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...

The Denby Dale Tearooms

Hubbers and I were out for a jaunt in the countryside last weekend, with the dog, and of course, at about half past three, our thoughts turned to the inevitable. We had been past the Denby Dale Tearooms before, and I'd thought 'Ooh, we ought to take a look', so it seemed a good choice for a quiet unassuming Saturday afternoon.
For those of you who don't know the quaint town of Denby Dale, it is a lovely Yorkshire village to the south east of Huddersfield, and just east of the Peak District. I think its claim to fame - other than the tearooms - is its pies. Whenever there is anything new to celebrate - like a royal baby or a coronation, or the millennium - or they need to raise money - for a new church roof or village hall - the residents of Denby Dale bake a pie. A giant pie. The largest, baked to commemorate the turn of the century, weighed twelve tonnes!
Anyway, back to the tearooms. We didn't go in the front door, but headed straight for the 'Tea Garden' (a good start already), which happened to be a little terraced garden hugging the steep slope of the valley (this is quite the norm in this part of Yorkshire). Luckily, it was a real sun-trap, and so at quarter to four in the afternoon, it was still bathed in sunlight. We didn't need to look at the menu - although a quick glance told us it was well stocked - and we ordered an Afternoon Tea for two, Yorkshire tea for him, Earl Grey for me.

Well, as soon as the tea came, I was grinning. Beautiful, vintage-style teacups! The owner who had taken our order was a big, burly Yorkshire man, and we hadn't seen the interior, so I wasn't expecting the delicate bone china he brought out! The teapots weren't bone china, and the tea was bagged not leaf, but the eclectic mix of retro cups, saucers and little plates were lovely.

Then our tea came out on a tiered cake stand. It was simple and delicious. Mr CTC had ordered ham and mustard sandwiches, and I had tuna mayonnaise on brown and both were divine. Bite size triangle sandwiches, full or filling, with the corners cut off - perfect. The scones were not quite as we would have served them - they were 'mini scones' already jammed and creamed, but they went very well with the meal, and they befitted the friendly, unpretentious nature of the establishment, so we were happy to indulge. The sandwiches and scones were accompanied by a mysterious cake. Hubby tucked in to his first, and exclaimed how much he liked it and how moist and tasty it was, but how he couldn't put his finger on the flavour. When I tried it, I'm afraid I was none the wiser, but the closest flavour I could find to it was jelly beans or dolly mixture. Could they have made a dolly mixture cake? I'm sure it's possible!

Dolly mixture cake or not, we were very pleasantly surprised with the Denby Dale Tearooms. The view from the Tea Garden was good, the food lovely and the vintage teacups topped it off. Friendly, unassuming staff, good prices (£9.95 for an afternoon tea for one), and we could take the dog too. He had a bowl of water and a little lick of clotted cream, so he was happy too!

All in all, a very respectable 8.5/10 for the DDTR (points lost only for pre-jammed and creamed scones, stoneware teapots and teabags). Lovely surroundings, lovely outdoor space. It looked very cute inside too, when I went in to pay. The owner did catch me taking a picture of the outside though - whoops! If it weren't for our pockets or our waistlines, I think we'd be back every Saturday!

 

The Vintage Teacup Club by Vanessa Greene

I don't just review cream teas, I like to offer my opinion about other cream-tea-related stuff too! 

As a lover of eclectic vintage crockery, I was intrigued by the title and cover of The Vintage Teacup Club, Vanessa Greene’s debut novel. My husband and I were actually given the book as a wedding present, as our wedding breakfast was – you’ve guessed it – an afternoon tea, complete with vintage crockery.

