Cotswolds Garden Tearooms, Stow-on-the-Wold

Now, this gorgeous cream tea experience was helped greatly by a beautiful spring day and a refreshing walk around the countryside so you may need to take this into account. But nevertheless, I think anyone would enjoy the traditional cream tea on offer at the Cotswolds Gareden Tearooms in Stow-on-the-wold.

It was lovely and quiet when we went in and even though it was quite late in the day, there was still a nice smell of baking about the place. We sat in the front room with the fireplace but there is also a back room with a view of the courtyard which looks lovely for summer days.

We knew what we were there for and so didn't spend too long looking over the menu but can assure you that there were plenty of offerings for a home-cooked lunch and plenty of mouthwatering cakes on offer.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that plain scones were standard. So take note if you, like my companion, prefer the fruit variety. But to my mind, it's just not right! I would also add that the staff were incredibly friendly and welcoming and made you feel like nothing was too much trouble.

I must say, I thoroughly enjoyed the cream tea as the scone was warm, fresh and absolutely delicious. Moist and yet firm enough not to fall apart. The accompaniments were jam, clotted cream as well as fresh butter. There was certainly enough to keep you going. My only criticism would be that the jam did not seem to match the quality of the rest of the tea. It was a little weak tasting and could have done with a bit more flavour.

If you are interested, you can also stay at the Cotsolds Garden and I heard a couple arranging to stay and again, the staff were incredibly helpful. If you do stay, let me know what it's like as I would love to know!

The Old Thatch Teashop, Shanklin, Isle of Wight

What about the Old Thatch Teashop in Shanklin, Isle of Wight doesn't make it the perfect cream tea experience?! The thatched building from the 1600s?

The exerior of the Old Thatch Teashop, Shanklin, Isle of Wight

The exquisite decor with a choice of a blue room, pink room, green room or gardens?

The Pink Room

The sight of the homemade cakes on display as you walk in the door? (The above picture does NOT do justice to the size of those babies, the cakes were huge!) Frankly, all of these would do.

I had long been wanting to go to this delightful tearoom as I'd walked past on many a holiday of recent years but somehow never quite got round to it. I'd stuck my nose against the windows and peered inside, sighed wistfully at the pretty location while driving past and even managed to almost kid myself that I could fit in a 'cream tea pudding' after lunch at the Crab pub a few doors down. So I was a little concerned that anticipation might have built too high and inevitable disappointment would follow. I needn't have worried. Inside was so pretty I felt instantly at home, it was just the perfect blend of chintzy but cute. Modern isn't really a word that will ever spring to mind in the Old Thatch Teashop and it's all the better for it.

We sat in the corner of the pink room surrounded by china teapots and cushions and opted for two plain scone cream teas.

The Corner of the Pink Room

It came delicately arranged, two generous sized scones, a dish of fresh clotted cream and some strawberry Bonne Maman jam. Oh, and of course, a massive pot of tea that as ever I struggled to muster the strength to pour. A quick glance into the kitchen area told me that this was likely to be Twinnings tea and it was typically diffcult to get a good colour from it but it didn't matter the moment you tasted it.

The Goodies

Onto the scones, they were simply some of the nicest that I've had. They were just moist enough to be very slightly chewy and were not in the slightest bit crumbly (so no embarrasing disasters with them falling apart on me, jam, cream and all.) They were warm and soft as they were served and didn't get any less delicious as they cooled. They were pretty much perfections itself.

If I were to add petty criticisms I'd say there wasn't enough clotted cream for my tastes - I ran out and had to use it very sparingly at the end. Same went for the small pot of jam. Maybe I'm just greedy though! The service was very efficient but I felt it lacked a little warmth. But these are minor quibbles. Overall, I'd say that was the perfect cream tea experience and well worth travelling to visit if you are in the Isle of Wight. Don't just peer in the window wistfully - just do it!

Peacocks Tea Room, Ely, Cambridgeshire

Peacocks Tearoom, Ely, Cambridgeshire is very much your old fashioned type - and proudly so. The decor is slightly chintzy but sweet and welcoming, giving just the right air of civilised repose! As you can see from the picture above, there is an outside seating area and this is just by the river so you can spend the afternoon watching the boats drift through and people feeding the ducks if you so wish. It has also won awards for its teas from the Tea Guild so it HAD to be on our list.

It was a glorious, but slightly humid day and so we sat inside for our visit on account of the nice breeze from the fan. 

The menu at Peacocks is full of delights and of the savoury kind too so it's not all about the cakes. But for us, it was! We ordered the 'Pink Perfection' for two which included smoked salmon finger sandwiches, a glass each of pink bubbly and was followed by 2 scones with clotted cream and jam. This option usually comes with rose tea to complete the pink theme but we opted for the unadventurous breakfast tea. 

On ordering, we were given a choice of jams (we went for raspberry and strawberry) but I was very disappointed to find that plain scones were not available. I'm not averse to fruit scones to be honest but another of my cream tea companions would have been horrified by this! (And possibly left hungry too.) The other options were cheese scones and, if you want to really push the boat out, chocolate scones but we (keeping up our theme of being on the safe side) stuck with fruit.

I must say, the sandwiches and bubbly were delightful and really hit the spot. BUT, this is a cream teas review blog, so onto the sweet stuff. I found the scones very slightly dry, review 'L' did not, but they were certainly good, home-made and not overly crumbly. The tea was tasty but difficult to get it to the right colour. That said, it was massive pot and you could spend all afternoon chatting and slurping tea if you wanted, they don't skimp. 

As far as the service was concerned, they were all really friendly and happy to offer alternatives to the set menus. There was usually someone around to ask for anything you need; never did you feel they were intrusive or rushing you. 

All in all, I would recommend Peacocks, for cream teas or (from what I saw) a relaxing lunch or even a slice of cake. It was bright, comfy, traditional but not stuffy. And there is ample opportunity to walk it all off after with after a stroll along the river or an uphill walk up to the glorious Ely Cathedral. 

Cream Tea Review - Huffkins of Burford, Cotswolds

As recommended by the Cotswolds Teashop Walks by Jean Paterfield I took my first cream tea for the site at quaint Huffkins, situated on the High Street in Burford. On the outside it boasted the ‘Best Afternoon Tea in Britain’ by the readers of My Weekly magazine so this was an excellent start!

Inside was very modern and had a comfortable and relaxed feel to it. I’m all for the old fashioned cream/afternoon tea experience but it’s nice to be able to talk above a whisper from time to time. The service was warm, friendly and prompt without being intrusive.

So, all the peripheral matters out of the way - on to the cream tea review! It in no way disappointed. We sampled both the plain and the fruit scone and they were moist but firm enough to stay together as you munched on them. The jam and clotted cream was fresh and the cream in particular was of perfect consistency - I got the impression they were particularly selective about their choice. The tea was Twinings and there was enough for 3 cups!

So overall, a full recommendation.