15 Best British Cream Teas

This is a splendid ritual that most good hotels offer their guests, with delicious food and not only a selection of wonderful teas to choose from but all manner of exotic beverages, too.

Do book ahead, though. All these teas are available at places offering accommodation, so you could make a minibreak of it – check the website or call for details of special offers.

1. London Underground tea, London, £41 Celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Tube with The Park Lane Hotel’s London Underground Afternoon Tea, available until 10 March. Served in The Palm Court lounge, it includes a Metropolitan 1863 cocktail – Beefeater 24 gin and blackcurrant tea – plus special sandwiches, savouries and pastries, from ‘District and Circle Line’ roulade with coronation chicken and spinach, to orange Victoria sponge, ‘Bank’ hazelnut pound cake and white chocolate Oreo ‘Swiss Cottage’ roll.020-7290 7328, www.palmcourtlondon.co.uk
2. Winnie-the-Pooh tea, East Sussex, £5.95 per child The Ashdown Park Hotel in East Sussex is surrounded by the Ashdown Forest of AA Milne fame, so the perfect spot for a Pooh Bearthemed tea. Children can tuck into delicious Hunny sandwiches, Kanga cup cakes, Tigger’s sponge, Rabbit’s carrot sticks, Roo’s fruit salad and Owl’s popped corn, with a glass of milk or squash in the drawing room or on a picnic, while grown-ups have traditional tea, from £22 per person.  0808-089 3929, www.prideofbritainhotels.com 
3. Exotic tea, London, £13.50 Instead of sandwiches, Chino Latino at the Park Plaza Riverbank hotel in London serves sushi rolls filled with cucumber, sesame, salmon, egg and spicy mayo, plus ginger and chilli cheesecake, scones with jam and clotted cream, and patisseries with Japanese Pocky chocolate sticks. Choose from a wide selection of teas, too. 020-7769 2500, www.chinolatino.eu/london
4. Gin tea, Oxfordshire, £28 The Feathers in Woodstock offers more than 162 gins from across the world in its Gin Bar, so afternoon tea starts with a rosebud martini. This is followed by a mandarin, blueberry gin and green tea foam cleanser, and goodies to eat include Hendricks cured salmon and rye bread sandwiches, white chocolate truffles, pistachio pavlova, macaroons and three kinds of scones with clotted cream. Yum. u 0800-089 3929, www.prideofbritainhotels.com 
5. Traditional tea, Bath, £9.50 The Abbey Hotel, a privately owned Georgian town house, serves sandwiches and fruit scones with clotted cream and locally made preserves. Add homemade cakes and biscuits, from £1.50 each, including peanut butter cookies and zingy lemon drizzle cake. Tea aficionados can sip everything from Assam to jasmine and even exotic blackcurrant and hibiscus. 01225-461603, www.abbeyhotelbath.co.uk
6. Goring tea, London, £37.50 The Goring’s Traditional Afternoon Tea features freshly baked scones with clotted cream and jam, finger sandwiches and fancies plus more unique offerings, such as spice cake with brandy icing. Add a glass of Bollinger champagne for £10. 020-7396 9000, www.thegoring.com
7. Gentleman’s tea, Chester, £26 Forget dainty cakes and finger sandwiches, The Gentleman’s Afternoon Tea at The Chester Grosvenor includes sandwiches filled with beef and horseradish, chicken or egg mayonnaise, chunky chips and local Appleby Cheshire cheese fruitcake, rich hazelnut brownie and a pot of tea. 0800-089 3929, www.prideofbritainhotels.com 
8. Seaview tea, Cornwall, £34 for two Enjoy traditional afternoon cream tea on the terrace of the Nare Hotel, Carne Beach, Cornwall, overlooking the gardens and with wonderful sea views. The Quarterdeck Full Afternoon Tea For Two comprises a selection of egg and cress, cucumber, and tomato and basil sandwiches, scones, jam and clotted cream, a selection of cakes and biscuits, and a pot of tea. 01872-501111, www.narehotel.co.uk 
