My friend and I had been wandering about York town for some time, and realised that tea and cake were necessary before we continued on our jolly jaunt. We'd finally navigated to the Shambles, and after plenty of photographs, we decided off the cuff to nip into the Earl Grey Tea Rooms. I mean, what better place for a cup of tea, right? The tea room entrance is a mini shop, where you can purchase all kinds of lovely mugs and suchlike, and the seating area is just beyond. We were shown to a table by a lovely friendly waitress, and seated to choose what we wished from the menu.
Of course, there are plenty of teas to pick. Although not on the menu, there was a board up with various fruit, green and herbal teas, but it was the Royalty Tea that caught my eye. It was a house blend, which merged Assam amongst other teas, and sounded super. They had a huge cake cabinet with all kinds of classics, including Tiffin, Victoria Sponge and, the delight that I chose, Butterscotch cake. My friend chose the Assam, which was loose leaf, and we each were given pot, with milk and extra hot water.
The tea was excellent, not as strong as the Assam, but perfect for me. My friend was particularly pleased that the Assam was loose leaf! The décor in the tea rooms was delightful, it was warm, with some excellent vintage furniture and lots of curiosities to gaze upon. Sadly, the tea cups were very standard catering style crockery, but we can't have everything, can we? The cake was incredible, my Butterscotch offering was not only a huge, but beautifully moist and disgracefully sweet. I asked if they made them on site, but apparently they are bought in. Even so, it doesn't matter when it tastes that good!
Service was lovely and friendly, and it's a great little spot to while away an hour over a proper cuppa. I rarely buy tea in cafes, as I don't trust it'll be up to standard, but here you can be safe in the knowledge that it'll be a ruddy decent brew. I was a little disappointed by the crockery, but really, that was a minor detail on what was overall a lovely experience. Refresh, revive and take in the little moments here in this beautiful tea room! read more