Carriages, Bellingham

I apologise for the lack of posts recently - cream tea activity has slowed due to the demands of a hectic festive period. I have been meaning to update you about a delightful experience of the cream tea variety we had last month.
Mr CTC and I took a well-earned break in the beautiful Kielder Water and Forest Park in November. It was cold, windy and wet, but we enjoyed long dog walks and wildlife spotting. Of course, our favourite type of dog walk is one that ends at a teashop and a slap up cream tea. And we found the perfect place for it, just near our little rented cottage, in the village of Bellingham. As some of my more faithful readers may know, my husband (Mr CTC) has a bit of a 'thing' about trains and railways. He loves the Mallard, and we visited York last year to see the Great Gathering of Britain's greatest steam engines, followed by a cream tea at the Earl Grey Tearooms, naturally. So, when we discovered that Bellingham is home to a tearoom *inside* a couple of old 1950's train carriages, we made a beeline for it immediately.

Carriages did not disappoint. We climbed aboard the stationary carriage and were greeted by the smell of hot toasted sandwiches and sweet cakes. The windows were steamed up, creating a cosy haven safe from the bitter cold and rain outside. We took a seat at a table, sinking into the blue hatched banquette railway seats. I felt like a child looking forward to an exciting train journey.

 

The cream tea was very nice. The scone was homemade, large and fruited - how I like it - but was cold. The jam was provided in a small bowl, not potted, which is always a bonus. Unfortunately, the cream was whipped not clotted, but I suppose, occasionally it makes a pleasant change. Maybe I was just in a good mood! It was also very good value for money, with cream tea for two coming to only £7.90. The minor cream and scone shortcomings were more than made up for by the wonderful, cosy atmosphere and the feeling of being transported back in time. Little games such as Happy Families or Connect Four were provided on the tables, adding to the nostalgic feel and the childlike wonder of the place. My husband loved the exhibit in the carriage next to the tearoom of a model railway layout and old railway paraphernalia. It was the perfect tearoom for the two of us. We will take a direct line there next time!

T & Cake

To our great regret, it has been a while since Mr CTC and I indulged in our favourite pastime, having a cream tea. The other day, we were passing through Huddersfield, and I remembered a teashop that had been recommended to me by a colleague. It is charmingly called T & Cake, and sits on the high street in Almondbury. Almondbury is one of those parts of a larger town or city that has a real village feel, like Greenwich Village or those in London such as Twickenham or Walthamstow. Almondbury's high street has independent, local butchers, bakers and hairdressers, and you can see the rolling Yorkshire hills and green fields over the rooftops.

We popped in for lunch at about 12.30, and were told that we needed to wait for a table, on the comfy sofas provided. While this is a great sign, that the food is obviously popular, we  wondered if perhaps the owners could accommodate more tables where the large sofas were taking up room. Pretty soon, a table came free and we sat near some lovely mullioned windows and perused the menu.

I was pleased to see a delightful choice of teas, including some bespoke to T & Cake, that I had never heard of before. It was a hot day, however, so I chose an ice tea, and was pleased to discover that it was real, cooled tea, served with ice and lemon, rather than a highly sweetened Lipton-type variety.

Mr CTC ordered a club sandwich and I had an avocado, chicken and bacon sandwich. It was absolutely delicious, although the slices of avocado that I had been expecting seemed to have morphed into a slightly green-tinged mayonnaise. Ho hum. I, unusually for me, was not in the mood to complain, so I let it slide.

After this, we were quite full, but couldn't pass up the opportunity to sample the cream tea.

A single scone (I don't think we could have managed more) was served on a rustic wooden board, with earthenware pots for the jam and (phew!) clotted cream. The scone was warm, tall, and obviously home made. I love it when you can see the fluting from the cutter around the outside, and it had the perfect 'waist' which shows it has risen properly in the oven. For me, it lost a mark or two for being plain, as I do prefer a fruited scone. It was a lovely scone - just the right, fluffy texture, not too dense or short, and not too light.

The strawberry jam was clearly home made as well, with just a hint of tartness. Hubby said it should have had more fruit in it though. The cream was missing its crust, but no matter, because it was absolutely delicious - the creamiest clotted cream I have ever tasted!

All in all, T & Cake gets my vote, and is worth a stop off next time you're in Huddersfield. The ambiance in the shop is lively, as kids and well-behaved dogs are welcome. The decor is tasteful and funky, and generally very welcoming. There was a huge selection of cakes too - something we'll have to tackle next time...