A Hot Day in Brighton with Fabulous Tea and Gelato

Here are two little places in Brighton in which they were never there when I was living in Brighton. It was a hot day when I paid a visit to this little beach town. As I was strolling from Brighton Pier through Pool Valley, I popped by a gelato shop called Boho Gelato in Pool Valley before stopped by Blackbird Tea Rooms for afternoon tea chitchat with my cousin. But hey, these two places were awesome, especially, Boho Gelato. What a delicious ice-cream.

Blackbird Tea Rooms @ Brighton

Map: Blackbird Tea Rooms @ Brighton

Charged Price: GBP7.00 per person

Visited: 1 July 2015

Food: 8/10

Atmosphere: 8/10

Value for money: 8/10

Services: 7/10
Scale: [1=poor ---- 5=average/standard ---- 10=outstanding/exceptional]

Blackbird Tea Rooms is located in the famous shopping area of Brighton, The Lanes. It is rather small. The atmosphere is lovely which would bring you back to the rustic old time of England. It was a fine summer day when we paid a visit to Blackbird and we were fortunate to be able to grab a table in the backyard. There were on a few tables there in the backyard. Believe me it could be great sipping tea in the old fashion atmosphere here but it was fantastic, in my view, in the backyard on a fine day.

Blackbird Tea Rooms store front

getting more rustic inside

old fashion counter

a perfect day for courtyard afternoon tea

Typical and classic afternoon tea here. We had Cream Tea and Banana, Pecan & Date Cake and we did not disappoint. Scone came in a big chunk. It was not just about the size of scone here. It was delicious too. Soft on the touch and delicate. Wonderful scone indeed. The cake was as well in par with scone. Large slice and yummy. Perfect with its frosting. As for tea, there were around 10+ choices ranging from something classic to more exotic choices: English Breakfast, Earl Grey, Rose Congou, Rooibos, and etc.

In short, this is an excellent place to stop by for tea, snack, and dessert. A must return for me (if I have a chance).

our afternoon break treat

Cream Tea (GBP6.00)

delicious scone with jam and clotted cream

Banana, Pecan & Date Cake (GBP3.90)

Blackbird Tea Rooms @ Brighton

30 Ship Street
Brighton
BN1 1AD
United Kingdom

Open Hours: daily from 08:30am - 05:30pm
Tel: +44 (0) 1273 249 454
Web: http://www.blackbirdtearooms.com/
FB: https://www.facebook.com/BlackbirdTeaRooms

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Boho Gelato @ Brighton

Map: Boho Gelato @ Brighton

Charged Price: GBP2.40 per person

Visited: 1 July 2015

Food: 9/10

Atmosphere: n.m.

Value for money: 8/10

Services: n.m.
Scale: [1=poor ---- 5=average/standard ---- 10=outstanding/exceptional]

Needless to say much about Boho Gelato. It is just a tiny shop with all about ice-cream. There are somewhat 24 flavours daily here. Again flavour ranges from something classic to exotic ice-cream. So so delicious ice-cream here. It was smooth, it was creamy, it was delicate, and yet flavourful. I had Cucumber and Rose on a cone on such a hot day and it was wowwww. Cucumber and Rose, what a combination. It somehow support each other pretty well. Freshness of cucumber seems to go unexpectedly well with aroma of rose. I miss it already as I am typing now. In two words, "MUST VISIT".

Cucumber and Rose on Cone (GBP2.40)

mini store of Boho

the menu board

Boho Gelato @ Brighton

6 Pool Valley
Brighton
BN1 1NJ
United Kingdom

Open Hours: daily from 11:00am - 06:00pm

Tel: +44 (0) 1273 727 205
Web: http://www.bohogelato.co.uk/
FB: https://www.facebook.com/bohogelato

From Bradford-on-Avon to Stow-on-the-Wold

Last time, I shared 2 afternoon tea destination that we felt somewhat disappointed. However, there are those wonderful tea rooms too around Bath and Cotswold areas that I would love to share. Here are ones in Bradford-on-Avon and Stow-on-the-Wold. One is rustic and the other is simplistic. Both were lovely and worth a visit (or visits).

The Bridge Tea Rooms @ Bradford-on-Avon

Map: The Bridge Tea Rooms @ Bradford-on-Avon

Charged Price: GBP6.00 per person

Visited: 27 June 2015

Food: 7/10

Atmosphere: 7/10

Value for money: 8/10

Services: 6/10
Scale: [1=poor ---- 5=average/standard ---- 10=outstanding/exceptional]

If you happen to be in the small town of Bradford-on-Avon in the west Wiltshire, The Bridge Tea Rooms is one not to be missed. The building of this historic tea room is somewhat over 500 years old. The place is not large and I would say that reservation can be helpful during weekend. It is a small cosy tea room with gorgeous Victorian surrounding. Staffs also dress in old fashion way. For location wise, it is pretty easy to access here too. There are paid parking spaces right opposite the tea room.

