Tea for you and me

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

Author Archives: tealeaves


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teacup on thomas street

55 Thomas Street, Manchester, M4 1NA   (View on map)

Four teapots, three egg timers, two cups and one saucer at teacup

I’m not entirely sure if teacup on thomas street is called ‘teacup on thomas street’ or ‘teacup’, as the website logo seems to think the former but the large sign in the window when I went just said ‘teacup’. Either way, it was a good idea of E’s and a good place to go. It’s not far from the equally lovely North Tea Power, so if you’re going to Manchester then you may as well check out both places.

It seems to be owned by Mr Scruff, who also owns the make us a brew! tea brand, and has an excellent range of tea. It’s also the only place I’ve ever been where your tea is served with an egg timer and an empty teapot. When the tea has reached the right strength (as indicated by the egg timer) then you pour it into the empty pot so it doesn’t get any stronger. When we went it was busy and cheerful and though there weren’t many spare tables we didn’t feel rushed or hurried. It was a very relaxed atmosphere.

Romantic rosebuds.

I had the Organic Pink Rose Buds, just because I’d not seen this on a menu before. I’ve had tea with rose petals in, but not one just made of rosebuds. E had the Earl Grey (her first choice was Darjeeling Second Flush but they had run out).

My tea was very light, very soothing and just what I felt like. E said her tea was good tea. I also enjoyed the strange transparent plastic pots and the confusing double cup which meant the area that could hold tea was smaller than the cup and I was in constant danger of pouring hot liquid all over myself. I don’t think this is a negative point of the cafe you understand, it just illustrates my state of mind that day.

The cup of confusion.

We also had some cake.

I have to own up now and confess I’m writing this review almost a month after it took place, work and other things have been so busy this is the first chance I’ve had. I also have to admit that I’d just been to a hen party weekend and was very tired and I did something I never normally do – I forgot to take notes! This means that I remember the cake and I remember it was good, but I don’t remember what it was called. I think mine was banana and walnut and E thinks hers was carrot and orange, but we can’t be sure. You’ll just have to go and try it for yourself!

Hearty cake and delicate tea.

Teapot? Yes, not just one each, but two each!
Leaf tea? Yup.
Milk jug? Yes.
Price? £3.55 for rosebuds, £3.65 for the Earl Grey, £3 something for each piece of cake.
Cake? Yes, surprisingly filling and solid compared to normal versions of the same cakes, but in a satisfying way.
Go again? Yes.


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Tea Tanks

I’ve just had an email from my brother to inform me that all British tanks since World War Two have had tea making facilities on board. Not sure how much I believe this (sorry S) as the source for this revelation is in fact Wikipedia, but it’s an interesting idea. If it’s true, then it’s interesting that tanks need tea. If not true, then also interesting that someone thinks that this is an idea that should be promoted.

Any military historians out there who can verify or deny?


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Wimpy, Swanage

5 Institute Road, Swanage, Dorset, BH19 1BT.   (View on map)

Breakfast, tea and poetry at Wimpy

As we were on holiday we decided to go out for breakfast and headed to the Wimpy that we had seen the day before. Neither of us had seen a Wimpy restaurant for years and got overly excited at the idea of going in, but hadn’t wanted to go in for tea and cake so had held back until breakfast the next day. We just liked the fact the Wimpy serves you fast food on proper plates.

The breakfast was good, better than we were expecting and my mushrooms were very tasty and obviously freshly fried. My favourite part of the meal was the poem on the paper napkin about burgers, in association with Reading for Life (which now seems to be called Words for Life).

Teapot? Yes, a little metal one each.
Leaf tea? No, with a drawstring Tetley tea bag. R had not encountered these before so I had a fun 10 seconds teaching him how to use one.
Milk jug? No, those plastic pots.
Price? £1.30 for tea, £4.95 for a Great Wimpy Breakfast (mine cost an extra 45p on top of this as I had mushrooms instead of baked beans).
Cake? No, but milkshakes, teacakes and I think some waffles.
Go again? Probably not, but if it was the only place around then I wouldn’t be that unhappy as at least the tea comes in a pot.


