touched the sides.  And after such a selfless gesture on their part, I would certainly not submit them to another one for a good long while!

Fletcher's House, Rye

Surveying the long bleak days of winter, hubby & I fancied treating ourselves to a couple of days away in the delightful little town of Rye on the Sussex coast.  The town was home to the novelist EF Benson, who wrote the Mapp & Lucia novels which were recently televised, but have long been favourite reading in our household.  We were recommended the wonderful Jeakes House hotel in Mermaid Street for our stay.  This is a gorgeous Regency house, sumptuously decorated and home to an 1860s Broadwood piano which I was permitted to run my fingers over on several occasions during our stay much to the owner's delight!

 The cobbled streets and half timbered buildings of the town make an ideal location for genteel pottering with a proliferation of antique shops and a number of coffee shops, but only a couple that advertise themselves as tea shops.  Of these, the one that beckoned to us was Fletcher's House in Lion Street, adjacent to St Mary's Church.  It was once home to John Fletcher, a Jacobean dramatist and has been a tea room since 1932.  






The building itself is most attractive with oak paneling, a beamed ceiling and a glowing log fire.  Dark wood country style tables and chairs are housed in two adjoining rooms.  We were welcomed and shown to a table in the window and opposite the fire.


Perusing the menu, which offers a range of light lunches as well as afternoon tea options, I selected the 'Fletcher's Set Tea' comprising a choice of sandwich (egg & cress, smoked salmon & cucumber, or ham & mustard); a fruit scone with jam & cream and a choice of cake (bread pudding, chocolate fudge, lemon & blackberry tart, carrot cake, gluten free chocolate cake, lemon tart, coffee & walnut, victoria sponge, apple & blackcurrant crumble cake).  The set tea comes served on an attractive cake stand, and is complimented by the stylish, plain white crockery.

We chose a pot of the house blend tea which came with a jug of hot water.  (An unfortunate error was just averted when hubby mistook the jug of milk for the jug of hot water - they were identical jugs - and nearly topped up our pot with the wrong liquid!).  I also noticed that hubby employed an interesting circular pouring motion which he asserted made a great improvement to the taste.  I enquired if it mattered whether the motion was clockwise or anti-clockwise, and he embarked on a rather exploratory discourse about the origin of the tea affecting the required motion (invoking plugholes and the equator), at which point I promptly considered the whole thing complete invention on his part! 

 After an ample full English hotel breakfast, hubby could only manage a slice of bread pudding - although he did later help me out with half a scone!  His bread pudding was served warm - you could see the steam rising from it - and he was really impressed with it.

My egg & cress sandwich was very tasty with large chunks of egg and plenty of cress.  The fruit scone was large and served warm, with good strawberry jam and clotted cream.  I then selected the lemon & blackberry tart which was absolutely delicious.  The sweetness of the blackberry was superbly contrasted with the sharpness of the lemon, and all encased in a delicate pastry case.

A visit to the toilet upstairs revealed an adequate facility, but pleasurably housed behind an elaborately decorated door!

Just as we were concluding yet another delightful teatime adventure, we were surprised by the arrival of a friend who was also visiting Rye and happened to spot us through the window!  What a small world, as they say!

Hilltop, East Malling

It is a curious thing, that whilst I often search out tearooms on the internet, or through adverts in magazines etc, there are some little gems that just seem to sail serenely along under the radar.  Such is the case with the first teatime adventure of 2015.  Hilltop was brought to my attention by a friend of a friend who hadn't actually visited herself but had heard about it.  Located in East Malling, a mere 5 minutes drive away from the home of beloved duo partner, a visit was quickly arranged.

The tearoom is well signed from the road between East Malling and Wateringbury, and is located in an attractive barn-type building.  Inside the tables are mostly set out for groups of two or four, with the addition of a couple of sofas and a lovely old Singer sewing machine on display.  The walls have some work by local artists for sale and I always enjoy playing the game of 'which one would you take home?'  Interestingly partner and I both agreed on a gentle slightly abstract pastoral scene although some discussion took place as to whether it would be worth spending the money as possibly we could just achieve the same effect ourselves. Not, of course, that we ever would! The tearoom ambience was further enhanced by some gentle classical music and the quiet chatter of ladies at lunch or tea.

My companion had booked us a table for afternoon tea and when we arrived we were greeted warmly and shown to a table that was already set out for us with pretty crockery.  The tables were covered with soft green fabric tablecloths over which was placed a covering of transparent plastic - a very practical solution and somehow much nicer than plasticised cloths.

We were given a choice of looseleaf teas - I'm sure, dear reader, you will know that I chose Assam, and my companion chose Darjeeling.  And we were then asked whether we would prefer plain or fruit scones - we both chose plain.  






The finger sandwiches were served, attractively garnished with some fresh salad, and comprised cheddar & cream cheese, egg & cress, fish pate, smoked salmon.  They were all delicious and just the right size.  More sandwiches could be ordered if desired, but we were keen to pace ourselves and declined.


The scones then arrived in a little basket and I was very happy to note that there were just two - one each.  This is so much more manageable than the customary two each.  They were warm and came with homemade jam and fresh thick cream.  The teapots were regularly topped up and we progressed very nicely, in fact we progressed so nicely that I kept forgetting to take photos and you will see that in all the following shots, I have already taken a bite or two before whipping out the camera!

Scones finished, we then perused the lovely cake display - Victoria sponge, chocolate cake, lemon drizzle, fruit cake, coffee & walnut, ginger.  After some deliberation I chose the chocolate cake and my companion chose the ginger.  The slices were generous without being onerous, and the chocolate cake was moist and dark with a rich chocolate cream filling that was not too sweet.  The ginger cake was also delicious (I was offered a taste!) and contained little pieces of stem ginger, topped with icing.












A visit to the facilities did not disappoint - a disabled toilet and a unisex toilet, clean and fresh with some fragrant liquid soap.

We concluded our teatime adventure with a visit to the adjacent little shop, selling various jams & chutneys made on the premises, and little craft items.  Here it is also possible to order a whole cake to take home.  And we gently made our way back to the car feeling satisfied and content but not full to the brim, which was all the better.  Thank you to friend of friend who recommended this tearoom - the bar has been set very high for the rest of 2015!

http://www.tea-at-hilltop.co.uk/

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!