This really is a hidden gem - stuck away in Wheelton near Chorley…read more It has a lovely design and a proper homely feel to the place. Great sitting area and they also have free wifi if you ask for the code! Fresh cakes are made each day and there's a good selection of coffees so you can choose the blend for you! Definitely worth the drive to switch off for an hour or two!

April 1st - Certainly not an April Fool!…read more For our wedding anniversary we attended The Village Tearoom's first evening opening as a bistro. The first of three I believe, as test evening events. Well if the Tapas Takeover event was a taste of things to come then we can't wait for the next ! Congrats to local chefs Mark Long & Matthew Agass for the tremendous food, Liz Singleton for the amazing entertainment set, the hard work of the staff during the evening , not to mention the hosts Jackie & Martyn for their warm welcome and letting it all happen. All in all a great evening, good luck for the future and hope it takes off for you all!

Now, what would be nice? We'll start with raspberry ice, and then some cakes and tea…read more.. I love Mary Poppins, and when I saw that Poppins Tearooms was soon to be opening in the heart of Horwich, I couldn't wait to give it a try. The tearooms occupy a former shop unit, which in turn is part of a house, so I was curious how they could make it feel less of a house and more of a venue, but that's the clever part... they intentionally don't! Split into two rooms, the tearooms intentionally feel like an Edwardian parlour, complete with pretty glass sconces, flock wallpaper, and lace tablecloths. The room to the rear of the building is cute, comfortable and (like the rest of the place) cosy. I chose to sit in the first room, but the rear parlour would be ideal if you want a little peaceful intimacy. My initial impression walking in was very pleasant. I walked in from the drizzle and cold wind into the warmth, where golden oldies were playing gently in the background, and a few ladies sat around happily chatting away, laughing and enjoying afternoon teas. A member of staff, complete in Edwardian service uniform welcomed me, and after I hung my coat on the coat stand beside Mary Poppins' hat and parrot handled umbrella, took me to a table and gave me the menu. The menu has some really tasty options both in the delicious sounding food menu, and the impressive tea offerings. I opted to go for the mature cheddar and ham toasted sandwich, and a pot of Assam Bari tea, provided by Ronnefeldt Tea, who are more well known for providing tea to five star hotels. Lucky little Horwich! The loose leaf tea was delicious, and came served in cute vintage crockery. Although this time I chose a toastie, I liked the look of "Tea with Bert", a traditional cream tea which I'll be partaking in next time! My toasted sandwich arrived on doorstop toast, lovingly crammed with ham (no miserly single slices here!), and melting cheddar and served with a bijou dressed salad, and a pot of coleslaw. It was a delicious lunch, and the coleslaw was lovely and crunchy too. The price of this lunch complete with tea came to less than £6, which is very good value! Sadly, Poppins doesn't currently accept card payments, but they plan to in the future once they get a little more established. The owner also told me that she had great plans for the future, not just continuing the Mary Poppins theme (there was talk of a mural and even an upside table on the ceiling!), but other ideas such as tea tasting evenings, and hosting private parties in the rear parlour. Poppins Tearooms is a lovely place and really good value for what is being offered, in such a pleasantly cosy, warm and quaint setting. Whether you fancy a pot of tea and a slice of chocolate cake, or a bowl of warming soup and a glass of rose lemonade, Poppins is somewhere I would happily recommend.

What an adorable little tea shop - conveniently located inside of Millgate Shopping Centre…read more The cafe is clean, quaint and there is quite a large menu... (although it is on the pricey side; £12.95 for afternoon tea for one!) The wait staff were attentive, friendly and accommodating. They helped us situate a wheelchair at our table and we thoroughly enjoyed our afternoon tea. *Tip: Although we were able to easily accommodate a wheelchair at the table, please note that the bathrooms are upstairs and not handicap friendly! There is a mall bathroom close by though *