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Beach Gardens

Northbrook Road, Swanage, Dorset, BH19 1PG.   (View on map)

The pitch and putt course, with the sea just visible behind the trees.

We went to the Beach Gardens to play a game of pitch and putt, but by the time we walked there I needed another cup of tea. Lo and behold, they offer takeaway tea, so I had a cup. It did the trick and I made it round the 18 holes with no problem, beating R in the process. I think it was the tea that did it.

Teapot? No, the tea came ready made in a polystyrene cup.
Leaf tea? Don’t know, assume not.
Milk jug? Not that I saw, but then the milk was already added.
Price? 70p for the tea, £2.80 per adult for the pitch and putt.
Cake? No, but some ice cream and chocolate bars, I think.
Go again? Yes, but for the pitch and putt rather than the tea.

Tea at the Beach Gardens.


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Chococo

Cocoa Central, Commercial Road, Swanage, Dorset, BH19 1DF   (View on map)

The bright colours of the bench I sat on, this was all along one wall and had many more colours on it.

We drove to Swanage via the chain link ferry from Poole and there was a striking brightly coloured advert for a chocolate shop and cafe on the ferry that caught my eye. I thought I would need to check it out. When we got to Swanage the first sign I saw was the sign directing us to the cafe and we made our way there before going anywhere else, but as it doesn’t do meals as such (and R was on his quest for a prawn mayo baguette) we ended up in Earthlights instead. So, after Earthlights and a wander round looking at the sea, I suggested we go back to Chococo.

The shop and cafe appealed to me for a number of reasons and you may be surprised to find that the chocolate wasn’t the main reason it appealed so much. It was the colour that made me want to go in. The road which Chococo is in had bright bunting in the shop colours, and inside was seating painted in stripes in the shop colours and so on. I liked the joyful brightness of the place. The second reason was of course the chocolate.

A close up of R's Deluxe hot chocolate.

There may not be any main meals on the menu and in fact I don’t remember anything savoury being on the menu at all, but there was still a lot to choose from. I asked for advice from the waitress, who said that it was all very good but did recommend a couple of things. I went for one of her suggestions: a cranberry and white chocolate brownie. R went for the Deluxe hot chocolate. My tea of choice was an Earl Grey.

When it arrived, R’s hot chocolate was very impressive. It had whipped Dorset cream, mini marshmallows and mini chocolate malt balls and came in a cereal bowl. All the crockery we got served was Emma Bridgewater, another reason I liked this cafe. My tea came on it’s own little tray (with a chocolate) and my chocolate brownie was very good and very strong. The chocolate that came with my tea was amazing. I definitely recommend their chocolate. They even have their own recipe book with all the good things in (including the brownie that I tried).

Tea, brownie and Deluxe hot chocolate at Chococo. Note the dotty crockery and that R has already demolished quite a bit of his hot chocolate despite it only being on our table for half a minute (good thing I took the close up photo as soon as it arrived).

I tried to get R to go back again the next day, but he’s just not that into chocolate. I’d happily go back now.

Teapot? Yes.
Leaf tea? No, but all the teas were Clipper teabags.
Milk jug? Yes.
Price? £1.50 for the tea, £3.55 for the Deluxe hot chocolate, not sure how much the brownie was – perhaps £2 something?
Cake? Muffins, brownies, cookies, cake biscuits, chocolates, ice cream, fondue (with the widest range of things to dip in it I’ve ever seen on a menu – they even had trifle fingers listed), hot chocolate that came with bits of orange covered in chocolate, milkshakes and chocolate chip scones (if I had spotted them before I ordered my brownie I would have tried one of those).
Go again? Yes, yes, yes.

