If you’re out and about this autumn, perhaps showing visitors from abroad around, where better to stop for a bite than a traditional British tearoom? Ellie Pratt suggests ten of her favourites for you to try
1. Bangors Organic Tea RoomBangors House, Poundstock, Bude, Cornwall EX23 0DP
Tel: 01288 361297
www.bangorsorganic.co.uk
The only certified organic restaurant in Cornwall, Bangors is an elegant traditional tearoom and lunchtime eatery with a seasonal menu of delectable treats created using homegrown produce. Sit back and enjoy a Fairtrade tea or coffee and a tasty morsel on its south-facing veranda with stunning views over the sweeping Cornish countryside.  2. Betty’s of Harrogate
1 Parliament Street, Harrogate, Yorkshire HG1 2QU
Tel: 01423 502746
www.bettys.co.uk
After catching the wrong train, Frederick Belmont, a young confectioner from Switzerland, found himself in Harrogate, where he stayed, married a local lass and opened the first Betty’s in 1919. The menu has both a Swiss and Yorkshire influence, and each shop sells over 300 speciality breads, cakes, patisserie and chocolates, hand-made at Betty’s Craft Bakery. If it’s a traditional Yorkshire treat you’re after, the Fat Rascal comes highly recommended – a deliciously filling teacake, rich with currants and peel. If you want to learn the Betty’s cookery secrets, courses are available at Betty’s Cookery School, which is also in Harrogate.
3. The Blue Bird Tea Rooms9 Church Street, Great Malvern, Worcestershire WR14 2AA
Tel: 01684 561166
Perched at the top of Malvern’s picturesque Church Street, The Blue Bird Tea Rooms first opened in 1913 and has since been lovingly recreated by Clare Dolan. Not only do people come to pore over the eye-opening selection of cakes and sweet treats, but the café also boasts a ‘loo with a view’. Spending a penny here while you gaze at the spectacular view of the Severn Vale is an added bonus!
4. Cemlyn Restaurant and Tea ShopHigh Street, Harlech, Gwynedd, Wales LL46 2YA
Tel: 01766 780425
www.cemlynrestaurant.co.uk
The Cemlyn is perfectly placed to give you views of Harlech’s 13th-century castle, Royal St David’s Golf Course, the mountains and the sea. Cigarettes and tea bags are both banned from this non-smoking, tea-leaves-all-the-way establishment, which makes an uncompromising commitment to quality. An eclectic choice of teas, tisanes and infusions is offered alongside homemade brownies, teacakes, scones and regional favourites such as Welsh cakes and bara brith, deliciously fruity Welsh bread.
 5. De Greys Café
Broad Street, Ludlow, Shropshire SY8 1BG
Tel: 01584 872764
It’s forever tea time at de Greys, England’s oldest tearoom, which still retains its traditional British tearoom charm, despite Ludlow fast becoming Britain’s ‘gastro’ capital (see feature p186). Outside, its black and white Tudor-style frontage is the most striking on the street; inside, you feel as though you’ve been whisked back in time, into a traditional 1950s café-cum-restaurant – the waitresses wear white frocks and pinnies and you can guarantee that the dish of the day will be Welsh rarebit or sardines on toast.
6. Duddleswell Tea RoomsDuddleswell, Ashdown Forest, East Sussex TN22 3BH
Tel: 01825 712196
www.duddleswelltearooms.co.uk
Open since 1935, nestled in the heart of the beautiful Ashdown Forest, these cosy rooms attract lots of visitors, including walkers, bird watchers, Pooh Bear enthusiasts (AA Milne, Pooh’s creator, lived in the neighbouring village of Hartfield and based all of the friendly bear’s adventures in the forest) and those who simply want to enjoy the tranquillity of the countryside. Tearoom favourites include Marmite soldiers (you’ll either love them or loathe them), cinnamon toast and Pooh Bear teas for the children, with a spot of ‘hunny’.
7. Greystones 17th-century Tea Room23 Stockwell Street, Leek, Staffordshire ST13 6DH
Tel: 01538 398522
An intriguing place, Greystones is a Grade II listed building with mullioned windows and leaded lights, the perfect setting for morning coffee, lunch and afternoon tea. Owner Janet does
all the baking and her cakes have a devoted following. Try the lemon meringue pie, the Queen Mother’s favourite date and walnut pudding, or leek gingerbread from a 100-year-old recipe.
8. The Mock Turtle4 Pool Valley, Brighton, East Sussex BN1 1NJ
Tel: 01273 327380
For the past 28 years, Gordon and Birthe Chater have been serving cream teas to the discerning at their traditional establishment. Everything is homemade – the gateaux and the meringues are renowned and you can buy a jar of homemade jam or one of their delicious home-baked cakes to take away with you.
9. Ollerton Watermill Tea ShopMarket Place, Ollerton, Newark, Nottinghamshire NG22 9AA
Tel: 01623 822469
Winners of the Tea Guild’s 2006 Award of Excellence, sisters-in-law Kate and Ellen Mettam are particular about the produce that goes into their menu. The result is home-baked cakes, quiches, salads and mouth-watering puddings, but the cream tea with its three plain or fruit scones, jam and cream is a perennial winner.
10. The Willow Tea Rooms217 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow G2 3EX
Tel: 0141 332 0521
www.willowtearooms.co.uk
Designed by Scottish Art deco design genius, Charles Rennie Mackintosh, The Willow, which dates back to 1903, was created as part of a series of tea shops for owner Kate Cranston. The food served here is more than a match for the striking settings and afternoon tea is a popular ritual with the city’s many tourists. Enjoy a selection of sandwiches, scones with preserves and cream, a choice of cakes and a delicious pot of loose-leaf tea or a decent coffee. There’s also another branch at nearby Buchanan Street. |
