Afternoon Tea at Dyffryn Gardens

This year I celebrated Valentine's Day with afternoon tea with my mum, and sister Louise at a beautiful country house run by the National Trust.  I previously shared some photographs from Dyffryn back in January 2017, on a particularly murky and misty day.  There couldn't have been more contrast!  Our visit was in glorious sunshine, with a riot of Spring flowers.

Dyffryn Gardens surround a beautiful late Victorian (1892) mansion.  Throughout the year, visitors are able to wander around the grounds, and also tour part of the house.  There are ongoing renovations to the building itself, as the house was acquired after a failed attempt to turn it into a luxury hotel (in which many original features were destroyed, leaving the house an empty shell).

There is a magnificent large glass house in the gardens, that was filled with pots and pots of cheery Spring flowers, from crocus to cyclamen.  Outside, crocus carpeted the slopes of the garden.  If you've seen the new Mary Poppins film, it was like the end scene where everyone is singing and frollocking in the flowers.

For a limited number of special events throughout the year such as Valentine's Day, you can book an afternoon tea in the morning room of the house.  As a setting for afternoon tea, it couldn't be a more perfect setting.  It was served in the 'morning room', the centre room in the ground floor overlooking the gardens.  A sunny room with a gorgeous bird print wallpaper, and the tables laid out with vintage tablecloths and china.  It was an exceptional setting.  Our table was set back a little from the blinding sun in the window, so I think I had the best seat in the house.

Afternoon Tea Review: Celtic Manor

On Friday I treated my mum to afternoon tea at Celtic Manor as a belated Mother's Day treat.  The hotel is a five star golf resort just outside of Newport in South Wales, and so within easy reach for both of us.  We know lots of people who have been there, but it was our first ever visit.  The building is a little strange looking from the outside (it's sometimes unkindly referred to as appearing like 'Colditz' from the M4 as one drives past!), but once inside the airy foyer makes a very good impression with its high glass ceiling and the curved balconies.

Llanerch Vineyard Afternoon Tea Review

For my mother's birthday, she fancied a trip out for some afternoon tea.  We've already been to Miskin manor a few times but wanted to try somewhere different.  My sister Louise came up with the great suggestion of Llanerch Vineyard, near Hensol in the Vale of Glamorgan.  Like the manor, it's not far from the M4 and so in easy reach.  Llanerch is doing well with its 'Cariad' (Welsh for 'darling') brand of modern wines, and the site has expanded to offer a gift shop, restaurant and boutique hotel rooms.  My first impression was that the site is very smart and modern looking, and if the wind hadn't been blowing rain sideways at me, I could almost have believed I was in California.  Almost.

Afternoon Tea Review: Tudor Farmhouse

Today's afternoon tea review is of Tudor Farmhouse, in the village of Clearwell in the Forest of Dean on the Welsh-English border.  A former working farm, it's now a boutique hotel, housed in an extended 15th century building with cottages in the pretty grounds.

Afternoon Tea Review: Wyndcliffe Court Sculpture Gardens

A few weeks ago I visited Wyndcliffe Court Sculpture Gardens in Monmouthshire with my Mum and my sister Louise.  It was supposed to be a belated Mother's Day treat, but it happened to be the day before my birthday too, so it was a bit of a double celebration.  Nestled in some pretty countryside with views down to the Seven Estuary, the house and gardens at Wyndcliffe are opened to the public on weekends.  As if the Grade II listed Arts and Crafts gardens aren't enough to tempt visitors, the gardens also host a sculpture exhibition by local artists.  We had a lovely wander around the gardens before tea.  It's such a rural spot that all you can hear is birdsong.

Downton Abbey Costume Exhibition & Afternoon Tea at Llanelly House

After our wonderful trip to Highclere Castle in the summer, where Downton Abbey was filmed, I was keen for another Downton Abbey related adventure.  As luck would have it, historic Llanelly House here in Wales held a costume display from the first two series.  The timing was perfect for one of my sisters' birthdays, and my mum and husband's mum came along too for a proper family outing!

Costumes from the garden party scene - Edith's, Mary's and Sybil's.  Two are original vintage Edwardian dresses, can you tell which ones?

