Tea for you and me

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

Category Archives: Review


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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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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.


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Glasshouse Cafe

Royal Horticultural Society Garden Wisley, Woking, GU23 6QB.

The Glasshouse from which the Glasshouse Cafe gets it's name

The Glasshouse from which the Glasshouse Cafe gets it's name

RHS Garden Wisley is a stunning garden with lots of examples of different plants. There is a relatively new large glasshouse with a tropical zone, a dry zone and a temperate zone. Next to this is the Glasshouse Cafe which is fashionably eco-friendly and has separate bins for the different types of food as well as having solar panels. You will have to pay to enter the garden in order to go this cafe, but the garden itself is well worth a visit.

I wasn’t going to have any cake but then I saw seed and beetroot cake and I thought ‘I have to try that’. So I did. It was moist and luscious and I’m going to have to hunt around for a recipe.

Tea and cake in the Glasshouse Cafe

Tea and cake in the Glasshouse Cafe

It warmed the cockles of my heart to see a sign proclaiming the death of milk in tiny plastic pots and the advent of fresh milk from a dispenser, with the option to put it in tiny milk jugs if you wished. The tea came in paper cups and the cake was on a paper plate. I understand the idea of recycling your rubbish but surely having crockery and just washing it up would be more eco-friendly in the long term? Am I mad in thinking reusing is better than recycling?

Teapot? No.
Leaf tea? No, but my favourite Clipper Fairtrade teabags.
Milk jug? Yes.
Price? £1.45 for the tea, £2.25 for the cake.
Cake? An impressive selection that included cheesecake and scones.
Go again? Yes.


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Henley Leisure Centre

Gillotts Lane, Henley-on-Thames, RG9 1PA.

Tea at Henley Leisure Centre

Tea at Henley Leisure Centre

Henley Leisure Centre looks very new and shiny. It has a 25 metre swimming pool and has lane swimming on a Sunday morning, which is why I was there. I got to it through single track country roads past horses and churches and over a hump back bridge. Suddenly, in the midst of all this greenery and stereotypical countryside was a driveway and a car park with a new concrete building next to it. It actually fits in with it’s surroundings remarkably well. It also didn’t have a sign that I could see so I drove past it before realising it must be what I was looking for.

The cafe counter is the other half of the reception desk and is some sort of Starbucks concession. There is a choice of sofas, armchairs and tables and chairs. Overall the centre feels light and fresh and airy and it was a pleasant place to sit and drink tea in, even if the tea itself wasn’t so spectacular.

Teapot? No.
Leaf tea? No.
Milk jug? Big one that they hadn’t put out until I asked for it.
Price? £1.40.
Cake? A few muffins and breakfast cereals.
Go again? Yes.



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Woodlands Park Hotel

Woodlands Lane, Stoke D’Abernon, Cobham, Surrey, KT11 3QB

Cakes, scones, tea and Pimms sorbet galore at the Woodlands Park Hotel

Cakes, scones, tea and Pimms sorbet galore at the Woodlands Park Hotel

For my Mum’s birthday (no, I’m not telling you which one) we all went to the Woodlands Park Hotel for afternoon tea. Drinking tea and eating cake is part of the family tradition, it’s no wonder that I blog about it too.

You have to give the hotel 24 hours notice if you want afternoon tea and we found out why. All the food was excellent and fresh. Sandwiches, amazing scones, fruit cake, cherry cake, chocolate and coffee eclairs, mini pavlovas, strawberry tarts and Pimms sorbet. Yum!

The tea wasn’t so good, I’m afraid. We each had a pot to ourselves but we had to ask for hot water and I lost count of the amount of times we ran out of milk. Two medium sized milk jugs for 9 people, who are all taking their tea with milk, is not enough. Tea bags too.

Teapot? Yes.
Leaf tea? No.
Milk jug? Yes.
Price? £18 per person.
Cake? Yes.
Go again? Yes.


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Shoemakers

The Arcade, Market Place, Newbury, Berkshire, RG14 5AD.

Tea, bread and soup at Shoemakers Cafe

Tea, bread and soup at Shoemakers Cafe

I’ve walked past this cafe many many times and never seen a spare table, so never had a chance to try it. This time it was raining and I was cold and someone left the cafe just as I walked past, I quickly doubled back and dived in. Shoemakers is a small but perfectly formed cafe in a Christian bookshop, tucked away in a tiny arcade in Newbury. It’s the only cafe I’ve ever been in that had a prayer box on the table, with a note inviting me to suggest a topic to be prayed for.

