Alfresco Emporium is a speciality retailer of lifestyle and dining products supplying well known…read moreand highly respected homeware brands including glasshouse candles, Bormoli and Ecology. They also have an amazing range of fresh flowers for sale that are handpicked by an experienced florist. And to the back of the store is a pleasant 'hamptonesque' type of cafe with Brassiere bread, sandwiches, sweets and great coffee though the service is painfully slow in all the times I visit. Today I am on a hunt for vintage milk bottles to use as flowers around my home and success I have them. I decide once getting them I may as well start the Christmas shopping and I'm starting with the Ecology cheeseboard with drawers. Beautiful store with beautiful objects.

We went for high tea last Tuesday. Having been in the cafe…read moreindustry for 11 years I had some reasonable expectations. Unfortunately it was not what we were expecting after having high tea at Newport. Service was slow and reluctant, we had to ask for tea and then ask for milk...after having to ask for the cakes to be served. I thought for 4 people spending $140.00 we could reasonably expect better service and attention. The food was lacking, when it became clear there was arancini (from lunch menu for $9.90) cut into 4 and served warm. Then the frittata (again from the lunch menu) cut into 4 and served warm. After having to book for high tea I would have expected something a little different to the usual fare being served. We would not go again.