We were in Blackburn town centre for a street festival of food. We had an enjoyable bit of lunch,…read morethen spotted flags outside of a shop declaring it was Mad Hatters Cupcakes and Tea Room, which had me floating over like a moth to a flame for a little dessert! It has a nice big window allowing the tearoom to be well lit, and seen clearly from the outside, making it all the more inviting. The first thing you see as you walk in is the fantastic blackboard wall full of hand drawn chalk images of quirky scenes from Alice in Wonderland, and various picture frames containing images of cupcakes, signs saying "eat me" and the such. A really nice touch. It's nice that despite being Mad Hatter/Alice in Wonderland themed, they haven't gone absolutely crazy with colour and made it gaudy and horrid, but have gone for some vintage touches, and soft varying pastel colours and bunting, to take the Mad Hatter and soften him a little into a vintage English tearoom. As expected, the space is light, bright and relaxed as various mirrors bounce light around the room. Large and impressive cakes sit on cake stands and bell jars dotted around the space, and on the counter sits a display stand of delicious cupcake varieties. Staff are friendly and welcoming, and happy to reel off the various tea flavours when I asked what was available. The menu has both hot and cold drinks, and offers breakfasts, salads, sandwiches and light lunches, as well as a full afternoon tea. In this instance, we can't stop looking at a large salted caramel cake which seems to be giving us the eye from a stand on one side of the room, and decide to have a slice each, and share a pot of tea. The cake was delicious, and we were offered cream with them too should we want it. It was marvellously sweet and tasty without veering off into "sickly" territory, and naturally it went perfectly with a big pot of tea, which was served with traditional vintage china. Staff were friendly and social, and informed us that they have only been open for around 5 weeks, so everything was still settling, but from what I can see, they're doing very well, and should hopefully continue to do so! Although this was only a fleeting and unplanned visit, we enjoyed it, and agreed that we will definitely pop back in whenever we are next in Blackburn, especially as I had my eye on a strawberries and cream cake that was flirting with me from a cake stand on the opposite side of the room, in all its lovely pink splendidness... I shall be trying that one next time! Well done, Mad Hatters! I wish you luck in your new business! :)

Excellent little coffee shop beautifully decorated in Alice in Wonderland. The staff are very…read morecourteous and welcoming. Food delish and plentiful has a Ploughman's salad which very filling indeed. Well be calling back soon

We stop in at Holden Wood every trip but this was our first time nipping in to the cafe. We only…read morewanted a light snack so we shared a sandwich and a coffee and then back on the road! Great, friendly service and delicious eats!

What a pleasure it is to have the chance to write a positive review about a place, when so many…read morebusinesses just don't seem to try hard enough any more. We drove past this lovely place on the way to Blackburn over the Grane rd, after a shopping trip at Winfields of Haslingdon. We noticed the tea rooms in a church that was also antiques sales room. We decided to go in and the first thing we noticed was the car park was full. This is always a good sign, luckily someone was leaving and we had a space. As we entered the tearooms, people were being turned away as there was not enough seating (group of 6). Luckily there was only two of us and we found somewhere to sit right away. The place was packed and had a good atmosphere, we had to wait ten minutes to be served by the very friendly and extremely busy waitress. There were newspapers and magazines to read, the toilets were very clean, no hot water though and when it's minus 2 outside, it's a bit painful washing hands. Our coffee arrived first, as it should, but in many places seems to get delivered with the meal. It was very good coffee in a cafetiere, with cream, no fancy biscuits (which usually bump up the price of coffee). Big coffee cups and we got two cups each out of it. While we drank our coffee and warmed up, we noticed the side of the church and how the extension was built to emphasise the beauty of this old building. The whole place was kitted out very nice, with quality furnishings and a proper big Italian coffee machine behind the counter. Soon enough food arrived. I had ordered the Bowdens Steak muffin and chips and my wife had the mixed platter which included onion rings, chicken goujons, garlic mushrooms, salad and potato wedges. The steak muffin was absolutely fab, the meat was cook perfectly and melted in my mouth, the muffin was a very soft and tasty White flour bap. With the caramalised onions it made me smile for the rest of the day. Homemade Chips and a very thoughtful salad with very fresh and crisp ingredients. See pictures. Sorry, I didn't take one of outside, if the next Qyper could do that please, thanks! The platter was just as good, Jane let me have a few nibbles and I was thinking of ordering more, but the steak had me beat. Without shadow of a doubt, it was the best rump steak buttie I've ever had. The cakes looked amazing, but I was stuffed, so that didn't happen. I will go out of my way to come here again. Thanks to the staff for doing a great job and whoever they had preparing the food is someone who loves their work and should be proud. If you are nearby, go in, do it now and get stuffed! Heartly recommend by Chris Doc Strange!