Normally, I tend to avoid this sort of mass-produced, written-to-a-formula, “female interest” literature, but given the title and my obsession with vintage teas, I thought I’d give it a go. And I was really rather pleasantly surprised at the story and characters. The women were well-rounded- so to speak – and believable. I felt the plot was a little predictable – I could tell the important men in the story from their first mention, although it was clear we were not supposed to recognise their potential significance. The imagery and narrative were engaging, and I had a clear picture of these characters and their homes in my mind’s eye. I did find the adjectives a little clunky though – sometimes it seemed as though the descriptive prose was a forced at times. The theme of wedding decoration and vintage collectables kept me going, whereas in a novel with a different flavour I might have lost interest. But what was most captivating was the personal accounts and real emotion that soaked the pages. I found myself welling up on several occasions while reading it – sometimes embarrassing when on the train – and I felt that the characters’ individual situations were each portrayed as though Vanessa had lived them personally. The pages were also peppered with little details that only true followers of the vintage teacup craze would appreciate, and I found that rewarding - like little sweets along the way. And, like a good cup of tea and a biscuit, it made me feel satisfied and happy when I'd finished it.

MacDonald Highland Hotel, Aviemore

Mr Cream Tea Crazy and I are away from home on a little sojourn in the Cairngorms. We're indulging in a little bit of whisky, lots of country walks, and of course, our favourite pastime! We wanted afternoon tea at the Tigh na Sgaith hotel, which boasts a freshly baked-to-order service, but we hadn't booked in advance, and so we weren't allowed. Still, we'll know for next time we're here! So, a quick Google search led us to the four star MacDonald Highland Hotel in Aviemore, where an Afternoon Tea was available for £18.

On arrival, we were led to the Laggan Bar, which was a dark area decorated with 'contemporary' art and modern furnishings. The sofas were very soft and squishy and we sank into them quickly, but there was absolutely no atmosphere or ambience. It was cold and impersonal -  we could have been on a ferry. The paintings around the room looked like horror movie posters.

                                

The waitress looked at me blankly when I asked if there was a choice of teas, but the menu assured me there was - a rather good selection actually, of Clipper teas. The tea arrived quickly, on a fancy little wooden tray. Unfortunately, the teapots were ceramic stoneware, and the tea was in bags, not loose. In no time at all, a huge cake stand was brought out, with what looked like enough food for four people! There were at least twenty finger sandwiches, with the classic fillings of cheese and pickle, ham and mustard, egg mayonnaise and cress, and salmon and cream cheese. Luckily for me, Mr CTC can't stand salmon or egg sandwiches, so we played Jack Spratt and his wife and he ate all the ham and cheese ones. All were very nice, but the bread did seem a little dry, and we got the distinct impression that the filled cake stand had been sitting around in the kitchen for quite a while.

 

 After reminding the waitress that we needed cutlery, we moved on to the scones. Four provided, two fruit and two plain. Not only were they titchy, they were cold, and incredibly short - to the extent that they were almost biscuits! And a teensy-bit burned. Not great. To make matters worse, the cream provided was whipped, not clotted! Sin of sins! Jam (and honey and marmalade) were offered in little individually-sized jars, on an intriguing little stand.

 There was a very obvious mousse theme to the selection of little cakes offered. Well, more like desserts, not cakes. The middle tier of the cake stand held four slices of passion-fruit mousse cake, two wedges of strawberry mousse cake, and four individual chocolate mousses! I began to worry that we were going to be charged for four afternoon teas, not two! To be fair, the passion-fruit mousse was delicious, and the chocolate mousse was lovely too, but by that time, we were both feeling rather full and couldn't really appreciate their lightness or flavour!

The overwhelming impression at the MacDonald Highland Hotel was not one of four star quality. It really appeared as though customers asking for afternoon tea were a rarity, and perhaps now we see why. The waitress was not familiar with how an afternoon tea works, and described what we would get as 'a big basket of cakes' - not the three tiered cake stand we thankfully did get. The schoolboy errors of whipped cream and offering marmalade for the scones made us think that they were not really sure of what they were doing. This feeling was confirmed when we were undercharged, but we're not complaining about that! 

The Grange Hotel, York

Last week, my sister N and I visited York for a good ol' chat, bit of shopping, and - naturally - a cream tea. We wanted a 'proper' afternoon tea, complete with sandwiches, scones, cakes, a choice of leaf teas and the right atmosphere. Everyone recommended Betty's, but we were after something a little different, a little less obvious, a little less touristy. Eventually, after much debate, we settled on The Grange, a beautiful hotel a short walk from York Minster. Everything about it boded well - the rich 'heritage'-type décor of the Morning Room, the friendly staff and indeed, the menu.

