https://www.tylneyhall.co.uk/

Food: *****

Food was sophisticated but not too poncy and still respected the traditional afternoon tea foods. Lovely range of sandwiches (including brioche bun, traditional sandwiches and a sausage roll) and desserts and pastries. There were cakes, pastries AND desserts.

Tea: *****

We were given a whole tea menu with a very wide range of tea. Tea was excellent quality and loose-leaf, we also had unlimited refills.  We have given a generously sized pot each and gorgeous teacups.

Service: *****

Very helpful and friendly. Regularly checked on. We were allowed to pick our room to eat in, and the staff were extremely accommodating of any dietary needs or preferences. We were made to feel welcome where ever we were on the premises.

Ambience: Posh, formal, luxurious, civilised and spacious.

Value for money: *****

It cost us £27 per person. Despite being expensive, it was totally worth the money as you could have more sandwiches and more tea at no extra cost. There were also the extensive grounds available to enjoy for as long as you wanted. Food and service quality was outstanding.

 

Overall, we would highly recommend going to Tylney Hall for afternoon tea – it is great value for money and has an amazing location which allows you to make a day out, out of afternoon tea.

https://www.britanniahotels.com/hotels/basingstoke-country-hotel

Food: ***

Satisfactory food. Sandwiches were ok – not much of a choice/selection (all white bread).

Tea: **

We were given bagged tea which felt very bog-standard.

Service: ***

Average, nothing out of the way – not overly friendly or attentive.

Ambience: Plesant and quite relaxed.

Value for money: ***

It cost £19.95 for two  – we didn’t get masses of food. The surroundings were great and the trip can be combined with the use of the spa facilities like the pool -this can make for a very nice day out for a good price.

 

Overall – not exactly fine dining, but very pleasant and can make for a budget-friendly day out. Food was average and basic.

 

Food: ***

It was average, or slightly below. Scones seemed to taste homemade. Quantities not overly generous – petit fours were very small. Not a wide range of sandwiches.

Tea: ****

A wide selection of tea, which was loose leaf, and very good quality. Some more sophisticated teacups and teapots would have been nice.

Service: ** / ***

Adequate. We felt rushed and felt as if we were wasting their time.

Ambience: Claustrophobic, busy, dark, cramped – it is a small place and was very busy – we only had a tiny table between the two of us and there was not much room for our chairs.

Value for money: **

Ours cost £18.95 – which was quite expensive for what it was and where we were.

 

Overall – the tea was definitely the star of the show. It may be better if you went here during the off-peak times so you felt less cramped and had more space and maybe more attentive service.

 

https://www.donningtonvalley.co.uk/food-and-drink/afternoon-tea

Food:**

The food was mediocre. We had very small pots of jam – which we couldn’t even open (had to ask for help). Only one scone each. Selection of cakes/desserts and sandwiches were average and nothing amazing.

Tea: *

We were not offered a selection of teas. When it came, it was standard bagged tea. We had to ask for more hot water in our tea.

Service:**

Staff did not really know where to put us/ what they were doing and didn’t seem very interested. They were busy having their own conversations.

They had not listened to our request for no fish from when we phoned up, and we had to tell them again.

Ambience: Formal (we in a room on our own), dark (the room was very dark and slightly oppressive)

Value for money: ***

It was £15.50 per person which is fairly inexpensive – but for what it was you did not get much food and we didn’t feel we were able to explore the grounds due to there being a golf course there and we weren’t staying in the hotel.

 

Overall, if you are already there then maybe give it a go. But for the same kind of price – Esseborne Manor is a better choice. We wouldn’t recommend making a special trip here for afternoon tea.

https://esseborne-manor.co.uk/the-courtyard-restaurant/

Food: ***

Rather sophisticated. They branched out from just sandwiches and had mini tartlets and such. Some may say over-complicated – if you are more of a ‘simple sandwiches and cake’ gal, then this is not for you. It was good quality ingredients but we, personally found it a bit too complicated and fussy. Scones tasted homemade. The desserts/pastries were very sweet which can sometimes be a sweet-overload after having scones as well.

