Category: Afternoon Tea

No. 12 – owls, dead ducklings and a delectable tart!

We tried out a new tea room this week in Terling, a beautiful little village that we used to frequent fairly regularly when we had a mutual friend that lived there.  However, aside from walking from car to her front door and getting lost (as if) when I took the kids on a ‘magical-mystery-house-hunting-jaunt’ one day and having to ask a postman for directions, I had never explored further.  The Owl’s Hill Tea Room is handily located on Owl’s Hill Road so easy peasy for us three navigationally challenged ladies to find.  Having said that, we had agreed to meet at the Village Hall but Sister’s X and Y went rogue and located the tea room independently, leaving me and the littlest sister of the hood sitting on a bench by the village hall wondering where on earth they had got to!  After 10 minutes and thinking that surely both of them couldn’t be late/lost we wandered round to the café to find them already in situ with high chair installed ready for us …. we did chuckle about it …. after, I confess, an initial grumble on my part …. think the cake withdrawal panic had set in!  There is some sort of green space or nature reserve next to the Village Hall which looked like a lovely place to walk and fairly buggyable from brief inspection but it was too cold and a bit drizzly to walk for pleasure this time.

Owl’s Hill is a really lovely, ‘bijou’ tea room – I think only 6 tables or so – with easy access for the buggy and, obviously, a parking area outside so no real need to take the buggy in anyway.  A very posh, very clean, portable high chair (the kind that strap on to an existing chair) was available and a lovely selection of cakes.  Myself and Sister Y both had a Chocolate Coconut Tart which was sooo delicious and rich I think we probably should have gone for a walk to shake off some calories.  Sister X indulged in a little cream tea (she opted for Camomile which she says paired very nicely with her scone) – all served on very beautiful china which was kept well out of the reach of the teeny tot!  £4.75 for my tart and a pot of ‘proper’ tea – with leaves and a strainer and everything – we can’t wait to return and sample more of their wares.

Discussion turned to mine and Sister Y’s Easter holiday meet up which Sister X couldn’t make as she was tending her children who had been afflicted by the pox!  We went to one of our old haunts – a big duck pond which the children all love.  There is a little wooded area with a fallen tree to climb which is always shady and damp but which they like to play in.  We have concurred that they are of an age where they can be trusted in there alone, mainly so that we can sit in the sunshine and not get chilled (we are getting on a bit!).  Anyway, when they emerged, there was much talk of a dead duckling.  Apparently my eldest had desperately wanted to perform some kind of burial service but the others had outvoted her, preferring to poke at it with sticks – as you do.  It also transpired that my revolting second daughter had purposely trodden on the poor, deceased creature.  I was actually quite mortified that she had done so and she was duly advised of the necessity to treat all animals, dead or alive, with the same respect and compassion.  We assumed that was the end of it.  However, the following day, when Sister Y’s husband was performing childcare duties, he noticed a big white streak of something covering their eldest’s coat.  When asked about it, Husband Y was informed that it had sprayed onto his coat when the offspring belonging to me had ‘stamped on the dead duck’.  Delightful.  Husband Y responded, quite rightly, that it was disgusting.  He replied,  ‘That’s nothing, it went all up her leggings!’                                        I hang my head in shame …

Until next time, cake lovers xx

Lemon Scones

Sister X had got the lurgy this week so she couldn’t come along to Sister Y’s for a lemon fest – we had the fave Aldi special again and I’d made lemon scones under the pretence that they were for my husband and the workmen doing our kitchen up when they were actually for us … cunning!  Despite the fact that I’m always baking cakes, I think I’ve only ever made scones once before so it was a ‘fingers crossed’ effort!

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  • 350g plain flour
  • pinch salt
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 85g butter, cubed
  • 3 tbs sugar
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 150ml milk (the ‘classic scone’ recipe I was loosely following said 175ml but I wanted to add an egg as I had loads to use up so I put slightly less in)
  • zest of 1 lemon
  • beaten egg for glazing
  1. Combine the flour, salt and baking powder and rub in the butter until you have fine breadcrumbs.
  2. Stir in the sugar and lemon zest.
  3. Heat the milk until just warm (about 20/30 seconds in a microwave).
  4. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and mix in the beaten egg and milk until you have a soft dough.
  5. Tip the dough out onto a floured surface and work it just a little until it all comes together.
  6. Pat or gently roll it out until about 3cm deep and get cutting! (a 5cm round cutter should get you about 8 scones but you can go bigger or smaller depending on preference).
  7. Place on a lined baking tray and cook for 12 minutes or until golden.

