Tea for you and me

Join me on my epic quest to find the best tea ever

Author Archives: tealeaves


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Wilton Windmill

Wilton, near Marlborough, Wiltshire

R and tea and the glorious Wilton Windmill

R and tea and the glorious Wilton Windmill

I was very excited to get to Wilton Windmill. We’d driven past the brown sign advertising it on the way to visit other tea places in Marlborough and attempted to get to it but taken a wrong turning and given up. It’s a good thing that we didn’t find it when we tried as the mill is only open for visitors on Sundays 2-5pm.

We went back on this Sunday just to go to the windmill. You can wander round the outside and the lower floor for free or pay for a guided tour up inside. We paid and it was well worth it. It still works and you can buy flour that has been ground in the mill.

When we arrived I walked round trying to work out where the best place would be to take a photo of tea with the mill in the background. The picnic tables were my first choice but the sails were on the other side of the tower to the picnic tables so I couldn’t get it all in one shot. Oh well, I thought, I’ll take two photos.

Inside the mill we learnt that the cap (the white bit on top) is on rollers and turns round automatically to face the wind. We were assured that it wouldn’t move as it wasn’t windy enough, but when we were up there things started rumbling and slowly cogs and beams moved round as we were listening to the guide, visitors ducking when one came to near to them, sails swooping past windows. When we emerged from the darkness of the mill it was glorious sunshine and the sails had moved to align themselves so I could take the perfect photo. Sails and tea all in one shot.

Teapot? No.
Leaf tea? Teabag in a mug, with a spoon to fish it out when you want.
Milk jug? Yes, big one.
Price? An amazing 80p per mug.
Cake? Some wrapped biscuits but you can also buy flour, bookmarks, posters, tea towels, aprons and postcards of the windmill.
Go again? Yes.


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Ginger Two

28 St Thomas Street, Winchester, Hampshire, SO23 9HJ

Cream tea at Ginger Two

Cream tea at Ginger Two

An excellent name for a shop, it appeals to me no end but I have no idea why. It was advertised on a bicycle propped up in the street next to it and I steered us there without hesitation. Ginger Two is a cafe with a stylish home furnishing shop attached. The cafe was light and airy and had lots of cake on display, but on closer inspection it was made by another company which made me a bit sad. We had cream tea (shown here in this bizarrely soft focus photo, not sure how I did that, apologies) and it was a good end to a lovely day.

The only slightly jarring thing was that they had a lovely big teapot and little milk jugs and even a saucer thing for the teabag, but they had a teabag! I like teapigs teabags but I appreciate them when somewhere hasn’t got teapots so a teapig is the next best thing. Why do places have posh teabags and teapots? They obviously care enough to have good tea, but not enough to let it be loose leaf. Weird.

Teapot? Yes, nice big china one.
Leaf tea? No, but posh teabag. See rant above.
Milk jug? Yes, two mini ones.
Price? £1.75 each I think.
Cake? Yes and scones and ice cream and coffee.
Go again? No, want to explore some of the other places in Winchester first.


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Winchester Cathedral Refectory

1 The Close, Winchester, Hampshire, SO23 9LS

Winchester Cathedral

Winchester Cathedral

We went to Winchester to see what it was like, neither of us having been before, and having heard good things about the tea and cake provision there. The day was sunny and we headed to the focal point of Winchester: the cathedral.

A man on a bicycle in a straw boater was selling ice cream next to an entrance that looked like it might lead to somewhere where we could get tea.

It was, it lead through a stone archway to a hidden refectory. The refectory building is pretty impressive in it’s own right with big glass walls and pointed roof. We were good and only had some tea though there were some scones on offer as well. A tranquil setting out of the breeze. Lovely.

On the way out of the cafe we walked past the ice cream man again and a clergyman in long robes and purple things was sitting on the wall next to him, tucking into a cornet.

Tea outside the Winchester Cathedral Refectory

Tea outside the Winchester Cathedral Refectory

Teapot? Yes, metal one.
Leaf tea? No, but it was listed as ‘Cathedral blend’.
Milk jug? Yes.
Price? £1.50ish.
Cake? Yes and scones and main meals and sandwiches and ice cream and coffee.
Go again? No, it was nothing special and there are better places to go in Winchester.


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The teashop by the canal

The Stone Building, The Wharf, Newbury, Berkshire.   01635 522609

An array of teapots in The teashop by the canal

An array of teapots in The teashop by the canal

The Stone Building is next to the Kennet and Avon canal and is owned by the Kennet and Avon Canal Trust. There used to be a cafe and shop selling canal related things in there but then it closed down. Just recently it reopened as ‘The teashop by the canal’. It was recommended to me as somewhere I needed to visit in order to put it on here, so I dutifully went to check it out.