Historic building of The Bridge Tea Rooms

cake selection

What we had at The Bridge Tea Rooms were Bridge Cream Tea and Ginger Cake with Lemon Icing. The ginger cake was lovely and dense. Aroma of ginger was noticeable. Lemon icing cut through ginger spice pretty well. The best part here was scones. Scones at this tea room is delicious. I really mean delicious. Smooth and soft but yet fairly dense. Alongside clotted cream was nice, flavourful, and dense. When paring with jam, heaven is within a grasp. It just oozed my day.

For selection of tea, there are some 20+ choices: black tea, blended, white tea, green tea, scented tea, and smoky tea. Good quality too. Needless to say, The Bridge Tea Rooms is a destination of must-visit. Thank God I have found you.

Bridge Cream Tea (GBP7.25) and Ginger Cake with Lemon Icing (GBP3.65)

gorgeous scones with yummy clotted cream and jams

The Bridge Tea Rooms @ Bradford-on-Avon

24a Bridge Street
Bradford-on-Avon
Wiltshire
BA15 1BY
United Kingdom

Open Hours: Mon - Fri: 09:30am - 05:00pm
Sat: 09:30am - 05:30pm
Sun: 10:00am - 05:00pm
Tel: +44 (0) 1225 865 537
Web: http://www.thebridgetearooms.co.uk/
FB: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Bridge-Tea-Rooms/518828418145237

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Lucy's Tearoom @ Stow-on-the-Wold

Map: Lucy's Tearoom @ Stow-on-the-Wold

Charged Price: GBP5.00 per person

Visited: 29 June 2015

Food: 8/10

Atmosphere: 6/10

Value for money: 8/10

Services: 6/10
Scale: [1=poor ---- 5=average/standard ---- 10=outstanding/exceptional]

Here is an excellent one in Stow-on-the-Wold. The place looks so simple, so relax, and so yummy. The place is kept in minimal. There are seats available in the small backyard too. Staffs are lovely. But most of all, it is yummilicious here. Stow-on-the-Wold may be just a small town in Gloucestershire but Lucy's Tearoom is more than just a tea room. It is filled with warmth and delicacy.

fantastic tea room: Lucy's Tearoom

cosy tea room in minimalist style

selection of cakes on the shelf

perfect backyard seats for Summer days

Again, we had a piece of cake and cream tea for our tea break. Apple and Almond Cake (wheat free) was nice enough to sparkle my day. However, Hot Chocolate (GBP2.40 for large) is the one that I might not recommend to anyone. The best of all is definitely scones with clotted cream and jam. Hey....this is just a small tea room in a small town. But the scone is impeccable. It might not look that appealing. When the first bite was tasted, it was another love-at-first-sight for me. So smooth, so soft but a touch of chewiness. Oh well, scones, clotted cream, and jam, you all truly belong to each other.

A must must must visit little tea room. Cheers million times.

Cotswold Cream Tea (GBP7.50)

One of the very best scone so far

Lucy's Tearoom @ Stow-on-the-Wold

The Square
Stow-on-the-Wold
Gloucestershire
GL54 1AB
United Kingdom

Open Hours: daily from 10:00am - 04:30pm

Tel: +44 (0) 1451 830 000
FB: https://www.facebook.com/lucystearoom

Tea Time at Lords of the Manor @ Upper Slaughter and Sally Lunn's @ Bath

It was 2 very fine days in the area of West England and in fact it was very hot and unusual for UK. What else could be better than chillaxing with nice cups of tea in the afternoon. One of the day we headed for an al fresco low tea at Lords of the Manor and the other day when we were in Bath we chose to revisited Sally Lunn's after almost a full decade.

Lords of the Manor @ Upper Slaughter, Gloucestershire

Map: Lords of the Manor @ Upper Slaughter, Gloucestershire

Charged Price: GBP25.00 per person + 10% service charge for afternoon tea set

Visited: 29 June 2015

Food: 7/10

Atmosphere: 8/10

Value for money: 2/10

Services: 7/10
Scale: [1=poor ---- 5=average/standard ---- 10=outstanding/exceptional]

Lords of the Manor is a rather prestigious hotel in the area of Upper Slaughter in Gloucestershire. A beautiful hotel indeed. The restaurant of Lords of the Manor also comes with 1 Michelin Star price tag.

