Hazlewood Castle

Hazlewood Castle

Paradise Lane

Hazlewood

Nr. Leeds & York

North Yorkshire

LS24 9NJ

Date Visited :  03 January 2013

Price:  £13.50

GF Price: £13.50

Hazlewood castle is a beautiful place for afternoon tea – nothing quite like dining inside a castle is there?!  We visited here on a special package which included spa treatments, a guided tour of the castle, dinner in the restaurant and afternoon tea all for £79.00 each – but the tea can be booked separately.   It is located next to the busy A1 and A64, but after turning in and driving up the long driveway you feel as though you are out in the country away from all of the hustle and bustle.   The castle was very quiet, set in picturesque surroundings and with it being just after Christmas all the trees were draped in bright twinkly lights.

The Secret Door in the Wall

The Castle Library

We were given the option as to where we would like to have our afternoon tea, so we chose to dine in the castle library.  The walls of the room had huge mahogany panelled book shelves stacked full of old books and there were an assortment of settees and big old fashioned chairs, an old bar, and a huge fireplace which was lit making it feel very cosy.  My guest was especially excited by the secret door disguised as a book shelf which led you into a hidden passage into the castle – it was just like being at Hogwarts!

We were only given the choice of one filling each for the sandwiches, so we went for roast chicken on white bread.  Although we only had the one choice, the sandwiches were still very tasty but a bit of variety would have been nice too!  These were brought to us on a black slate (a bit different from the usual tiered stand and quite a modern touch for an old castle) along with the tea, scones and two cakes. The cakes consisted of a coffee and walnut tart, a large square of vanilla cheesecake and a fruit scone served with jam and cream.  I’m not keen on cakes with coffee in so it was slightly disappointing that there wasn’t a bit more of a selection.  A gluten free option is available on request but you do need to let them know beforehand.

We were left to enjoy our afternoon teas at our own leisure, which of course resulted in us sitting there for a good hour or so stuffing our faces and supping endless cups of tea until it was dark outside.  The atmosphere in the library was very relaxed and we were especially chilled out after all our spa treatments.  It wasn’t the fanciest afternoon tea I’ve ever had, but it was very traditional and the setting definitely made up for this – it was brilliant.  The library was also the cosiest place I’ve ever had the pleasure of dining in – the comfy settees especially made the experience more relaxing. If you’re looking for somewhere different for afternoon tea then this is definitely the place to go!  I would also recommend paying a visit to The Vavasour restaurant here as the dinner we had earlier in the day was absolutely delicious.

Pudding Too!!

Dinner at the Vavasour Restauranrt

I would love to go back here sometime and maybe even stay the night in the castle. It really was fab!

Ratings:                                   

Tea: 7/10                                   

Sandwiches:  7/10                  

Cakes: 8/10                               

Scones: 8/10                           

Service: 9/10

Overall: 8½/10

Would I return?   Yes

Mill Farm Tea Room - South Milford

Mill Farm Tea Rooms

Mill Farm (Behind the Post Office)

Off High Street

Woodlands Lane

South Milford

LS25 5AF

Date Visited : 24 Feb 2008

Price: £9.50

THIS IS NOW CLOSED – CREAM TEAS ARE STILL AVAILABLE AT THE POST OFFICE

This is one of my favourite afternoon tea venues.  It’s not an easy place to find but once you do you will want to visit again!  It is situated in the small village of South Milford near Selby, a very small establishment just behind the local Post Office.  It is essentially a nursery with an extended tea room but it is a beautiful place to sit out in the summer.  I have been here a few times but for some reason it has always been when the weather was cold and I have always had to sit inside – this time was no exception.  The tearoom inside is very small and quaint with only a few tables.  It is very cosy with a big fireplace, lots of little knick knacks around the walls, old wooden furniture and tables set out with white tablecloths and pretty willow pattern china.