 


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Earthlights Tearoom

36 High Street, Swanage, Dorset, BH19 2NU   (View on map)

Our first view of Swanage bay. Gorgeous.

When we arrived in Swanage we wanted some tea and also some lunch for R and some cake for me. Specifically, R wanted a prawn mayo baguette (he can be particular about his sandwiches sometimes) and Earthlights was the first place we came to that offered the baguette in question and had some cake for me.

The building this cafe is in was an interesting one, it had dark blue ceilings with timbers and big windows with leaded panes in at the top. Small but with a range of different sized tables and chairs and lots of photographs and paintings of the sea on the walls (some for sale).

They say on their website that they have the largest selection of tea in Swanage and we certainly didn’t find anywhere that offered more choice than them, there must have been at least 20 different teas and infusions to choose from. I had a Darjeeling and R had a peppermint.

Darjeeling and peppermint tea, along with prawn mayo baguette and the famous Dorset Apple Cake at Earthlights Tearoom.

Swanage is in Dorset and we realised quickly that the rules of cake are different there. Instead of the Victoria sponge cake ruling supreme it was the Dorset Apple Cake. It was offered everywhere we went, including fish and chip shops, but we only saw one Victoria sponge in our whole trip. I chose the Dorset Apple Cake, not yet knowing that it was the ubiquitous cake of Swanage, but thinking that when in Dorset I should try some of their cake. It was good, with slightly spiced sponge and apples in, crunchy on top. R said his baguette was very good too.

Teapot? Yes.
Leaf tea? No.
Milk jug? Yes.
Price? £1.45 for any type of tea.
Cake? Dorset Apple Cake and various other varieties, along with cookies, ice cream, pancakes, sandwiches, jacket potatoes and evening meals.
Go again? Yes, in fact we went back the next day and had lunch there again.


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La Baguetterie

22-24 The High Street, Theale, Berkshire, RG7 5AW   (View on map)

Tea that comes with a biscuit at La Baguetterie.

La Baguetterie seems to focus on lunch food rather than tea, as it has a large counter with a variety of different sandwich and baguette fillings. Unlike some sandwich shops it has a reasonable amount of seating so you can sit down and enjoy your lunch at a table. I went in the afternoon and it was very quiet, but that was just what I felt like so it was fine by me.

Teapot? Yes.
Leaf tea? No.
Milk jug? Yes.
Price? £1.60 for tea and ‘infusions’.
Cake? A very limited selection of pastries and tarts when I went, but as I went in the afternoon I imagine that they had already sold a lot as they were clearing up for the day. The tea came with a caramelised biscuit anyway.
Go again? Yes, if I’m in Theale.


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Jam and Tea

The Vintage Marketplace, Vintage by Hemingway festival 2011, Southbank, London.

Cupcakes and bunting.

This is a little different from other reviews on here because you can’t go visit this one. It’s been and gone. Over. No link to viewing it on the map because it was a ‘pop-up’ tearoom just for the festival, in a tent in the vintage marketplace section. It was provided by Jam and Tea and had a limited range of menu options – cupcake and tea, cream tea, petit fours and tea, or afternoon tea. LB and I plumped for the cupcake and tea as we could see rows of them on cake stands at the back of the tent.

It was a very hot, very busy day and the tent was also very hot and very busy but everyone inside was having a good time and enjoying the tea. Once we’d ordered a stand with cupcakes on was brought to us and we chose the ones we wanted – both of us picked the cream coloured ones (no difference in flavour, just difference in colour).

I think the best thing about this place was the set dressing – all the bunting, photos, postcards, tablecloths and crockery. For example, another lady on our table ordered the cream tea and her jam and cream came in tiny teacups. As this was a vintage festival there were a few people dressed in vintage clothing and this added to the fun feel of the tent.

Tea and cupcakes for two, along with a bunch of sweet peas.