Tea: ****

Loose leaf tea with a fairly wide selection of flavours. It was good quality loose leaf tea. Served in very nice china teapots – which you don’t often get – it is usually commercial metal ones. Offered more tea which is a good sign!

Service: **

They did not check on us – we had to seek them out, which is not the idea of being waited on. We had to go wandering and find someone to ask about paying and we were not ever shown the menu with what the afternoon tea consisted of and the price.

Ambience: Country house-like, traditional, cosy, bit more formal. There is the added interest of Downton Abbey as the cast stayed there whilst they were filming. We got to pick our own room to eat in and ended up having a room to ourselves.

Value for money: ***

I can’t quite remember the price but it was quite expensive. There was quite a lot of food for the price, nice surroundings and nice grounds to wander. Some websites show it as being £30 for 2 people – which is quite good value.

 

Overall, the service was not great and the food was very complicated. If that sort of posh food is your thing then we recommend this to you – if you prefer more rustic, homemade style, traditional food then Esseborne is not for you.  It is certainly private, we had a room to ourselves and were not checked on by staff.

http://www.peytonandbyrne.co.uk/wallace-restaurant/

Food: ****

Slightly above average, scones are nice and homemade. Desserts were quite posh – mini lemon meringue pies for example – however no actual cake. Down to personal preference whether you prefer desserts or cakes (or a selection of both which is what we like!) We did find some of the desserts quite gelatinous (which some people don’t like).

Tea: ****

Loose leaf, with a fairly large selection of teas.

Service: ***

Average, long queue to get in, but if you book online then you can fast track.

Ambience: Artistic (it is in the courtyard of the Wallace Collection gallery), nice and civilised, glass roof and trees indoors connects you to the outdoors/nature.

Value for money: ****

It is good value for money at £18.75 per person as you have lovely surroundings and get generous sized scones and a good amount of jam and cream.

 

Overall – we would recommend going there as it is good value and can fit in as part of a lovely day out looking around the exhibitions at the Wallace Collection.

https://www.davy.co.uk/wine-bar/crusting-pipe/

Food: ***

Tiny pots of jam, not real clotted cream – only thick cream. Scones were not very nice and did not taste homemade.

Tea: ***

Again, the standard, everyday tea bags. A small selection of tea flavours.

Service: ***

Average, it was quite attentive and this may depend on how busy the restaurant is.

Ambience: Atmospheric, hustle and bustle – we had live music playing in the garden market which was lovely

Value for money: **

Not very good – it costs £23.95 per person and you don’t get much jam or cream and food is not very homemade or particularly fresh tasting. It is a wine bar and restaurant so no grounds to stroll other than the open courtyard.

 

Overall we would not recommend the afternoon tea here as it is not very good value for money and not very good quality/fresh. However the experience of the hustle and bustle of the live music and Covent Garden was cool, and the courtyard gives a good view of it whilst still feeling secluded.

https://www.theredhousepub.com/

Food: ****

The jam was nice and homemade, as well as the scones. However, the sandwiches were mediocre and the cake, although nice, there was only one ‘cake of the day’ so there was no choice/selection of desserts.

They gave us a good amount of jam and clotted cream for the scones.

Tea: **

It was standard, commercial tea bags so not much richness of flavour. There was, however, a few choices of tea flavours.

Service: ****

Good, attentive, casual and friendly.

Ambience: Rustic and casual

Value for money: ****

It costs £17.50 per person and you get a good quality homemade jam, cream and cakes also good quality ingredients in scones. However, there are no grounds to walk, just a small pub garden and you only get one cake.

 

Overall – if you are looking for somewhere rustic with a quaint pub feel and good homemade produce, then the Red House is a good place to go. A trip here could be combined with a walk in the Marsh Benham countryside.