Following the four day Herriot Way walk we treated ourselves to two nights in this beautiful hotel overlooking Hawes and Wensleydale. It was such a treat and we were upgraded to their best suite due to being on our honeymoon and had the most exceptional dinner on the first night. We had then booked afternoon tea for the Saturday, which we had on their patio with the most stunning views in the sunshine. As always, when we have afternoon tea we only judge the cream tea part for this blog.

Ed – 5/10 and Hannah – 6/10

Scone: Like fancy places are sometime prone to doing they went rogue and made an apricot flavoured scone. Completely unnecessary and unfortunately very cakey texture, overly sweet and not served warm. Size was good but that’s really where the compliments end.

Cream: For the first time in Yorkshire we did get clotted cream. Huzzah. And plenty of it too.

Jam: Strawberry and perfectly fine jam but paired with an already overly sweet scone, too much sugar and just not overall that pleasant.

Tea: No options for tea type which is a bit surprising for such a fancy place but Taylors was served with no complaints from us.

Ambience: Well this really can’t be floored. Sat on the patio overlooking Wensleydale, in the sun, and to boot only the one wasp showing just a fleeting interest!

Crockery: Good quality simple crockery. nothing looking to be too fancy but you can feel the difference when things pour as they should and sit as they should.

Value for money: Well the whole afternoon tea was extremely good value for money we have to say even with the disappointing cream tea component. They don’t offer a cream tea on its own so can’t comment on that.

September 2023

A lovely cafe along the Herriot Way in the home village of James Herriot himself. 2 hours after leaving our starting point for the day Aysgarth on our way to Hawes. It was a bit of a grey and drizzly morning so with a cream tea on offer overlooking Skeldale House… who wouldn’t!

Hannah and Ed – 6/10

Scone: Lovely – warm, fruit scone and clearly homemade. Good size, particularly for a hikers’ stop and despite its size still a lovely texture. Good start.

Cream: Now here is the reason for the low score. The cream was NOT clotted. It was whipped cream. Sacrilege. However, it was clearly cream that had been whipped in house (rather than whipped cream out of a squirty can) and therefore was not a complete disaster. Did taste better than expected (given the situation). Can’t fault the quantity.

Jam: Great jam. Raspberry and easily spreadable texture. Nice tartness to cut through the sweet. Not sure if homemade but good brand choice if not.

Tea: Well when you get served Yorkshire Tea in Yorkshire there can be no complaints. Nothing fancy but a proper brew and exactly what was needed in the Wensleydale mizzle.

Ambience: Bustling Yorkshire cafe – clearly popular with locals as well as those travelling through. Very friendly service with a smile and the other food there is delicious.

Crockery: Better than just functional. Some good quality china with a splash of colour and a very cute mini metal milk churn for the milk. Thumbs up.

Value for Money: Wasn’t expensive but would we buy a cream tea again here – no. Because of the cream. But we would go back for something else!

August 2023

Another honeymoon cream tea in Yorkshire. This lovely little village based by the amazing Hardraw force (Englands highest single drop waterfall), seemingly should have been a spectacular setting for a cream tea. Sat by the side of a surprisingly busy road, the little brook beside you sadly didn’t give quite the sense of tranquillity you may first have expected. The scone was brought out pre made (the correct way might Ed add) so no way to make it your own way.

Ed: 4/10

Scone: Cold but fresh, crumbly and well made fruit scone. Excellent scone, sadly this is where the superlatives end.

Cream: Whipped… need I go on. Well I will, good quality and thick whipped cream, not a squirt out of the can but still just seemingly wrong!

Jam: Strawberry, a perfectly acceptable jam but I tend to find strawberry is lost so quickly in cream and scone and something sharper can cut through to give the taste buds a little wake up. It also comes up a little too sweet, especially mixed with the whipped cream.

Tea: Well good news here and all over he dales, Yorkshire is the standard and in my opinion the best value tea you can get so no complaints here. No frills solid brew.

Ambience/decoration: The little beck running alongside is beautiful and the village is picture post card. Seemingly quite a busy little road passing by so if sat outside can be a bit busy but lets be clear, for Yorkshire, still a beautiful setting.

Crockery: Plain white and generally a bit dull. A sturdy set that will no doubt stand up to the battering of country tea shop life but a bit clunky.  

Value for money: Cost was very reasonable but for me still wouldn’t be worth it. The tiffin was great and I would stick to the other cakes to avoid a creamtastrophy.