Afternoon Tea Review: The Angel Abergavenny's Festive Tea

I couldn't resist another trip to The Angel in Abergavenny this December, for another one of their exceptionally good afternoon teas.  The last time I visited was in November 2012, and you can read about it in my review here.  This time, I wanted to review their Christmas afternoon tea, which promised festive delicacies and a setting as warming as mulled wine.  The price for their festive afternoon tea is currently £19.80 per person.

Ambience 5/5
We managed to get seated in the lovely little sitting room just off reception again.  It's quieter than being in the main dining room or the ballroom that they use at particularly busy times, and you get to lounge on sofas and have a bit more of a relaxed time.  The festive decorations were fairly subtle, but charming, and they even had some kind of vessel filled with water and spices, with a flame burning underneath, sending the most wonderful smell of cloves and such into the air.

Crockery 4/5
An assortment of vintage crockery is used, but your party will always have a matching set of cup, saucer, and plate - they don't do the shabby-chic mismatched look.  It's all very smart.  The cakestands also have vintage china plates on them, but the teapots are mysteriously chinese themed ones, the heavy metal ones that I could barely lift, let alone any of the elderly ladies that come for tea.

Cake 5/5
Yes, there is cake.  But there is also a fabulous selection of patisserie, and mini dessert delights.  On this visit, we had mini raspberry trifles, freshly baked warm scones, profiteroles, rum babas, fruit tartlets, and of course, no festive afternoon tea would be complete without mini mince pies, stollen, yule log and fruit cake.  Part of the joy of not being able to finish all the cake is taking it home in the lovely white gift boxes marked proudly with 'The Angel' on a sticker.

Sandwiches 5/5
I swear that these get nicer each time I visit.  On this occasion, we had egg mayonnaise, salmon, cheese and a particularly delicious festive turkey sandwich complete with cranberry sauce and stuffing.  They do the sandwiches properly - fresh bread, crusts removed, just the right amount of filling.  I could have eaten a whole cakestand's worth of these, never mind the cake!

The Tea 5/5
My sister and I tried the Christmas Blend, the description of which is pictured below.  It did indeed go well with the selection of cakes, but I do love spiced black teas generally.  If that doesn't sound like your thing, The Angel has an extensive tea menu, including green, herbal and rooibos teas.  My mother went for a coffee as she doesn't drink tea, and said it was really good.

Service 4/5
Service was attentive, efficient, and polite.  Mysteriously, as the clock struck 5, the visits stopped, and that's when we actually needed somebody to box up our uneaten treats and gives us the bill.  So I am sorry to dock a point on this one!

Overall 5/5
It's worth the money, you won't be disappointed.  Now that the festivies are over and we face the long stretch of dark winter through January and February, The Angel is a good cosy spot to hole up on a rainy and dull afternoon over the winter, even in you don't go for afternoon tea, pop in for a coffee or a cocktail.  You can't help but feel cheery in the lovely interior, especially if you can grab a spot in the bar when they have the real fire lit.  Abergavenny is lovely for a potter around as well.  It's gone a bit posh recently with the addition of some nice looking home and gift shops, and there's always something going on in the market hall.  Don't worry though, there's still a good selection of charity shops if that's more your thing!

Have you ever been to The Angel?  Or do you have somewhere that you keep going back to, time after time, for a good afternoon tea?

Afternoon Tea Review: The Angel Hotel, Cardiff

It's time for tea once more.  On this cake mission I took my mother to The Angel Hotel in Cardiff.  Not to be confused with the Angel in Abergavenny (which does a truly superb afternoon tea - read my review here), this is a large Victorian hotel in a prime spot opposite the castle.  I had a voucher offering afternoon tea for two for £24, which sounded like a bargain as it would normally cost that each.

  
I've been into this hotel before, to meet friends or to attend conferences, but I'd never before taken afternoon tea and it was near the top of my list of Cardiff afternoon tea establishments to sample.  Our tea included sandwiches, scones, cake and a glass of champagne each.

 
Sandwiches: 4/5

The sandwiches were on a mix of white and brown bread, and included salmon, egg, ham, and grated cheese and pickle.  They were very much the standard sandwiches you get at these hotel chain teas, nothing especially exciting but they were freshly made and hit the (hungry) spot.
 
