I'll be honest, I am actually quite shocked that there aren't more tea rooms in Bibury, considering how popular it is with tourists. Don't worry, I'm already looking into it :)
Anyway, after a slightly disappointing lunch and walking about Bibury and a bit into the country, we decided to have a cream tea. Along the main road, you'll find a souvenir shop, The William Morris Inn, and their Tea Room. The door was open and we could see the cakes on the table (well played!) so we walked... actually ducked in. All six tables were occupied with someone paying at the till. We looked around and one of the staff said that they would have a table in about 5 minutes.
As we were waiting we were taking in the sights... two fires burning (it wasn't cold at all), various cakes on the table (Chocolate, Coffee & Walnut, Lemon Drizzle, Victoria Sponge, Blackcurrent, Shortbread, Bibury Bark, and a few others), lots of random china, and thank you cards placed throughout the room. They also sell ice cream, in cups, but not sure what flavors. After they cleaned the table, we headed to the table in the corner, next to the fire and to a display cabinet with lots of breakable teapots!
As we were looking at the menu, we noticed a couple of things... 1) there were 5 staff and 6 tables, 2) the guy who was handling money was also handling the utensils and cups... but not by the handles, and 3) it seemed quite unorganized. You would think that with 5 staff to 6 tables, it would be very organized and smooth, but it wasn't. It wasn't the worst I have seen, but it could have been running a bit smoother. The other thing I noticed was that maybe they could have made better use of the space. I kind of think that 6 4-seat tables limits business... for example the man that came in to have lunch by himself, while the group of four that came left after being told the wait might be about 20-30 minutes. Maybe a combination of different table sizes might help, but as I was telling this to Mr. Snarky he mentioned that maybe the 6 tables is all they can handle. Fair point.
One of the staff came around and took our order: two scones with jam and clotted cream, one tea (English Breakfast), and one hot chocolate with marshmallows and whipped cream. On the tables they have laminated pictures of Bibury with recipes from the area on the back. They do sell them, but not sure for how much. Great idea as I did want some of the recipes, however, it occurred to me that some people might just write the recipes down or take pictures with their phones. I did no such thing, but I thought about it. I was taking another look at the table of cakes, when I saw the staff making Mr. Snarky's hot chocolate. A tin was opened and a scoop of hot chocolate mix was dropped into a tartan cup. I was a bit worried that Mr. Snarky's snarkiness level would hit another high after lunch earlier.
Tea and hot chocolate arrived at the table. I let my tea steep a bit further, but Mr. Snarky went in for the first sip. He described it as warm water with a hint of chocolate... and by the looks of it, it was just a very, very light brown colour. If you're going to use a pre-made chocolate powder, at least use enough to make it worth drinking. The scones were hot when they came out, which was a nice touch and also made it a bit easier to warm up the clotted cream for easier spreading. That part was good, not my favourite cream tea, but still good. I did notice the large bowls of Minestrone Soup and plates of a large salad with lots of different veg that looked quite nice. So it is another lunch option, much more affordable than The Swan down the road. I think they could do with a few improvements, but then again as the only tea room in Bibury, they can afford not to. read more
