Tea rooms with gardens - a real summertime treat
14th August 2013
Many of The Tea Guild's members have lovely outdoor spaces, be it gardens, terraces or courtyards. Catherine Whyte recommends some excellent venues to visit this summer.
Country hotels and tea rooms with gardens make a wonderful summertime treat and day out. Indeed, most Tea Guild city & country hotels have gardens, courtyards or other outdoor seating.
Many Tea Guild members have lovely outdoor spaces, be it gardens, terraces or courtyards. For quintessential cottage gardens why not try the award winning Black Swan Hotel in Helmsley, North Yorkshire or The Montague Arms Hotel near Beaulieu in Hampshire (winner of The Tea Guild Top City & Country Hotel Award 2013). Both Tea Guild award winners have beautiful manicured gardens in which to enjoy an exemplary afternoon tea.
The Royal Horticultural Society’s 58 acre gardens at Harlow Carr (near Harrogate) are a jewel in Yorkshire’s crown - with its woodlands, meadows, flower gardens and historical gardens. But things moved up a notch when Bettys opened its doors to RHS visitors. Bettys is something of an institution in these parts; its five other outlets regularly garner praise and awards from Tea Guild judges. Bettys at RHS Harlow Carr is no different and was recognised for its excellence by the inspectors this year. The tea room can be visited by non RHS guests but during the summer months, Bettys operates a tea room within the garden itself, making this a must for garden-loving tea drinkers!
Taking tea on a terrace can be equally rewarding. Previous Top Tea Place Winner, The Hazelmere Café in Grange-over- Sands is a Victorian gem of a building with a lovely terrace and views out over pretty ornamental gardens and Morecambe Bay. Owner Dorothy Stubley is passionate about tea and she has carefully chosen over 40 different types of tea for customers to enjoy and there are even seasonal teas on the menu, too.
Gilbert White was a famous 18th century naturalist and his home and gardens in the Hampshire village of Selborne have become a very popular attraction, not least because of the excellent tea room that operates there. Having won The Tea Guild’s Award of Excellence over many years since 2006, the tea parlour is the icing on the cake for visitors on a day out to this bucolic retreat.
Country hotels, whose buildings can be infused with history, are often blessed with gorgeous outdoor spaces that make for a very atmospheric and memorable afternoon tea experience. Great Fosters in Egham, once a Royal hunting lodge that dates back to 1550, has a very attractive Elizabethan garden with a Saxon moat. The award winning Manor House Hotel in Castle Coombe near Chippenham is a handsome building with six acres of glorious gardens to enjoy. For an outdoor space with a completely different flavour, The Nare Hotel in Cornwall has a wonderful terrace with spectacular sea views.
But if a trip to the countryside is a step too far, never fear. The Corinthia Hotel in London has a lovely maple-lined courtyard that provides welcome respite from the bustle of the city and where guests this summer can enjoy the delicious Courtyard Summer Social Afternoon Tea. This afternoon tea is a gastronomic celebration of Britain’s best loved summer foods and is beautifully served in a gingham-lined basket. Similarly, The Bingham Hotel in Richmond is a perfect escape from urban life, with its enviable location right by the River Thames. What’s more, it is only a short train ride from central London. You could also try The Montague on the Gardens, Four Seasons Park Lane and The Goring, which all have wonderful gardens, terraces or courtyards. Orange Pekoe Tearoom in Barnes, London also has outdoor seating from which you can watch the world go by.
MORE TEA ROOMS & HOTELS WITH WONDERFUL OUTDOOR SPACES:
Cemlyn Tea Shop; Harlech, Gwynedd, Wales
Davenports Tearoom; Bartington, Northwich, Cheshire
Bettys Northallerton; North Yorkshire
Bullivant of York; York, North Yorkshire
Juri’s - The Olde Bakery Tea Shoppe; Winchcombe, Gloucestershire
The Marshmallow Tearooms; Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire
Abbey Tearooms & Restaurant; Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire
Cheristow Lavender Tea Rooms; Hartland, Devon
Rectory Farm Tearooms; Morwenstow, nr Bude, Cornwall
Lock House Tearoom; Long Eaton, Nottinghamshire
Ollerton Watermill Tea Shop, Ollerton, Nottinghamshire
Tisanes Tea Rooms; Broadway, Worcestershire
Tiffin Tearooms; Alresford, Hampshire
Gillam’s Tea Room; Ulverston, Cumbria
Peacocks Tearoom; Ely, Cambridgeshire
Tea on the Green, Danbury, Essex
Flying Fifteens; Lowestoft, Suffolk
King John’s Hunting Lodge; Lacock, Chippenham, Wiltshire
Derrick’s Tea Rooms; Cheddar, Somerset
Priory House Tearooms; Dunstable, Bedfordshire
Tiny Tim’s Tearoom; Canterbury, Kent
Amberley Village Tea Rooms; Amberley, Nr Arundel, West Sussex
Abbey Cottage Tearooms & Gallery; New Abbey, Dumfries
Coach House, Luss, Loch Lomond
"Cup" Glasgow; Byres Road, Glasgow
Turnberry Resort, Turnberry, Ayrshire
The Lowry, Salford, Manchester
Swinton Park Hotel, Masham, North Yorkshire
The Angel Hotel, Abergavenny
St Tudno Hotel, Llandudno
Lainston House Hotel, Sparsholt, Nr Winchester, Hampshire
Pennyhill Park Hotel, Bagshot, Surrey
To find a Tea Guild member near you visit and click on to The Tea Guild channel & scroll to Tea Guild members.
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