As mentioned, it was a beautiful day and why would ones choose to have their tea in the living as usual. Al fresco was without doubt our choice. The front lawn was gorgeous and spacious looking towards the old building of Lords of the Manor.

beautiful Lords of the Manor at Upper Slaughter

al fresco afternoon tea

hotel entrance in monochrome

Afternoon Tea Set (7/10) at Lords of the Manor comes in rather unusual format than other places. I have seen many places that offer free flow format but it is not the case here. The set comprised of finger sandwiches, 2 scones (plain and fruit), and small bites pastries. You may well go for a fancier set with an addition of GBP10 for a glass of Champagne Laurent Perrier Brut.

Sandwiches came in 4 styles: egg mayonnaise and cress, Gloucester cheddar, cucumber, and smoked salmon, cream cheese and dill. Nice but not great in my opinion. Scones were as well in the similar line. Delicious enough but not to die for. It was not as smooth as expected and the clotted cream was lighter than my liking. I am one of those who love thick kind of cream.

For selection of tea, there are about ten kinds to be chosen from. Ranging from classic black tea for consumption with milk to aromatic kind of range to Chinese tea. Delicious selection. To me, this is a beautiful place and it is good for a relaxing afternoon chitchatting with friends or even business talk. But on a nice Summer day only. Otherwise, it would not worth a detour. The afternoon tea set was good but the price tag was ways too high for what you get if without beautiful day and view.

Afternoon Tea Set (GBP25.00)

finger sandwiches

scones with clotted cream and jam

clotted cream and jam on scones is almost the best afternoon treat

small dessert bites

Lords of the Manor @ Upper Slaughter, Gloucestershire

Upper Slaughter
Gloucestershire
GL54 2JD
United Kingdom

Open Hours: Mon - Sat from 12:00pm - 05:30pm and Sun from 03:30pm - 05:30pm
Tel: +44 (0) 1451 820 696
Web: http://www.lordsofthemanor.com/
FB: https://www.facebook.com/LordsOfTheManorHotel

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Sally Lunn's @ Bath

Map: Sally Lunn's @ Bath

Charged Price: GBP9.00 per person without alcohol

Visited: 27 June 2015

Food: 6/10

Atmosphere: 4/10

Value for money: 4/10

Services: 5/10
Scale: [1=poor ---- 5=average/standard ---- 10=outstanding/exceptional]

Let me skip the history and legacy of Sally Lunn's and go straight to the point here. For those who have not heard about Sally Lunn's, this is a very very famous tea house that serves its own special bun with tea instead of scone. It is located right in the centre of Bath. You won't miss it. Ask anyone there and they should be able to guide to the direction.

Recalling our previous visit to Sally Lunn's almost a decade ago, I sort of remember that it was one fine Saturday and the place was busy with visitors. Yes, I mean busy and only busy. In contrast, Sally Lunn's now gets super famous amongst tourists and I have to say that it is crowded and packed. The queue was long when we arrived around early afternoon. No, I cannot waste my time with the queue. I decided to do some other things before returning towards late afternoon. By the time, we were seating within 10 minutes but the place was still packed.

The famouse Sally Lunn's at Bath

crowded dining hall

The bun was still as tasty as before. Its half-blood kind of texture was unique. In one sense it feels like brioche and on the other hand, it also contains some touch like scones. If you have not tried, perhaps you wanna give it a go when you are in Bath. I would say that forget about tea here. It was ok, standard quality in small pot. What I would recommend is that trying both savoury and sweet is a good experience. As in our case, we had Sally Lunn Cream Tea, which of course came with clotted cream and jam, and Sally Lunn's Bun with Salt Beef. They both were lovely. The portion can be small and you may expect one to have both savoury and sweet in a meal.

The service here was not so touchy as thought. When a place gets really busy, staffs usually cannot perform at their best capability. In overall, I believe Sally Lunn's has kept its delicacy rather well but it was just the place that was ways too crowded. If I have a chance to revisit Bath, I would not perhaps waste my time visiting Sally Lunn's but go searching some other experience. But this is an opinion of one who had visited the place though.

Sally Lunn Cream Tea (GBP6.98)

Sally Lunn's Bun with Salt Beef (GBP7.68)

Sally Lunn's @ Bath

4 North Parade Passage
Bath
BA1 1NX
United Kingdom

Open Hours: daily from 10:00am - 09:30pm (09:00pm for Sunday and 10:00pm for Friday and Saturday)

Tel: +44 (0) 1225 461 634
Web: http://www.sallylunns.co.uk/
FB: https://www.facebook.com/Sallylunnsbath