This is perfect for a rainy day! I went to pickup some lunch for my grandparents, and they loved…read moreit. They sell Carr's pasties, if you're from Bolton, you'll understand how much of a staple food they are. I had a bacon barm, it was very small and the bacon was a bit dry. I'd go there again though, but have something different for sure.

Cute little cafe within a garden nursery. Serves sandwiches, panini's, hot & cold drinks & best of…read moreall Fredericks ice cream. Loads of flavour choices, syrups & toppings on s range of different types of cones or sizes of tubs. Great staff & service. Indoor & outdoor seating. Lovely little gem of a place

It's a nice tea room, of the bunting and cutesy signs type, with an odd addition of a teddy bear…read moreand toy section. It's hidden down a quiet driveway off a side street, giving it a lovely secret feeling. Service was friendly and prompt, and the food and drink was pleasant, but nothing to write home about. I was a little disappointed that the brown toast I ordered was 2 slices of very cheap brown bread, and not the rustic chunky seeded bread my partner received with his Ploughmans, (which was nice quality, but again quite basic. Very nicely presented though). The tea choices were nice, and although not loose leaf, the apple and cinnamon black tea was very enjoyable. Although we didn't get chance this time, the cakes and other treats on the menu looked lovely, and it'd be nice to visit again to try them. It was also nice that despite us finishing right near their closing time, they didn't make us feel rushed to leave.

Over priced for what you get, it's a very average afternoon tea at a high price (nearly £40 for 3)…read moreThe cafe is stuffed full with trinkets and 2nd hand items for sale. My son accidentally broke a money box, which was at a three year old's height. No signs were up to say that items needed paying for if accidentally broken. I spoke to the owner saying that he had broken something and that it was close to the edge when it fell off. I was very apologetic about the matter and honest. However the owner ( a man) was aggressive and said that I needed to pay the full retail cost for the item before leaving. As he was so intimating and overpowering saying that I couldn't leave without paying the full retail price and wouldn't accept the cost price (which is against consumer law). I was so scared and upset by this, and had to pay nearly £40 for an afternoon tea for one adult and two children. A really wouldn't buy or go to this cafe again.

Serving teas and coffees, cold drinks and smoothies with freshly prepared sandwiches, a selection…read moreof homemade cakes, hot and cold snacks and daily specials. The tea room is small and has limited opening hours, see above. Small car park at the bottom of School Lane, also at the nearby swimming pool.

A small and very cozy tearoom. The space is warm and airy. The tea for two was delicious. The…read morescones were warm, the sandwiches savory, and the sweets a delight. The service comes with unlimited tea. You can switch out to a different tea at any time. Espresso drinks are also available. The champagne was good, and they offer prosecco. Make sure to reserve a table if you plan on going!