To serve

Lemon Curd

  • zest and juice of 2 lemons
  • 100g sugar
  • 50g butter
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  1. Place zest, juice, butter and sugar in a pan and melt over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved and the butter has melted.
  2. Whisk in the beaten eggs and keep gently whisking over the heat until thick.  Easy peasy!

. . . . add some whipped cream and you’re good to go!!  Enjoy.

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Field Trip: Pampering at Prested Hall

It’s that time of year when we start thinking about organising a Christmas meal out for the Sisterhood but this year we decided that we really deserved a proper treat after spending the last few months trekking around Essex eating cake (it’s hard work, really).  We thought that a Spa Day was in order and, after googling thoroughly and finding some shockingly poor value deals (£79 for use of the facilities and a buffet lunch at some places – all treatments extra!) I suggested Prested Hall where I had been several years ago and spent a relaxing day with my sister before her wedding.  It’s a brilliant deal in comparison to any others I could find – £75 for a full day (Saturday 9.30-5.30) including two 30 minute treatments; full use of the pool, sauna, steam room and gym (as if!); a welcome drink and cookie on arrival and either afternoon tea or a two-course lunch in their Bistro.

As much as we love our children, the thought of a whole child-free day to ourselves, chatting, relaxing, being pampered and eating was a truly rare and exciting prospect and the race to be ‘spa ready’ commenced.  Decisions, decisions: one-pieces or tankinis? (the word ‘bikini’ never surfaced, thank heavens) to wax or to shave?  The use of a hedge trimmer was briefly mentioned ….

And so, to the day itself and our critique of the venue:

The Spa was lovely and tranquil and the treatments were absolutely divine – we all opted for facials and back, neck and shoulder massages – Sister X actually fell asleep in the Relaxation Room after her facial!  The only criticism of the Spa would be that they have a little seating area where you can help yourself to herbal teas but there are no magazines or anything to read in it, apart from the Spa Treatment Menu which took me all of two minutes to thumb through.  One Health Club member actually commented that she had never seen anyone else using the area – perhaps that is why!

The pool, sauna and steam room were as you would expect and we enjoyed paddling around lazily with woggles until our fingers were wrinkly.  The Sun Room, however, looked like it had been decorated by a 7 year old (in fact, I think my 7 year old could have done a better job) as the paint work was pretty shabby which detracted somewhat from the care and attention given to the décor in the Spa itself.  It could also do with some new magazines and a bit more variety – my dentist has a better selection, to be honest.  The changing rooms were fine but the showers, again, could do with a bit of tlc – a few mouldy, cracked tiles just spoiled that feeling of luxury pampering.

Obviously, being the expert cake critics that we are, we went for the afternoon tea food option.  Now I may be fussy but I cannot stomach egg mayonnaise or smoked salmon, which seem to be staple fillings for unimaginative afternoon tea providers county wide.  I know, I know, millions of people love both but, what can I say?  Not my bag (Sister Y doesn’t like egg either – just saying).  However, I had checked the ‘current’ menu on the website and no mention was made of either so  I thought I was safe.  Imagine my dismay, then, when we sat down to indulge in our decadent sandwiches only to be confronted with smoked salmon and, you guessed it, smelly old egg mayonnaise!   Bearing in mind that I have quite severe baby brain and cannot rely on much of the information in it at present, I thought it possible I had just made up alternative fillings to satisfy myself.  However, since returning home, I have indeed checked the website and the sandwiches should have been: mozzarella, plum tomato & pesto; chicken mayonnaise with salad; prawn & marie rose sauce and cucumber with cream cheese.  So my post-natal brain was not playing tricks on me.

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This is not an image of the afternoon tea!! We had decided to ban our phones in an effort to completely relax so could not take photos – for illustration purposes only.

Disappointing sandwiches aside (not to labour the point but they were actually starting to go stale too, so had obviously been made quite some time in advance) I’m afraid the rest of the afternoon tea didn’t really come up to scratch.  We were told that the scones were ‘still warm from the oven’.  They weren’t.  Mine was actually still slightly frozen in the middle so clearly not freshly baked as it states on the menu (I just checked) and definitely not warm.  This, I did point out to the waitress who apologised but clearly didn’t really care.  The cakes did look very pretty and there was a good selection – mini choux bun, lemon tart and chocolate layer cake to name a few but by that point I had the hump a bit and couldn’t be placated with delicious petit fours!  So, in a nutshell, we would not recommend the afternoon tea (well, Sister X might as she has issues with ‘telling it how it is’ – her own words – she is too pleasant for her own good.  On the other hand, perhaps I’m just narky and hard to please!)

In summary then we would give Prested Hall 5/5 for the Spa treatments, 3/5 for facilities and 3/5 for food.  On the whole though, we would say that the day was excellent value for money.