A Full Afternoon Tea for one was available for £15.50, including a selection of finger sandwiches, rhubarb scones, little cakes and a selection of high quality leaf tea. Lovely, thank you - we'll have two. Hang on. Did it say rhubarb scones? Yuck. I can't stand rhubarb - it find it far too bitter. To me, it seems a bit too much of an acquired taste to have on the menu without giving an alternative. I like a fruited (sultana or cherry) one best. At first the waitress said rhubarb scones were the only option, but the disappointment must have been evident on my face because she went to ask the Chef, who miraculously found some plain ones. Phew - crisis averted. N wanted to try the rhubarb ones, so we ordered two of each, and sat back to await the arrival of what promised to be a delicious meal.

Our teas came - Assam for N, Earl Grey for me. A few points fell by the wayside immediately - stoneware teapots and cups - oh dear. But worse was the ludicrous leaf tea to water ratio within the teapots. They were at least two-thirds full of tea. So much so that the tea 'plopped' out of the spout into the tea strainer, rather than flowing. The Assam was far too strong, the Earl Grey was unrecognisable. Not a great start. We asked the waitress for a refresh, and more hot water, and she brought it quickly with no fuss. Right - we're back on track.

A large, impressive cake stand was brought out with great ceremony. We had been given a choice of sandwich fillings, and both being fond of the classic egg and cress, we'd ordered some of those. We were a little disappointed to discover they had been made with sandwich spread rather than mayonnaise, but no matter, they were very nice. We moved on to the scone tier. A tiny sliver of cake, which we decided must be Yorkshire parkin was included with the scones for no obvious reason - perhaps to remind us we were in Yorkshire? It was so thin it was almost transparent, and really not worth it. Anyway, on to the scones.

I reached for a scone - no way to tell it if was a safe plain or a dreaded rhubarb one - and found it warm (great) and already sliced (ok). But I was not expecting it to have had jam spread on it already! And worse than that, apparently the clotted cream had already been spread on it too! But because the scones were warm, the clotted cream had melted and congealed in a greasy, buttery mess around the scones, making them soggy and prone to breaking apart. Oh dear oh dear oh dear. This was not good.

 

In a desperate attempt to rescue the situation, and have something to show for our long-awaited, special-girls-day-out tea, we asked for more clotted cream and jam so that we could do the condiment spreading ourselves. Personally, I like to take a scone, divide it into two halves and put jam and cream on both sides - decadent, I know, but that is half the fun - and not to have this done for me. They brought out two individual-sized jam jars, which just about covered one scone each. On the positive side, the scones, although broken, were tasty - not too short, moist on the inside and crisp on the outside, without a hint of rubberiness. However, it was impossible to tell which scones were plain and which were rhubarb, which was OK for me with only a slight aversion, but wouldn't have been acceptable for someone with allergies.

It must be said that the mini cakes on the top tier were lovely - a couple of macaroons, a chocolate brownie slice, a tiramisu mouse (N got that - I hate coffee), and two madeleine-type cakes. I was a bit too full to eat them, so squirrelled them away for later - which is absolutely fine by me.

To be fair to the staff at The Grange, they apologised profusely for (what seems to me to be) quite a series of faux-pas when it comes to afternoon tea. They explained that the Chef was having an 'off day' due to him introducing a new dinner menu and hosting two large parties that evening. Still, I tend to think that if you can't cope with an order, then admit it, rather than 'fobbing off' your customers with something less than desirable. They offered us another scone each, and shaved 50% off the price. This gesture did work to compensate a bit for an afternoon tea which hadn't lived up to our high expectations, and which had actually put a bit of a downer on our nice day out. I think that next time I'm in York, I won't seek out The Grange for an afternoon tea, but if I was staying there, or had some other reason to be in the vicinity, I wouldn't necessarily avoid it. Our experience was a low 4/10, but I doubt this would be repeated. The scones, cakes and mostly nice sandwiches mean it might normally get a 7/10, if the Chef was having an 'on day'.

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'.