Mothers Day Surprise!…read more We wanted to take the Mothers somewhere nice and out of town and had seen The Garden Kitchen had been visited by a number of our friends and family on Facebook, all giving great reviews and I can see why! We arrived for final service at 6pm and as you can imagine it was very busy on Mothers Day. The maître d' came straight over to us to let us know how long it would be until we were seated and continuously gave us progress updates. Whilst waiting we perused the small shop of local produce, had a drink and soaked up our surroundings. The Tea Room is a new addition to Holden Clough Nursery being built in the last few years, but looks like it should have always been there! It is beautiful and sympathetically designed to its surroundings. So, the food....WOW! I'd seen pictures but when our Afternoon Tea arrived on a mini picnic bench I felt like clapping!! (In fact, I think I did!!) Such a great idea and adds a little bit of originality and quirkiness to your experience. Everything on my picnic bench was delicious. The Mushroom soup was silky, creamy and full of flavour. The mini Roast Beef Dinner served in an individual yorkshire pudding was beautiful and of course came with a little jug of gravy and beef was tender and pink. The scone was fresh and light with jam that had just the right sweetness and fruit mix. My other main highlight was the Rocky Road, I'm not usually a fan because its too rich and sweet but O-M-G this was amazing. I still find myself thinking about it now two days on. The chocolate melts in your mouth to find small nuggets of biscuit and mini marshmallows.....all washed down with a great cup of coffee. John & Kate who own and run The Garden Kitchen have done a fanstastic job transforming Holden Clough Nursery over the last few years. The service, quality of food and surroundings are 10/10. We will be coming back during the day to visit the nursery (and no doubt the Garden Kitchen too). Thank you for a fantastic evening...and the Mums loved it!! : )

I seen this place on facebook so I added them and I kept seeing them put pictures on of the…read moreafternoon tea which looked amazing so I finally decided to book. I went with my mum, sister and partner for the Valentine's afternoon tea, it was great it was so different from traditional afternoon tea you got soup in a tea cup, two open top sandwiches and a mini quiche which was a nice change from just sandwiches. The cakes you got was a scone. A mini red velvet cake, a heart biscuit, marshmallows with chocolate, profiterole with white chocolate and a mini love potion in a glass boot. We got a glass of pink proseco it was £19.99 each which is a little expensive for the place as its a tree nursery but they do a different theme for different seasons so it's well worth a visit. I would defiantly go

Very pleasant tea room and cafe close by the heritage sites of Worsley. There is a garden and…read moreindoor seating. Staff are accommodating and although advertised to close at 1600 ( too early) I had a cream tea at 1600. All good, recommended. They do light lunches too, I am sure that they are good.

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.

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

Now just called The Tea House (I guess after all these years here, they're no longer a mystery?…read more:)). Cozy spot with an extensive tea menu! I was impressed to see Chinese teas I don't typically find in tea houses (outside of China). Food menu is also impressive as well. I went with a group of five and we couldn't have ordered more different items. Seemed like everyone enjoyed their meal. They have both a cafe menu (salads, sandwiches, etc). They also have a traditional polish menu. I tried the golabki (stuffed cabbage with rice and pork in a tomato sauce) which came with a choice of potato (I chose dumplings) and salads/slaws. Very nice! Huge portion and could easily feed 2. Tasty hot stuffed cabbage paired nicely with the bright crunchy herbaceous slaws.

Really can't say enough good things about this place. I sorely miss it since moving away from…read morePreston. The range of teas is astounding and the quality (of the many I tried on my many visits) is amazing. Each tea is served in it's proper manner in beautiful teapots and cups. If you're not into weird and wonderful teas, they also have coffee and 'regular' tea on the menu aswell as juices, smoothies and other soft drinks. There is no need for you to be afraid of a new tea drinking experience though, as the staff are extremely knowledgeable (seriously, they know EVERYTHING about tea!) pleasant and very accomodating. They agreed to host my vegan society meetings and even made an effort to make the menu a little more vegan. I only tried one of the food items on the menu, this was tomato stew/soup with vegetables. I forget the name but recall it was Hungarian. Either way, it was delicious, just as I hear that all their food is from my friends. This ranges from toasties and sandwiches to more substantial dishes hailing from the owner's native Poland and other places around Europe. Other than the great drinks, food and service the place is nicely decorated and makes you feel a million miles away from the Preston high street. There is always some background music on but you would only really notice it if you listened out for it. All in all it makes for a very relaxing atmosphere, especially if you get some Yerba maté! If you're local to Preston and haven't sampled the delights of the Mystery Tea House then you ought to, right now. You'll soon be a regular. If you're just in Preston for a short time, you need to check it out before you leave.