August 2023

A weekend afternoon treat with an Abingdon local and friend from work, Helen. Helen recommended Peach Croft Farm for their cream teas and we had a lovely afternoon catching up and eating a solid, good value cream tea. Unfortunately Helen did day they weren’t quite up to their usual standard so this may well be a harsh score compared to their norm.

Hannah – 7.5/10

Scone: Good points – warm, home made, great size. However, it was a bit on the dry and dense side and this was unfortunately exacerbated by the fact that the cream volume wasn’t sufficient, which meant the dryness was impossible to hide. Also only a plain scone on offer.

Cream: Rodda’s – always a solid choice that can’t go wrong. Just a touch too little for the scone size (see pic).

Jam: Now this was excellent. Strawberry and perfect consistency, volume and taste. Don’t know if it was home made but if not then you fooled me.

Tea: A bag in individual teapots. Not sure of the variety and no choice but a good reliable English brew with sufficient milk.

Ambience: What you see is what you get – a lovely informal farm shop cafe selling lots of gourmet foods as well based on a farm just outside Abingdon. Very friendly service. Also has an excellent cheese counter.

Crockery: Functional and I do like the individual teapots.

Value for money: A bargain for less than £6 a head and if you are looking for a solid afternoon tea in a friendly atmosphere I would recommend

February 2023

A birthday trip to the capital and very spoilt by an afternoon tea at Brown’s Hotel, the oldest hotel in London (and 5* of course), thanks to good friend Saskia Rodwell. A divine treat all round but as always we will only critique the cream tea component but have to say it was flawless with no marks deductible as much as we tried.

Ed and Hannah – 10/10

Scone: Everything you would expect from a 5* hotel – home made, warm, light and perfect in every way. Crumbly where needed to be, slightly caramelised on the outside and melt in the mouth with no bicarb bitterness – a treat that’s hard to beat.

Cream: Don’t know the provenance (didn’t ask). Thick, creamy, soft and perfect texture for whether you prefer the Cornish or Devon approach.

Jam: Strawberry jam. Not usually Ed’s favourite but even he was wowed and it wasn’t too sweet. Again made in house. Not too runny but not chunky and thick – so again could be applied under or over the cream provided.

Tea: A great selection of loose leaf tea (but not an unnecessarily long list). Ed and Saskia went for the Brown’s afternoon blend. Hannah asked Karol one of our fabulous waiters what he would recommend and after a horrified look when he asked Hannah what her preference is at home and the response was Yorkshire he suggested the Cornish tea. Both were lovely. Have to say the Brown’s blend a step above and would definitely advise you give that one a try. All served through silver tea strainers and pots.

Ambience: Wow what an experience. It starts with the doorman letting you in with a smile and his top hat. Once seated you’re waited on hand and foot, not even allowed to pour your own tea. Never before have we experienced such indulgent service. Truly treated like royalty. The decoration is opulent. The live piano music adds to the luxurious atmosphere.

Crockery: The solid silver cake stands and pots ensure you know you’re in a decadent place as your tea is poured through a silver strainer into a matching crockery set.

Value for money: It is an expensive treat but if you’re looking for that special occasion experience then this does deliver on all fronts.

January 2023

A November England holiday wouldn’t be complete without one (or a few) cream tea presence and after a stunning fresh walk along the ridge of the Malvern Hills we made our way to the local place for a traditional cream tea, according to our cottage’s guide and we weren’t disappointed. 

Ed and Hannah – 9/10

Scones: Homemade, warm, short, crumble. In essence the perfect scone. Incredibly a choice of four flavours but we stuck with traditional firm favourites – sultana and plain.

Cream: Clotted but sadly not enough and if being pernickety a little dry. 

Jam: Choice of FOUR jams – Hannah went for strawberry and Ed for cherry. Both delicious and very spreadable. Ed enjoyed the sharpness of the cherry cutting through the cream (he has disproportionately strong emotions about this). 

Tea: A fabulous selection of loose leaf teas. We opted for the Welsh afternoon blend. Delightful.

Ambience: A traditional tea room. No frills or fluff – that extends to the service, where communication was reserved for purely functional necessity rather than warmth or smiles. But we enjoyed her ownership of being a wysiwig (what you see is what you get). Quality comfortable Windsor chairs, round tables, bold patterned wallpaper but no finesse like flowers, placemats or pretty table numbers – a practical brown table cloth for an easy wipe instead. 

Crockery: Pleasant floral tea cups and milk just. Plain white plates for the scone.

Value for money: Excellent. £3.50 each for the food component and £2.70 for the tea. 

November 2022

This gem of a tearoom is tucked away just off the A30 and perfect for a pit stop heading to Cornwall and yet feels miles away from everything. Tacked onto an old methodists church the courtyard has some rural character and certainly comes strongly recommended.