Teapot? Yes.
Leaf tea? No.
Milk jug? Yes.
Price? £5 for tea and cupcake, £7 for tea and petit fours, £8 for a cream tea, £15 for afternoon tea.
Cake? Only those mentioned above.
Go again? Yes, but to the main cafe, not to the kiosk.


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The Steward’s Room

Kenwood House, Hampstead Lane, London, NW3 7JR.   (View on map)

The pond for birds rather than the one for ladies, but it gives an idea of the calm beauty of the ponds on Hampstead Heath.

The Steward’s Room is not the main cafe at Kenwood House, but the small kiosk style one by the side that serves ice cream. A and I had spent a very pleasant day swimming at the Ladies’ Pond, but it was a very cold pond so after our second swim we went in search of hot tea. The lifeguard informed us that Kenwood House was the place to go, so we wandered past the greenery and marvelled at the view of Hampstead Heath before arriving at the house.

The main cafe (The Brew House) was very busy and I felt like an ice cream anyway, so the kiosk seemed the best option. If I went again I’d go to the main cafe as they had proper teapots, cups and milk jugs – whereas we only had paper cups.

Tea and ice cream at The Steward's Room.

hot chocolate and I had an Earl Grey tea along with a double scoop of ice cream (strawberry and mint choc-chip). A said her hot chocolate was too sweet and sickly, and when she got to the bottom of the cup there was a big mound of chocolate sludge, so that was a bit odd. My tea would have benefited from being in a pot, but other than that was quite good considering. The photo doesn’t really do the house justice, it’s a much nicer venue than the picture implies – but, hey, it’s difficult to take a photo with one hand.

Teapot? No.
Leaf tea? No.
Milk jug? A big one that you helped yourself to.
Price? £1.30 for the tea, £3.20 for the ice cream (double scoop).
Cake? Yes, and fruit, crisps, yoghurts, juice, sandwiches, salads etc.
Go again? Yes, but to the main cafe, not to the kiosk.


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Norsk

Norwegian Church Arts Centre, Harbour Drive, Cardiff Bay, CF10 4PA   (View on map)

The view of the bay, just along from the Norwegian Church.

The Norwegian Church turned out to be a church that was established in 1868 to provide for the sailors of the Norwegian merchant fleet, though it’s no longer a consecrated space. A plaque in the Roald Dahl Plass informed me that not only was Roald Dahl born in Cardiff, he was christened in the Norwegian Church. Another excellent reason to visit it.

Now it’s an arts centre with a cafe, which is why I was there. The building was striking and completely different to the other buildings surrounding it. The white slats contrasted against the blue of the sky and drew my eye to it way before I reached the building.

Inside is a small exhibition space on the first floor, a meeting/events room and a the cafe. It was cold and threatening rain when I went but the decking area to the side looked too enticing to ignore, so I made my way outside.

The Norwegian Church.

It was windy and cold, but again, very peaceful. I’m not sure if it was just because the weather wasn’t that great, or because I was in a different country, or because I wasn’t at work on a day I would normally be working, but I found my whole Cardiff tea drinking experience very peaceful and calm. The bay was especially beautiful and I stayed there into the evening, going to see a play that was on at the Wales Millennium Centre in the evening. I think I could quite happily live in Cardiff.

Tea on the outside terrace. Hot tea and cold air with a sea view, brilliant.

Anyway, reverie over. Now back to the tea. There was an option for a ‘Welsh brew’ tea, so that’s what I ordered. It was hot and strong, but I couldn’t honestly tell you that I noticed anything particularly different from a standard English Breakfast tea. It didn’t matter, the view was great.

Teapot? Yes.
Leaf tea? No.
Milk jug? Yes.
Price? £1.90 for the Welsh brew, I have a feeling a more standard tea may cost slightly less.
Cake? A selection of cake and biscuits, not forgetting the Welsh cakes. I think some hot food as well, but I’m afraid I wasn’t paying much attention – I just wanted to get outside and see the sea again.
Go again? Yes.