Inside the teashop is filled with mismatched tables and chairs and pretty objects everywhere. It’s a family run business and there are handwritten messages on the walls from one member of the family to another. One I particularly liked was the message above the door reminding someone not to forget things. There’s also chairs and tables outside next to the canal so you can watch the ducks and narrowboats as you enjoy your tea. A sideboard held the cake selection and there was a cake stand with a variety of cupcakes on the windowsill. The dresser with the large selection of proper cups and saucers made me cross my fingers that this would be a good place for tea. The menu telling me that all their tea was loose leaf and from Taylors of Harrogate proved me right.

Perfect tea at The teashop by the canal

Perfect tea at The teashop by the canal

I chose chocolate cake and China Rose tea and V picked a different one. When our tea was served it came in a little pot each with a separate tea strainer each. The tea was delicate and light and smelled wonderfully of roses and summer afternoons. The cake was good and the location is good too. I love going to Delicious… and the chocolate brownies there are still the best I’ve ever tasted, but the loose leaf tea here knocks it off the number one spot on my top five places to enjoy tea.

Teapot? Yes and pretty china tea cup and saucer.
Leaf tea? Yes, Taylors of Harrogate.
Milk jug? Yes.
Price? £1.95 a pot.
Cake? Yes and cupcakes. And main meals and sandwiches and ice cream and coffee.
Go again? Without a doubt.


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Cafe Nero revisited

I’ve previously complained about the rubbish quality of Cafe Nero tea, but this is an extra post just to underline that I’m not the only one. I was drinking tea in Nero’s and Y asked how I could stand it, as it didn’t taste of anything. She said she’d complained last time she was in there. I thought ‘Complain! That’s a  bit strong’ and then I thought, hang on, why not? It tastes of nothing! Everyone else I was at the table with tasted it and agreed it didn’t taste like tea at all, though it looked like tea.

Y marched off with my mug and complained to the barista. They apologised but said it was the house blend and most people liked it, however they offered me a free drink instead. I picked hot chocolate.

It occurs to me that we need to be braver about complaining about rubbish tea! Stand up for proper tea!


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Jodrell Bank Visitor Centre

Jodrell Bank Visitor Centre, Macclesfield, Cheshire, SK11 9DL

M's masterpiece illustrating the tea we drank at Jodrell Bank

M's masterpiece illustrating the tea we drank at Jodrell Bank

I’ve never been to Jodrell Bank before which is surprising as it’s just the kind of place we used to go to on family holidays. Jodrell Bank is part of the University of Manchester and has huge, I mean HUGE, radio telescopes. The visitor centre explains what they do and then there’s a cinema where you can watch a 3D film about a journey to Mars. We also saw ‘Bigger than big’ which showed all the planets in relation to each other and to the sun etc. It made my mind hurt.

It also has a cafe which, naturally, we drank tea in. As the telescopes at Jodrell Bank work using radio waves it asks you to turn off your mobile phones. This meant that I couldn’t take a photo of the tea as I use the camera on my mobile phone. M was not impressed at this excuse and decided a pictorial representation of tea was needed. Picking up a flyer from a nearby table and borrowing a biro, she proceeded to draw the tea. I can’t do the postmodern masterpiece produced justice as I don’t have a scanner, but I hope the photo gives you some idea of the genius of the drawing.

Teapot? Yes.
Leaf tea? Tea bags.
Milk jug? Plastic pots.
Price? 80p I think.
Cake? Some, mainly packet biscuits.
Go again? Yes.


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Thorntons Cafe, Altrincham

61 George Street, Altrincham, Cheshire, WA14 1RN

Tea and rich chocolate gateaux at Thorntons Cafe

Tea and rich chocolate gateaux at Thorntons Cafe

As you probably know, Thorntons is a chain of chocolate shops. I had heard tell that there were some shops that had cafes in, but I’d never seen one, until now. M and I were in Altrincham by mistake: we got lost and decided to stop for a cup of tea and a wander before trying to set off again. We also checked a map in Waterstones to find out where to go. Anyway, we were looking for somewhere for a cup of tea and when I saw this Thortons cafe I jumped at the chance to try it out. We ordered a pot of tea for two and a piece of rich chocolate gateaux.