The Tea Garden in Summer (Sadly now Closed)

The menu is quite extensive with lots of choice, but the afternoon tea (of course) is by far the best option! The tea comes on a three tier stack with sandwiches on white or brown bread ranging from ham, cheese and tomato, cheese and onion, roast chicken, egg mayonnaise, cream cheese and cucumber and any other combination you could think of garnished with salad and fruit. They were delicious!  I especially liked that that they allowed you to make your own combinations for your sandwiches, nothing was too much trouble.

The scones were extremely large and very filling. We were given the choice of either fruit, cherry or plain, which pleased one of my guests who doesn’t like the more popular fruit scone.  This was served with either jam or honey and clotted cream, followed by an even larger wedge of fruit cake with a chunk of cheese, like only people from Yorkshire know how to serve. I have to say, the presentation of the pots of jam and cream was adorable! They came in individual mini jars which were each fastened with a ribbon. These little tiny details only served to highlight the charm of this place.

The cakes were then washed down with huge pots of endless tea and coffee, which you could enjoy until you were fit to burst.  The service was equally as excellent and the staff were very friendly.

 

Unfortunately this tearoom is now closed. There aren’t many places like this left so it is a great shame.  It was definitely one of my favourite places for afternoon tea and was great value for money.  I have heard that they do still serve cream teas at the Post Office but as yet I haven’t been to comment how good they are.

There is also a gluten free option available on request but you do need to book first.  At this time my husband wasn’t aware of his condition, but was unfortunately diagnosed a coeliac later that year.  This has made going out for afternoon tea more challenging because so many places don’t cater for coeliacs.

Ratings:

Tea: 8/10

Sandwiches:  9/10

Cakes: 8/10

Scones: 9/10

Service: 9/10

Overall: 9½/10

Would I return?   Yes 

Roundhay Park - Leeds

The Mansion

Garden Restaurant

Mansion Lane

Roundhay Park

Leeds

LS8 2HH

Date Visited :  21 May 2011

Price:  £12.95

GF Price:  £12.95

The Garden Restaurant at Roundhay Park is a lovely setting for afternoon tea, located right at the top of the hill with views over the park.  We had booked to visit here as a birthday treat and this place seemed perfect as they catered for gluten free guests. Even though it was May, the typical British weather remained ever the same so we had to sit inside the restaurant to escape the cold, but there is the option to sit out on the patio when the weather is a bit warmer.

Inside, the restaurant is decorated quite modern with framed photographs and mirrors adorning the plain white walls with dark mahogany dining tables and chairs with green furnishing. It was nice and bright inside, although I much prefer the cosy, cute settings of traditional tea rooms.

The tea was served on a two tier stand to share between two and the gluten free option was served on its own.  We were given a selection of brown and white bread finger sandwiches filled with cream cheese and pickle, egg mayonnaise, roast chicken and cheese and tomato chutney.  We opted not to have the smoked salmon (again, I know.  Fussy, fussy!). The sandwiches were quite tasty but the gluten free bread was a little disappointing.  My guest said it was very hard and quite thick – a bit like pitta bread – making it very hard to chew! 

The cakes were equally disappointing. We were served just a slice of fruit cake and the usual fruit scone – nothing very fancy.  The gluten free cake was a very thin slice of Victoria sponge topped with a strawberry, but no scone.  I’m sure the chef could have made some (it’s not that difficult to use different flour) as we had booked previously and informed them we required a gluten free tea.

Overall we enjoyed the afternoon tea. The staff were friendly and the service was very efficient, with more tea being brought to us upon request. It was the cakes that were the biggest disappointment.  The gluten free option wasn’t very good, especially considering there is really nice soft bread readily available from the supermarket, yet they still provided something that was difficult to chew.  You can even buy ready-made scones and a much more appealing selection of cakes. If you want the regular afternoon tea then I think it is worth a visit, but if you require a gluten free option then you are probably best going elsewhere.

Ratings:                           Gluten Free:

Tea: 7/10                                   

Sandwiches:  7/10                    4/10     

Cakes: 6/10                               5/10         

Scones: 7/10                             N/A

Service: 8/10    

Overall: 7/10

Would I return?   Yes