Eat My Words: We review afternoon tea at Stamford Country Lounge
When it comes to a treat there is nothing quite like tucking into the classic British staple that is afternoon tea.
Dainty sandwiches, cakes, scones and a pot of tea is a winning combination, which you can’t go too far wrong with.
Throughout the years I’ve had a number of afternoon teas ranging from stand-out to forgettable.
But now, having visited Stamford Country Lounge, nothing compares.
Afternoon tea is usually saved for special occasions, but on a random summer lunchtime when myself, mum Tina and sister Millie all had a free couple of hours it seemed the perfect time for a girly treat.
We looked at where in Stamford served afternoon tea and when the mouth-watering details from the St Mary’s Street cafe were shared in the family group chat there was no debate.
Afternoon tea is only available with a booking at least 24 hours in advance, so a reservation was made and we paid the deposit of £10 each. In total it costs £25 per person.
The friendly owner, Gemma, welcomed us into the cosy cafe, seated us at a table near the window and collected our drinks orders.
The tea arrived in a beautiful baby pink pot, alongside a mish mash of chunky patterned cups and white saucers. This may not be your cup of tea if your preference is fancy, floral bone China but in my opinion you can’t beat a sturdy mug with a bit of character.
As the food arrived we let out exclamations of ‘wow’ and ‘ooh’ - it looked spectacular.
Instead of traditional cake stands, the food was presented on wooden mini picnic tables with the benches used for savoury and the table saved for sweets.
When we first sat down at our table overlooking St Mary’s Street we had remarked it would be a perfect location to sit and watch the world go by.
But the tables had turned…
Throughout our meal more than half a dozen passers-by stopped to stare at the feast which sat in front of us.
I could practically see the drool on their faces as they pointed out the afternoon tea to their partners or mouthed ‘wow’ at us through the window.
Even when we had polished off as much of the food as we could, it didn’t stop the gawping.
Whether afternoon tea customers are deliberately sat by the window to drum up business is hard to say but either way the food definitely speaks for itself.
At the point of booking, we were asked to choose three sandwich fillings from a list of ham and mustard, salmon and cream cheese, crayfish in marie rose sauce with rocket, egg, cheese and tomato, and cream cheese and cucumber.
As there were three of us, the fairest way was to each choose one and we settled on egg, crayfish and cream cheese and cucumber.
I naively thought that this wouldn’t be enough…how I was wrong!
These weren’t the dainty little finger sandwiches which leave you hankering for more. Instead, they were slathered with butter and boasted a generous amount of filling.
With afternoon teas it can feel like the sweet treats overwhelmingly outweigh the savoury choices. But not this one.
Accompanying the sandwiches were scotch eggs, sausage rolls - which were warm having just come out the oven - and blinis with hummus, avocado and sun dried tomato.
This afternoon tea strayed slightly from tradition but in the best way.
While soft raisin scones did get a place on the top layer, there was also a creative range of sweet desserts rather than just standard cakes. These included: French toast jam roly poly, Biscoff cheesecake, double chocolate brownie drizzled in white chocolate, gluten-free orange and almond cake, trifle in a shot glass and a chocolate and pistachio cannoli.
Read all of our Eat My Words reviews here
It was impossible to choose a favourite.
The cannoli had the perfect crunch and the brownie was rich with flavour while the nostalgic trifle took me back to my childhood and the Biscoff cheesecake was light with the perfect amount of sweetness.
It was clear from the beginning it would be too much food for us all, so instead of leaving nibbled-on remains, we cut things in half and asked for a doggy bag at the end.
The left-overs filled four takeaway containers which we enjoyed the following day.
According to Gemma, only one couple has ever managed to eat it all and, not to be an almond mum, but that seriously takes some doing.
Out of five:
Food: The best afternoon tea EVER. There was nothing I indulged in which didn’t blow me away. Other than the cannoli shell everything is homemade *****
Drink: You can’t go wrong with a good English cuppa. Although, next time I might upgrade to the prosecco option. ****
Decor: I couldn’t quite put my finger on what style the decor was inside the cafe. It was bright yet also cosy with a mix of furniture and decorations. ****
Staff: Gemma, the owner, was a ray of sunshine who put us at ease straight away. Customers at Stamford Country Lounge were all greeted and spoken to in the same friendly manner. *****
Price: In total this afternoon tea cost us £75, which is £25 per person. Based on how much food you get and the high quality, it was definitely worth the money.*****
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