I love coming here because of the Alice and Wonderland theme…read more They do have sandwiches and salads, but you need to try the afternoon teas. I get the Alice's afternoon tea: It has unlimited tea, milk in a cow pourer, sandwiches, salad, scones with clotted cream and jam, a macaron, cream puff,and you get to pick out a cupcake from a list. Everything is so good!

I came here whilst waiting for a late bridal client, and I was pretty glad I did!…read more It was a bit of a grim day outside, and I cosied up on a table on my own, browsed the menu and ordered with the super friendly waitress and settled in with my sketchbook. I can't remember what tea I had, but it was lovely, and with a lemon meringue cupcake, which was pretty tasty, and with a gooey curd centre which made it super moist. I was so happy with the cakes, I took a few to my parents too, and it's rare that I take baked goods anywhere that weren't made by my own fair hand. It was an odd playlist in the background, but they cater so well for dietary requirements too.

Whenever my mother wanted me to feel special she brought me here. Now now, get that vision of an…read moreuptight, stressed and stingy with love mother out of your head, we're not talking any central matriarch from We Need to Talk About Kevin here, I was one spoilt rotten kid, with affection, and materialistically. It's amazing actually that I've turned out as well-adjusted and selfless as I have. *Chuckles to self, recalls all 'you're not the centre of the universe!' comments from significant others* Anyway, lunch in Southport meant one of several options. It meant The Gallery if my grandmother was around, as she had lofty aspirations. It meant Pippins, Coffee Bean or a department store if both parents or my father were present. It meant somewhere silly with the brunette where we'd forego nutritional value in favour of empty calories. But if it was just Mum and me, it'd be Nostalgia. The cutest, sweetest, kitschiest place on earth. It is just stunning. You're situated above all the shops on Lord Street so the view out of the windows is fantastic, if you ever get round to it after taking in the view indoors. The ornate high ceilinged tea room is divine, and it's perhaps not one to take the partner to, considering that all the warmly-welcoming and efficient waitresses wear traditional tea room outfits. Ooh, matron. Well it is Nostalgic after all... Old-fashioned is the order of the day here, and that extends to the menu. High teas, quaint sandwiches, cream scones, soups, light bites, traditional main meals, scrumptious desserts, and plenty of warm and cold beverages to choose from. The food is rich and tasty and feels like a treat. There's a function room on the second floor and the place has won countless awards for just how accomplished and friendly its staff are. Don't think the posh vibe makes it all formal, you couldn't find a more relaxed and lovely ambience. It's easy to miss - there's a narrow opening by the Early Learning Centre and the tea rooms are located above that, up a rather heavy climb of stairs. Still, it's certainly worth the exercise and it's an overall memorable experience, one you'll want to relive again and again. Come along and be ladies what lunch! Or men, I'm sure the frilly aprons will entice you too.

I've been coming here since before I can remember; in fact I practically grew up here. So many…read morememories of my visits to southport include this place; from afternoon teas to family functions. This place has not changed! If you want to feel lady like and transported to another era this is the place to go! However the food is not so good since the new owners have taken over. It's simple food and really I'm picking at straws. But if you are looking for a quick bite and delicious scones then head here. My visit today I had the tuna toastie - the toastie was okay, maybe a tad more mayo ( or something with tang?) and the salad was pretty lifeless (do it well or not at all I say!) but overall okay. Also had the Bakewell tart which was lovely. But nothing to write home about. 3 for food 4.5 for service and ambience 10 for childhood memories!

Fantastic location. It was a sunny day so walked across the…read morefields from Ruthin. We sat outside and enjoyed the fabulous views of the Clwydian Range. We had some breakfast baps and coffee which were perfect and the staff were lovely. We hadn't booked but it started to get busy as we left so it would probably be best to book for any times after 11ish to avoid disappointment.

Tried the milkshake and the bacon brie and cranberry wrap it was warm and delicious atmosphere was…read morenice a bit busy but still nice highly recommend