The Victorian Tea Room, Barnsley

The other day, when we had to pop into Barnsley to run some errands, Mr CTC and I tried to liven up an otherwise dull afternoon by having a spot of tea at The Victorian Tea Room in the Arcade in Barnsley. We went along at about half past one, so strictly speaking, too early for tea, but this was based on our previous experience with them, when we turned up hoping for tea at about ten to four in the afternoon. This was apparently too late for them, as they usually close at four. Needless to say, we found this a little odd, as four o'clock in the afternoon is traditionally tea time. Anyway.

So, the other day, we sat down for what was really lunch, and ordered, hoping that the food would live up to delightful ambience and cute surroundings. Each table had a white and red tablecloth (well, paper tablecloth, but the thought was there), and a small vase of (plastic) red and white flowers. You can't blame them for trying. Another vase held red and white paper napkins to round off the colour scheme.

When the (very nice) proprietor brought the tea, I was pleasantly surprised. The teapots were ceramic, and the crockery pretty and in keeping with the Victorian theme. I liked the inclusion of an extra pot for hot water, which is always a nice touch.

The sandwiches were well made (mine was tuna mayonnaise, again), if a little ordinary, but nicely accompanied by crisps and a little salad.

The cream tea was very nearly perfect, as the jam and cream provision was decanted and not encased in a little sachet or packet, and - joy of joys - the cream was clotted. Unfortunately, the scone, although large, was cold, plain and singular.

Overall, the Victorian Tea Room scored 6/10. Not bad, not bad. We will certainly be back, as now that we know about their 'eccentric' opening hours, we know that it offers a good incentive/consolation for running boring errands in 'town'.

The Countess Tea Room, Wortley

Mr Cream Tea Crazy and I recently visited The Countess Tea Room in Wortley village just north of Sheffield. This one is definitely worth a detour or even a day trip next time you're in South Yorkshire or environs. It is a quaint little tea room, with only about seven tables, and a couple of waitresses. You need to remember to take cash though, as they don't accept cards, which we discovered a little too late! However, the food more than made up for the minor inconvenience of driving to the local garage to get cash.

We were off to a good start when the tea arrived. Although the waitress momentarily forgot that I'd ordered Earl Grey, and brought an English Breakfast instead, this was soon rectified, and order restored. The ceramic teapots and extra hot water were earning points left, right and centre.

So far, so good. And then the toasties arrived. These were quite simply, the best toasties we had ever had! I had tuna and cheese, and Mr CTC had his favourite, bacon, brie and cranberry, and they were absolutely amazing! They were perfectly toasted - none of this Breville nonsense, I'm sure - they were golden, and crispy and just yummy!

 

With our expectations buoyed by the toastie triumph, we were very much looking forward to the cream tea element of our meal. However, we were a little disappointed.

Although marks were scored for little pots of jam and cream and not plastic sealed sachets, the cream was whipped, not clotted, which is a particular little bug-bear of ours (see previous post on What makes a good cream tea?). The butter was in one of those horrible foil packets. And, there was only one scone, but thankfully, it was fruited, on the large side, and warm. Points redeemed. Also, the scone itself was delicious, so that helped immensely.

Overall, the Countess Tea Room, which is a charming little teashop, decorated with shabby chic bric-a-brac, scored a respectable 6/10, bumped up to a 7/10 because of the to-die-for toasties. This is quite a high score for the CTC team, and we will definitely be making a return visit in the near future!

 

 

The Earl Grey Tea Room, York

Late last year, my husband and I visited York....something to do with Mallard trains...I wasn't really paying attention...and of course, when four o'clock rolled around, we looked for a place for a nice cream tea. York is groaning with quaint little tea shops, each more enticing than the last. Fighting our way through the crowds on The Shambles, we found the Earl Grey Tea Rooms (13, The Shambles, York).