I ordered mushroom and thyme soup which came with homemade bread and of course a pot of tea. This cafe gets extra bonus points for being tiny and yet still providing me with a teapot, milk jug and a jug of hot water, without me having to ask for any of it. And the soup! Very good soup.

Teapot? Yes.
Leaf tea? No.
Milk jug? Yes.
Price? £1.30 for pot of tea, £2.95 for soup and bread.
Cake? Small amount.
Go again? Yes.


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Lou La Belle

3-5 Reading Road, Pangbourne, Reading, RG8 7LR

Tea and panini at Lou La Belle

Tea and panini at Lou La Belle

I’ve been to the previous cafe here a few times, but this was the first time I’d been here since it changed hands and changed it’s name to Lou La Belle.

It’s a large cafe that was busy when I went, with only a few tables left. My favourite panini is sundried tomato and mozarella which wasn’t on the menu but when I asked for it they were happy to oblige. Order at the large counter with a myriad of sandwich fillings and cakes, pay, and then they will bring it to your table.

Teapot? Yes.
Leaf tea? No.
Milk jug? Yes.
Price? £1.50 ish for tea.
Cake? Yes, lots and lots of it.
Go again? Yes.


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The Griffin

10-12 Church Road, Caversham, Reading, Berkshire, RG4 7AD.

Tea-total tea at the Griffin

Tea-total tea at the Griffin

We had been wandering along the river Thames and thought a trip to the pub would be very good. So we headed over the bridge and went to The Griffin. The Griffin is an old fashioned looking pub with beams and nooks, comfy seats and hops pinned to the ceiling. It’s also got an outside seating area but the weather was so good we couldn’t get a seat. Inside I decided what I really fancied was a pot of tea. I’m fine with ordering tea in pubs and bars, most places that serve food will serve you tea and the worst that can happen is that they say no.

Years ago, before every pub was open in the morning and had a coffee machine next to the spirits, a friend and I were at a gig in a pub in Kingston. We really wanted some tea, so we thought we’d take a chance and ask at the bar. They didn’t serve it, but we must have looked disappointed as the barman went upstairs to his flat, made us some tea in two of his mugs, and charged us 50p each. Standing at the back of the crowd watching the gig with a mug of tea is one of my fondest gig memories. Ah.

Anyway, R took some persuading that asking for tea at the bar wasn’t going to be frowned upon, but he did and I was very pleased with the result. The best bit, in my opinion, was that the teapot had a picture of a tea pot on the side and ‘ttotal’ underneath. Excellent.

Teapot? Yes.
Leaf tea? No.
Milk jug? Yes.
Price? Not sure, but less than £2.
Cake? No, but pudding and food etc.
Go again? Yes.


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Sir Michael Straker Cafe

The Sage Gateshead, St Mary’s Square, Gateshead Quays, Gateshead, NE8 2JR.

View of the Sage from across the river

View of the Sage from across the river

I saw this building and took a photo of it before I knew what it was, just because the shape of it was so pleasing to look at. It’s near the BALTIC and after going there I decided I would head to this strange building to find out more.

It turned out to be The Sage, an ‘international home for music and musical discovery’. It’s a venue for music as well as having learning programmes and also a branch of the public library, specialising in music. It’s also got a restaurant, some bars and a cafe! I didn’t have much time before I needed to go back to the hotel and meet people for dinner, but a cafe, how could I pass up the opportunity to drink tea in this snail shell of a building? So I decided to risk it.

Tea at the Sir Michael Straker Cafe

Tea at the Sir Michael Straker Cafe

The servery bit of the cafe is tucked between some stairs, but the tables go almost all the way to the vast windows. I apologise for the appalling picture quality of the tea at this cafe, I wanted to get the huge windows in the shot but the tea is so dark in comparison you can’t see it. It’s an inspiring place to drink tea, I’d recommend it. While I was there I could hear an orchestra playing, very relaxing.

Teapot? No.
Leaf tea? No.
Milk jug? Big jug and you help yourself.
Price? £1.20.
Cake? Yes and sandwiches etc.
Go again? Yes.