It was our anniversary, and as we love a good Afternoon Tea, we decided we fancied trying somewhere…read morewe've not tried before, and The Dearden was on our list, as is has great reviews and the photos make it look wonderful. It's in Haslingden in Rossendale. Booking was a nicely handled affair, with my booking being handled by a reservations site, and confirmed for me via EMail. When we arrived, we noticed The Dearden really stands out on the little cobbled street on which it sits. It's a bright and cheerful building, with beautifully maintained flowers and plants on the fences and by the windows. The only initial problem was that we couldn't find parking, as it was street parking with time limits, however we found something nearby that was free, which was a relief. I'd say to just check the local parking options before you set off, so you know where to head. When you step through the front door, the "new customer" bell gives a mighty "thwack" of a ring as you open the door. I don't know why but that made me smile straight away. You're greeted in a corridor by a member of staff with a cleverly wall-mounted tablet, allowing them to keep tabs of reservations and the such. We are taken into the room on the right, and seated in a corner by the window. I would not say the seating is cramped, but as the building itself used to be an old Counting House, they only have so much room they can work with, so have a fair few tables in the room (I didn't see the other room, so can't comment), but it's more cosy than cramped, and as it's very pleasantly decorated with vintage and period decor, with lovely high ceilings and the oldies playing gently in the background, you feel comfortable right away. We are handed the menus, which were made of wood with ironwork hinges! Unique! The menus within this interesting binder are comprehensive and tempting, mentioning special themed evenings and Afternoon Teas, the general menu, the Afternoon Tea menu, and a very impressive selection of teas available. On this instance, as we had pre-booked Afternoon Tea, the staff were aware of our pre-order, and simply asked us which drinks we'd prefer with our Afternoon Tea. My partner opted for the Assam, and I went for the Rose Congu. These arrived first, allowing us time to relax and chat over some very lovely quality tea. The table was decorated in period fashion as you would imagine, complete with vintage lace tablecover, fresh flowers, and a bobbin as a table number. Another unique element. Our Afternoon Tea cake stand was brought out, and with it our waitress wished us a happy anniversary, which had also been written in chocolate on the rim of the top plate, a very sweet touch indeed. We were told the sandwiches we had, and what each of the cakes and delights were, then left to enjoy. And enjoy we did! Sandwiches were tasty, but might have benefited from a chutney or mayonnaise or something to add a touch of moisture (but they were still very nice!), the scones were warm and nothing short of perfect; we were given a fruit and a plain scone each. The treats on the top tier included two of each; white chocolate dipped strawberries, a chocolate tart, raspberry cream macarons, and a little pot of rhubarb and custard. Superbly English! We really enjoyed it. We've had some hit and miss Afternoon Teas, but this is up there with the better ones! If they just had a look at potentially enhancing the sandwiches a little, I would put this as one of my top 3 without question! The young staff were friendly, professional, and bright eyed with smiles all round. A really nice thing to see, and made you feel both welcome and happy. I loved some of the little details too, such as a re-purposed chair on the patio area at the front which was now a water drinking station for dogs! Lovely! A stand as you enter the tearooms lets you know that they currently only accept cash only, however they are literally next door to a shop with a free cash machine, so that's no problem. We really enjoyed our visit, Dearden. Not just as customers, but as an anniversary treat. You really made us feel special, thank you. We will be back!

The food was excellent. I got cheese and onion pie (lunch) and tried the chocolate challenge…read more(which we failed dismally). The chocolate was to die for...totally scrumptious. The service was really good with friendly and knowledgeable staff. I'll be back for sure. The prices were good also. The seating was good and the wait was not long ( although I booked ahead of time).

The best Patissier and Chocolatier in North Manchester…read more Any time I drive into Manchester (which is very often) I have to drive past Slattery's and always manage to make some excuse to pop in. I shouldn't have to make an excuse to go here - It's excellent. The ground floor is their outstanding chocolate and cake shop - definitely worth spending some time here tasting and choosing what they have on offer. Their selection of over 40 celebration cakes on display are stunning - you'll find yourself staring at them like some sort of art. A few of the wedding cakes are pushing £1,000.. asking if it would be worth it? For me, yes! Their cakes are amazing - no wonder Wayne Rooney bought his wedding cake from here and had it shipped to Italy. You'll find me with my face pressed up against the viewing window where you can watch the cake decorators working hard to perfect these masterpieces *drool* I'm certainly not planning my wedding or anything but I already know that there's a massive possibility that my cake will be from here. On the first floor is an elegant restaurant serving breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, and of course CAKE. The menu is fab and I haven't heard anybody mention a bad word about it. I have yet to visit the restaurant and I hear that unless you book weeks in advance you've no chance of getting in, but this only makes me want to try it even more and it is certainly on my list. In the past I have bought baskets from here and made my own hampers, mainly for family or friends at Christmas time - consisting of chocolates, hand make cakes, biscuits, marmalades, wines etc (all locally sourced). Safe to say these always go down well. If you have a sweet tooth, this is somewhere you should definitely visit.