Now, being an Earl Grey lover, the name spoke to me, and I was keen to go in. We were seated quickly, and soon ordered an afternoon tea. The atmosphere was genteel, the clientele smart and generally elderly and a touch aristocratic, and the menu superb.
The afternoon tea came on a tiered cake stand, which always makes me smile, and we had little finger sandwiches on the bottom tier, scones on the middle tier and cakes at the top. If I recall, I ordered egg and cress sandwiches and Mr CTC had ham and mustard. Scones were large and fruited, but cold. The cream was definitely clotted, amassing points. We both had Victoria sponge cake to finish off.

All in all, the experience scored highly on our (as yet unperfected) scoring system. I can't remember any points being lost, actually. I would go so far as to say it was highly recommended by us!

What makes a good cream tea?

Right, lets get down to the details. What makes a good cream tea?

Here are some necessities that we (Mr and Mrs CT Crazy) look for in a cream tea. If a particular teashop experience is missing some or all of these features, it severely loses points in our eyes.

1. More than one type of tea.
I'm afraid I'm a bit of a stickler for a choice of teas. I am not really satisfied with 'bog standard' or 'Builders' tea'. I prefer Earl Grey, and so it really matters to me if that is available.

2. China teapot and teacups.
This is an essential. My heart sinks if those 'British Rail' type stainless steel teapots are brought out. Their handles get too hot, and they invariably are lousy pourers, so most of the tea goes on the table instead of in the cup. More points are given for pretty vintage teacups and saucers, naturally.

3. Large scones.
Scones need to be big. There's no good in piddly little frou-frou scones - no thank you.

4. At least two scones.
This seems to me to be a basic requirement. I don't like to see teashops scrimping on what's most important.

5. Choice of scones.
In an ideal world, for maximum points, there would also be a choice of scones - for example, sultana, cherry, plain or even (yuk) cheese scones.

6. The scones need to be warm.
Scones obviously should be fresh and warm. It's better if the scones are straight out of the oven, but warmed up in a microwave is OK too, just about.

7. Clotted cream.
I don't care whether you put the jam on first or the cream, but the cream has to be clotted. Clotted cream is an absolute must. Whipped cream just does not cut the mustard. The clotted cream should have the little crust on the top too. This should go without saying.

8. Jam and cream provision
The jam and cream (and butter if it is provided) should come in little jars, tubs or ramekins, but NOT in pre-packed sachets. And don't get me started on the little foil packets of butter!

9. Choice of jam.
I like raspberry jam, but my husband likes strawberry. Sometimes, you just want to mix things up a bit and try blackcurrant or even....honey! (I'll do another post on the 'thunder and lightning' cream tea later). Choice is good.

10. Extra hot water.
If you're anything like us, one or two cups of tea is not quite enough. It is always nice to have more hot water at the table, so you don't have to bother the server to get more. It's just a nice little thought that makes a big difference.

It is surprising how many teashops or tearooms miss out on one or more of these (we think) essential items. To me, serving jam in individual sachets seems like a false economy, or serving hot tea in metal teapots just silly - it is bound to drive customers away!

Hello fellow Cream Tea lovers!

I am quite partial to a cream tea. I tend to have one whenever I go to a teashop, as most people would. However, I actively seek out teashops, never pass one without going in, and have been known to plan whole holidays around teashop visits. Proximity to a good teashop has even governed my house-buying choices! I wouldn't call myself a food critic, or particularly an expert on cooking or baking, but I do know a good cream tea when I see (or eat) one. I certainly know what I like - which features make me think 'Yes! I've made the right choice here' when the waiter or waitress brings the cream tea, and which make my heart sink. In the early days of my relationship with my now-husband, I took him to some teashops, ostensibly for a nice afternoon out, but also to gauge his reactions to the quintessential cream tea. Thankfully, he passed the 'tests' and has proved to be as much of a cream tea lover as I am. You could say we go together like jam and clotted cream!

I am writing this blog to share with you our cream tea adventures around the world - we're mainly based in the UK, but when we go abroad, we do seek out a cream tea, for completeness' sake, of course - and to share the best (and worst) places in which to engage in that most English and comforting of past-times, the indulgence in a cream tea. Of course, you may not agree with our comments or scoring criteria, but I hope that you might be encouraged to partake in a cream tea every now and then.