Cake: 3/5

There was only one type of cake, a lemon sponge, with the rest of the offering being patisserie.  There were cheesecake type desserts in little bowls, and sweet pastry tarts filled with creme patisserie and fruit.  It was a swelteringly hot day but the room we were served tea in was relatively cool, and as the cheesecakes and tarts had already started to wilt a bit on the plate, I suspect they had been laid out on the tiers in a hot kitchen waiting for our arrival.  The scones were nice, but didn't stand out from the many I have eaten over the years.

 
Service: 4/5

The staff seated us and brought our drinks and cake-stand swiftly, but disappeared after this.  It took some time before we could attract attention just to get some water.  The waiter was polite, and apologised when he realised we'd needed water for a little while.

Ambience: 2/5
Stepping through the chandelier-lit bright hallway at the base of the sweeping staircase into the dining room and bar is an anti-climax.  The dining room is situated on the castle-facing side of the building and unfortunately in the afternoon this means it's in shadow - the sun is on the opposite side at this time of day.  The room is also decorated in the cold and bland could-be-anywhere style that pervades hotel chains.  It was mostly empty save for one other table when we arrived, and a little background music wouldn't have gone amiss to help cheer it up a little.

Crockery 2/5
Nonedescript.  It looked quite sad and boring on the veneered boring table, which didn't even have a tablecloth.  There was a cakestand, but it was one of those bare-minimum wire ones that you just put your own plates on, and unfortunately the plates were plain white in a budget rather than chic way.

Tea 3/5
I had a pot of very nice Earl Grey, and my mother had coffee, which she said wasn't anything special but it did the job.  I can't remember the full selection of tea from the menu, but it wasn't particularly extensive.

Overall 3/5
It was pleasant, but not outstanding on any level.  I think they're missing a trick in such a beautiful Victorian building not to continue the grandeur that's on the outside, on the inside.  They've got some serious competition directly opposite in the form of Pettigrew tea rooms, but that's more like sitting in your Grandma's living room - The Angel is different from Pettigrew's because it serves alcohol and is in such a grand building.  I hope someone catches on to this, redecorates, orders some fine bone china and overhauls the menu.  In the meantime, my tip would be to take tea in the sunny lounge adjacent to the hallway - you can at least enjoy nicer lighting, furniture and ambience than in the dining room.  Come on Angel, don't sell yourself short!

Afternoon Tea Review: The Gliffaes, Powys

For those of you who like to take your afternoon tea in a rural setting, may I suggest The Gliffaes Country House Hotel just outside of Crickhowell in Powys, South Wales.

Afternoon tea here is buffet style, and a very reasonable £12.50 per person.

 

The rooms where tea is served are quite special.  There is a large, comfortable lounge with a roaring fire, leading into a smaller but no less beautiful sitting room that then opens up into a large conservatory with views across the valley.  On a sunny and warm day, sitting on the terrace must feel quite special.  Alas on the day I visited, it was a misty and cold day and we sat right by the fire in the main lounge to stay cosy.

The afternoon tea makes its appearance at 4 o'clock sharp, and is laid out on the tables along with plates and napkins.  A member of staff is on hand to pour tea or coffee.

Sandwiches: 4/5

The sandwiches were on a mix of white and brown bread, and included tomato (no cheese?!), cucumber, chicken and egg.  They were perfectly adequate, but nothing special.  Had obviously been freshly made.

Cake: 3/5

The cake was a mix of types and quality.  First of all, the flapjack was the best I have ever tasted - the perfect texture, not too heavy or sweet, with a hint of orange.  I was disappointed with the cherry shortbread, which was missing the crisp texture.  I also found the ginger cake to not quite reach the standard I expected - the icing was sweet and gingery, but the cake itself dry and yet more gingery and in need of a hint of lemon or something to cut through and lift it.  Also sampled, and that were good, but not excellent, were lemon drizzle cake, Victoria sponge, chocolate cake, rocky road and scones.  I take testing afternoon tea very seriously, and I didn't stop tasting until I couldn't physically fit any more in.

Service: 5/5

A team of staff were continually replenishing the cakes and sandwiches, and one member of staff was tirelessly dishing out the teas and coffees.  