Hannah & Ed 9/10

Now here is the twist – an unconsidered possibility – the scones are jammed and creamed for you. Guaranteeing quantities, providing you like the same amount as the maker, and preventing waste. The ratio of scone: jam: cream was just right and in that order specifically. (“the Scottish way” apparently) which is whatever is most practical. If the jam is runny that goes on first, if the cream is runny that takes the first step, we never got around to finding out what happens if they are about equal.

Scone: Homemade, dainty and all in all perfect. The crumbly texture and freshness of these is exactly what a scone should be, clearly made with love and experience. The only reservation stopping this getting a full 10 for ed was the lack of fruit scone.

Cream: Roddas, nuf said really. Reliable cream that can’t go wrong.

Jam: Choice of three homemade jams by the owner, all delicious and for sale through the tea room, if you want to take some of that joy home with you.

Tea: Yorkshire tea in a pot. No nonsense! Loose leaf is required for 10/10 we are afraid.

Ambiance: Snuck around the back of this old church the tea room has a bit of a village hall vibe but we say outside on some tables at the front of the church and could watch the village coming and goings including a wedding photoshoot which was jolly!

Crockery: Miss match of quirky pots, cups and saucers. All exactly what you need for a full cream tea experience and really added to the rustic vibes.

A Saturday afternoon shopping trip and spontaneous cream tea. The sandwiches and bagels are worth a stop but we would avoid it as a cream tea destination!

Hannah 3/10, Ed 2/10

Scone: We’ve had a run of excellent teas recently and this one brought us back to earth with a bump. Oversized, tough and bitter. Can’t really add more to that then say work it less and use less baking powder. Not worth ordering.

Cream: Dry… Not sure how that happened or that it was possible… and still not enough… right next.

Jam: Very very very lumpy. Unable to spread it. Taste was fine but how far can you go wrong with fruit and sugar.

Tea: A mug of it with the bag left in. Thanks.

Ambience: Busy and a Saturday isn’t the greatest time to be there as a city centre cafe would be expected to be. Has a more edgy feel in the week and good student vibes but on a weekend just a bit overrun given a small space.

Value for money: City centre cream tea so more costly than average but certainly fair. This would be acceptable if the quality measured up but it didn’t. At all.

June 2022

A very generous 30th birthday gift for Ed last year from his family that we combined with his birthday weekend to London this weekend… bottomless champagne afternoon tea in Rubens at the Palace! Indulgent, decedent, and generally a fabulous luxurious treat! As always we just score the cream tea component but in this context we do acknowledge it’s in rather a unique context.

Hannah and Ed – 9/10 (although overall experience 10/10)

Scone: A selection of 4 to share but you will be asked what your favourite part was and dutifully more shall come! Unique to Hannah when asked her favourite part of the afternoon tea a sincere ‘the plain scone’ was the reply. Not the lobster, not the opera cake, not the mysteriously wobbly and blue white chocolate mousse in the shape of a crown (for the jubilee – and certainly a curious if not totally appealing component) but the humble plain scone. I guess the fact we are writing a blog on scones probably screams our fondness for these simple and delectable treats! The scones were warm, soft, and in a word – perfect. Small enough to be part of an afternoon tea. Fruit and Plain were wonderful! The white chocolate and cheese were less identifiable as who was who and so a plump to top the white chocolate scone with lemon curd did lead to the not wholly pleasant citrus/cheesy twist.

Cream: Simply beautiful. So smooth – perfect consistency and volume.

Jam: Here’s the rogue bit. ‘Seasonal’ jam we were told. Now we are all on board for more local, sustainable ingredients but peach and orange is rather rogue for a cream tea. Pleasant but would say quite runny and did give an overall more citrus taste than normal. Also isn’t the point of jam to be preserved?!

Tea: Phenomenal – both in choice and taste. There were two pages of options including one (Silver Tips) with a £25 surcharge, which we refrained from. Hannah went for the Jubilee Celebration tea and Ed for the Planters Afternoon tea. Not only that but towards the end of the sitting we were then given a pot of flowering tea with a peach fragrance. To watch the flower unfurl is always soothing and such a light and beautiful taste.

Decoration/Ambience: FAB-U-LOUS! A suitably fancy place for a suitably fancy experience. Piano music tinkling in the background, a buzzing atmosphere of excited families, dates, friend meet ups on finely set tables. All in all what you would expect in a 5 start London setting.

Crockery: Dainty dining set, perfect for the setting.

Value for Money: N/A as a gift and can’t get the cream tea on its own.

June 2022