9. Locally sourced tea, Sussex, £32.50 The Nyetimber Celebration Afternoon Tea at South Lodge Hotel in the Sussex Downs includes a glass of award-winning local Nyetimber sparkling wine, plus finger sandwiches filled with Henfield smoked salmon from six miles down the road and locally cured ham with English mustard. Save room for freshly baked scones with jam and clotted cream. 0800-089 3929, www.prideofbritainhotels.com
10. Emperor Swan tea, Suffolk, £21.50 The Emperor Swan Afternoon Tea at The Swan Lavenham, Suffolk, served on delicate, antique porcelain, comprises sandwiches filled with venison with cranberry jelly, smoked salmon, caviar, cream cheese and cucumber, crab and lemon mayonnaise and egg mayonnaise and cress, plus apple and walnut scones with preserves and clotted cream, pastries and cakes. 01787-247477, www.theswanatlavenham.co.uk
11. Castle tea, North Yorkshire, £7.50 to £27.95 Swinton Park, a family-run castle hotel, offers a range of teas to enjoy in public rooms or on the terrace. Traditional Wensleydale Tea comes with your choice of Taylors of Harrogate tea with Wensleydale cheese and fruitcake. The Royal Garden Party Tea includes sandwiches, fruit loaf, shortbread, scones, clotted cream and preserves – and a glass of champagne. 01765-680900, www.swintonpark.com
12. Welsh tea, Llandudno, £15 Bodysgallen Hall, near Llandudno, is AA Hotel of the Year for Wales 2012-2013, and tea here includes cucumber, tomato, egg mayonnaise and poached salmon sandwiches, homemade cakes and scones with clotted cream and, of course, bara brith, Welsh teabread. It’s served in the elegant public rooms, or on the terrace in summer with views over 200 acres of parkland and Snowdonia. 01492-584466, www.bodysgallen.com
13. Tea in Scotland, Loch Lomond, £22.50 Enjoy a decadent traditional afternoon tea at Cameron House on Loch Lomond. Tuck into a selection of sandwiches, cream cakes and homemade scones with preserves and clotted cream, served with freshly brewed tea. 0871-222 4681, www.devere-hotels.co.uk
14. Grand cream tea, Brighton, from £22.95 A grand tea is exactly what you get in the Victoria Lounge and Terrace at The Grand Hotel Brighton. The Grand Afternoon Tea comprises three tiers of sandwiches, fruit and plain scones with clotted cream and strawberry preserve, lemon drizzle cake and delicious pastries, all served with your choice of Twinings teas. 01273-224300, www.devere-hotels.co.uk
15. Great Hall tea, Northamptonshire, £22 The Great Hall at Rushton Hall is the venue for traditional afternoon tea of sandwiches, freshly baked fruit and plain scones with clotted cream and strawberry preserve, cakes and pastries and a pot of tea or coffee. Guests at the Hall have included Charles Dickens and the building is believed to be the inspiration for Haversham Hall in Great Expectations. 01536-713001, www.fihotels.com

 

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HOW TO MAKE THE PERFECT CUP
‘Making tea is a unique, ritualised and highly personal experience,’ says Mark Nicholls, Tea Specialist and Ambassador for Twinings. Here he shares his tips for making the perfect cup from an everyday tea bag…

 

• Cleanliness is paramount. Make sure your cup and teapot have no residue from old drinks.
• Use freshly drawn water. It’s the oxygen in water that helps develop the flavour of the tea, and the more times that water is boiled, the more oxygen it loses.
• Warm your service. It is vital that your cup or teapot is warm, as tea needs a consistent temperature of water to brew properly. 
• Use the correct temperature of water. Black tea requires water just before the rolling boil. For green tea, allow the water to cool for 2 to 3 minutes before pouring.
• Develop depth of flavour. Allow the tea to brew for 3 to 5 minutes, so all the colour, flavour and vitamin components are released.
• Personalise your drink. Add milk, sugar or lemon to taste. Take a few minutes to enjoy the relaxing quality of your tea.