Ambience: 5/5

I really enjoyed being in the cosy surroundings on such a misty Welsh day.  We attended on a Saturday so it was very busy - my sister has been on a week day and her and a few friends had the entire lounge to themselves.  There are lots of copies of Horse & Hound and other such country life magazines to read, and it's quite informal as people use the hotel as a base for walking and other outdoorsy activities.  Beautiful grounds.  Children are welcome and there were lots of them there when I was.  Whether you are a parent or not will decide whether you think this a plus or minus point.

Crockery: 3/5

Standard, rather uninteresting.

Tea: 3/5

No choice of tea!  My single-most, largest criticism.

Overall: 4/5

It was a particularly busy day and there was a large queue for the buffet but I'm not blaming the staff.  I think perhaps the procedure could be reassessed - maybe have teas and coffees on a separate table to stop it slowing people down?  Or have waitress service for teas and coffees so that people could just help themselves to the cake?  It really would be lovely to be able to order a specialty tea.  Also, some of the buffet is a bit tricky to manage - it's fine to get a plate with a few different cakes on, but once you start factoring in that you need to put some jam and cream on your plate to have with your scone, and that you also need to carry a cup and saucer, and a napkin, you realise you don't have enough arms and have to take another trip.  And join the back of the queue, again, by which time your tea is cold.  So, for a busy day, 3/5 is my score overall, but if you can time it right, 4/5.

Afternoon Tea Review: The Angel, Abergavenny

Holders of the 2011 Tea Guild's Award, may I present to you The Angel Hotel in Abergavenny here in South Wales.

I have been for afternoon tea there on three occasions, so I can vouch that I have reviewed it thoroughly.  I have sampled lots of patisserie, been served tea of different varieties, and got a good look at the vintage china.  Afternoon tea is £17.80 per person, and worth every penny.

On my last visit in November of last year, we were escorted to the small sitting room adjacent to reception.  The dining room is the main room used for afternoon tea, with a larger function room also utilised at particularly busy times. 

Sandwiches: 4/5

Very good sandwiches - freshly made, mix of white and brown breads (good quality) and fillings were egg mayonnaise, salmon, home-cooked ham and cream cheese.  Nice to see a bit of salad on the side.

Cake: 5/5

I say 'cake' but what you get at The Angel is threefold.  First, there's the patisserie.  All delectable, fresh and exciting.  In our selection we had profiteroles, mini custard slices, mini cream horns and creations involving meringue and fresh fruit.  Next, mini trifles.  I love trifle.  Finally, scones with cream and jam.  I know what you're thinking: I couldn't eat all that!  They know this at The Angel, and will happily and prettily box up anything you can't manage to take home.

Service: 4/5

Perfectly good.

Ambience: 5/5

I really enjoyed being in the snug surroundings of the little sitting room on such a wet and cold day, and it was nice to be afforded some quiet and privacy, as one of my friends brought her baby along.  It's tastefully and classically decorated, but feels quite homely rather than grand.

Crockery; 5/5

All of the crockery used is vintage, and each set is different - you never know what you're going to get!  This time it was a pale pink floral design that graced our teacups.

Tea: 5/5

An outstanding selection of tea.  I chose the rose tea, and it arrived in a glass teapot so that I could marvel at the rosebuds floating in it.  I love rose flavoured and scented things, so this really hit the mark for me.

Overall: 5/5

The overall experience was relaxed, civilised and above all tasty.  The price is perfectly reasonable and I envisage returning again and again.  I am going to make a bold claim here and say it's the top place for afternoon tea in Wales.  I might need to sample a few more places before I can back this up - I'll get back to you with some more reviews soon!

To end, here are a few gratuitous photos of my friends and I playing pass the baby.

Afternoon Tea Review: Hilton, Cardiff

 

 

 

Over the summer my friend Adie and myself treated ourselves to afternoon tea at the Hilton.  It was part of a Groupon deal and so included use of the spa facilities too for £29 for two people.  We had a lovely swim to work up an appetite.

 

Sandwiches: 3.5/5

These were rather nice, particularly the salmon ones because they had prawns in too!  Would have liked a bit more selection, and the bread could have been better.  The sandwiches looked quite beige and bland on the cakestand, and tasted far superior to their looks!