Thorntons don’t give you a biscuit with your tea or coffee, they give you a a chocolate, which seems a much better idea to me. The cake we had was stunningly rich and that was just what we needed.

Teapot? Yes.
Leaf tea? Tea bags.
Milk jug? A little jug each.
Price? £1.65 each for tea.
Cake? Any kind, as long as it’s chocolate.
Go again? Yes.


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Sweet Tooth Cupcakery

9a Oswald Road, Chorlton, Manchester, M21 9LP.

The wide range of cupcakes on offer at Sweet Tooth Cupcakery

The wide range of cupcakes on offer at Sweet Tooth Cupcakery

H had romised to take me to a very special tea shop. That tea shop was Sweet Tooth Cupcakery.

This small but perfectly formed tea shop has everything I could wish for. The decor is stylish and quirky, with vintage boxes and tins on shelves around the walls and transfers of 1950s housewives in the kitchen. The crockery is all vintage and elegant. As the name suggests the only cake they sell is a cupcake, but oh, what a cupcake!

All the cupcakes are named after famous people, so I chose a Rita Hayworth and H had a Dita von Teese. There were around 15 different cupcakes to choose from and all looked gorgeous.

Tea, coffee and cupcakes at Sweet Tooth Cupcakery

Tea, coffee and cupcakes at Sweet Tooth Cupcakery

The tea came in a perfect little teapot, with yellow milk jug and sugar bowl.

The tea was good and the cupcakes so impressive that this needs to go into the top 5 places to drink tea. Go here if you are ever within visiting distance and go early or all the cupcakes will be gone. It’s only open Thursday to Sunday so plan your visit well!

Teapot? Yes.
Leaf tea? I was so overwhelmed by the cupcakes I can’t remember, I think tea bags though.
Milk jug? Big milk jug.
Price? £6.70 for a tea, a cappucino and two cupcakes.
Cake? Cupcakes a go go!
Go again? Yes.


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Contact Theatre Lounge Bar

Contact, Oxford Road, Manchester, M15 6JA.

Tea and cake at the Contact Theatre

Tea and cake at the Contact Theatre

We went to the Contact Theatre to see the play Medea, which was very good. Afterwards we headed to the bar for tea and cake. H works near to the theatre so she knew they had good cake on display in a glass cabinet. We arrived in the cafe bar and to our horror the glass cabinet was empty!

Not to be deterred, H asked if there was any cake left. Sure enough the bartender found a chocolate brownie and a slice of chocolate cake in the fridge and we happily agreed to share.

They had a variety of different tea bags, but only a choice between Breakfast and Earl Grey or many different varieties of fruit tea.

The Contact Theatre Lounge Bar was comfy, friendly and relaxed. I liked it.

Teapot? No.
Leaf tea? No.
Milk jug? Big milk jug.
Price? £1 for tea, £6.50 for 3 teas and two bits of cake.
Cake? Yes, larger range in the daytime.
Go again? Yes.


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Cornerhouse

70 Oxford Street, Manchester, M1 5NH

Tea at Cornerhouse

Tea at Cornerhouse

The Cornerhouse is, in a feat of logical naming rarely seen in the modern world, on a corner. It has three art galleries, two bars and a bookshop, with a cinema across the road on the opposite corner. I chose the upstairs cafe bar as it was the one that served food and this usually means a better chance of getting some tea.

I’d been lazy and decided to get the bus from Manchester Piccadily station to the Cornerhouse, rather than walk the length of the station and have a five minute train journey to the Manchester Oxford Road station, which is next door to the Cornerhouse. My laziness was my downfall and an hour later after two long and circular bus journeys I arrived. If ever I was in need of tea it was then.

The upstairs bar looked very bar like, but then I spied jars of large teapigs teabags and knew everything was going to be okay. Teapigs teabags are large tea bags made of gauze, not paper, and they have whole loose leaves inside them (most tea bags have chopped up bits of tea leaves, open one up and have a look). It was good but I was still grumpy about my self-inflicted bus journey confusion. I drank my tea and for the sake of economy didn’t order another.

Then a miraculous thing happened – a waitress came over with another mug of tea. Did I want it? It had been made by mistake and she’d remembered that I’d been drinking tea and thought I might like it. I could have it for free, think of it as happy hour.

I took the tea gratefully. Any busy bar that has a waitress that thoughtful gets the thumbs up from me. Plus the tea was really rather nice.

Teapot? No.
Leaf tea? No, but excellent tea bags.
Milk jug? Yes.
Price? £1.45.
Cake? Small selection.
Go again? Yes.