8 Top Spots for Autumnal & Festive Afternoon Tea
This autumn and winter, indulge with a true English classic! Warm up with traditional tea and treats in elegant surroundings or book an afternoon tea with a twist. Try your tea served with a side of cider, feast with your four-legged friends in tow, or choose a charming teatime location, with castles, colourful gardens and riverside pubs all offering the warmest of welcomes.
1. An upscale affair in the city: Green Dragon Hotel, Hereford
Spoil yourself with a deliciously decadent afternoon tea at Hereford’s Green Dragon Hotel. Tuck into cucumber and cream cheese finger sandwiches, vanilla scones and profiteroles, with your choice of Trumper’s Tea or Method Coffee on the side. Make sure to book ahead. If you’re feeling naughty, add bottomless prosecco for a little extra.
2. Take your tea by the water: Hope & Anchor, Ross-on-Wye
Get cosy with a riverside afternoon tea at Ross’s Hope & Anchor. Sandwiches include Herefordshire beef and watercress, as well as Wye Valley salmon and cream cheese, so it’s the ideal place to enjoy delicious, local flavours. To make a day of it, canoe or kayak your way there, getting off at the pub’s own jetty! 48hrs booking notice required.
3. An autumnal extravaganza, perfect for your socials: Bush Inn, Hereford
Enjoy tea-time treats with a quirky twist at the Bush Inn, home to their charmingly presented, ‘picnic benches’. Supremely Instagrammable, their cosy-hued Autumn Bench would be perfect for hen-do grazing and get-togethers with friends.
4. Tea in the walled garden: Brobury House Gardens & Cafe, Borbury
Combine afternoon tea with an outing to the gorgeous Brobury House Gardens. Set on the banks of the River Wye, you'll find a terraced Victorian garden, panoramic views of the glorious surrounding countryside, formal gardens and magnificent, mature trees. The Café is located within the beautiful walled garden overlooking the gardens and Wisteria pergola. If you're looking to indulge, in a truly tranquil setting, this is the spot!
5. A taste of Georgian elegance: Castle House Hotel, Hereford
For all out luxury in sophisticated surroundings, the family-run Castle House Hotel in Hereford offers a decadent high tea and afternoon tea with a special children’s menu, and even boasts a Condé Nast Johansens seal of approval. Booking is recommended.
6. A Mad Hatter’s tea party: Ralph Court Gardens, near Bromyard
After you’ve lost yourself in the fantastical gardens or braved the terrors of Dinosaur World, tuck into scones, finger sandwiches, and tasty toadstools at Ralph Court’s wonderfully wacky Alice in Wonderland-themed afternoon tea. Perfect for families, be sure to book in advance.
7. Tea with a side of cider: Newton Court, nr Leominster
Whether you’re fuelling up before an intriguing tour of the cider making process or dropping in after a bracing autumnal walk, quality tea and homemade cakes are always to be found at Newton Court Cider’s new café. Their lemon drizzle cake and tantalising tiramisu sponge are particular points of pride, as are their organic ciders and perry - all of which are made onsite and are available at their café and farm shop.
8. Cream teas and castles: Croft Castle & Berrington Hall, nr Leominster
National Trust tearooms are synonymous with a proper old-fashioned cream tea, and Croft Castle and Berrington Hall are no exception. At Berrington Hall, the Old Servant’s Hall tearoom is just the place to begin your tour of the neoclassical mansion and gorgeous Capability Brown designed pleasure grounds, while at Croft Castle a hearty scone piled with cream and jam makes a great end to a crunchy walk through the estate’s glorious golden woodland.