 

Cake: 1/5

What a disappointment.  A fairy cake that was misshapen, pretty tasteless and looked as though it had been decorated by a five year old.  There were some welshcakes too, nice touch for the capital of Wales, but I'm afraid that doesn't outweigh the other cake so the score's still 1 out of 5.

 

Service: 5/5

Impeccable.  Charming Maitre D, attentive waitress, and when a *hair* was discovered on our cakestand (I wish I was joking, it's such a cliche!) they couldn't apologise enough and swiftly replaced the entire tea selection.

Ambience: 3/5

The glass-fronted restaurant on the ground floor is rather nice, and you can people watch.  It's still a modern hotel chain at the end of the day, so nothing particularly special.

 

Crockery; 3/5

Yes, I am rating the crockery!  It wasn't vintage - just your normal run-of-the-mill white china that can be found in most hotel chains.

 

Tea & Prosecco: 4/5

A good selection of tea, with a bit of a ritual created around choosing it by the Twinings selection box of jars that you are welcome to open and sniff.  There are also little egg-timers to tell you when your tea is brewed, depending on whether it's black, white or green tea.  It's still Twinings though, rather than some local tea company, so I am knocking off a point for that.  The prosecco went down in one.

 

Overall: 3/5

I would have been sorely disappointed if I had paid full price, but I have a feeling that the afternoon tea was 'adjusted' slightly for the Groupon offer and that a different selection of items would have been available for customers paying the full price.  I really can't complain that I got a swim, a glass of bubbly, a pot of tea and some sandwiches for £15.  I don't think I would go again though - there are lots of other choices in South Wales with superior cake and crockery.

Day Trip: Bath Wedding Exhibition & Afternoon Tea!

I've been on a small adventure today! A trip to Bath to see my friend Victoria, and her friend Jan. We are all vintage-obsessed, so a trip to the Fashion Museum was a must. The exhibition currently running is 'What will she wear?', a special collection of wedding dresses spanning well over a century. My Beloved did raise an eyebrow when I said I was going to look at wedding dresses until I explained that it was purely for Victoria and Jan to get inspiration for their creative works, and for me to do a little blog post. It's a great exhibition, some really interesting dresses. They're not presented in chronological order, so it was really noticeable when a modern 'bad taste' dress was nestled next to a vintage beauty - I'm citing the dress in the bottom right of my little photo montage as a prime example of this. Who would want buttock cleavage at their wedding?!

Dress ages, from left to right,

Top row: early 1900's; early 1960's; 1928

Middle row: 1940s; 1934; 1959

Bottom row: 1989; 1878; 1992

Afternoon Tea at Waterloo Gardens Teahouse Cardif

I'm currently so full of cake that I'm lying down and have had to unzip my dress! This afternoon was my first visit to Waterloo Gardens Teahouse here in Cardiff, an absolute paradise for tea lovers with its extensive range of fine teas all racked up behind the counter in their silver cannisters.

For their afternoon tea you receive a choice of tea, selection of finger sandwiches, scone, and a choice of cake, served on a three-tiered cake-stand (shared between our party of four, not like some places where you get a tiered cake-stand each!). There was quite a variety of sandwiches, but oddly only three of each kind when there were four of us, so we ended up cutting them in half. Portions of clotted cream were a little stingy but they happily gave us more when we asked, but were not able to give us any top-ups of hot water, saying we'd have to purchase another pot of tea.

Between the four of us, we sampled Pu-erh, Assam, Earl Grey and Lychee Oolong teas and were all pleased with our choices - mine was the Pu-erh, which I found smoky yet lighter than a Lapsang. As for the cake... I tried the Sweet Potato and Berry (a bit like carrot cake), and we also went for Courgette and Lime, Lemon Curd, and Tia Maria. All were very, very good and we struggled to finish them after the sandwiches and scones too.

I think for afternoon tea the Hamptons' Blue Pelican Cafe in Penarth is better value for money (£2 cheaper and much more generous with the clotted cream, hot water etc.) but for the sheer choice of teas, Waterloo Gardens Teahouse is the place to go - I would be quite happy spending an afternoon working my way through some of the more exotic sounding teas on their menu.