No. 2 Oxford Place Leeds

No. 2 Oxford Place

Leeds

LS1 3AX

Date Visited : 03 October 2014

Price: £18.95

All Gluten Free!

We first heard about this place in the local Evening Post paper, and as my husband is a coeliac I thought it would be a great idea to buy him a gift voucher.  The whole restaurant is completely gluten free – probably one of the first around to attempt this.  For a coeliac, eating here is like being in heaven – for once you’re able to eat out assured that none of the food will be contaminated. And you’ve got a choice of absolutely anything from the menu for a change, instead of the odd dishes here and there. Bit of a bonus!

We decided to opt for the afternoon tea, but there is an extensive menu serving breakfast, brunch and dinner and the cafe is open until 10.00pm most nights.

The cafe is situated down the side of the Leeds Town Hall so it’s quite easy to find.  Although it’s not in the main shopping area it’s only a five minute walk from the centre of town. The cafe is a very small brick building, which presumably used to be offices – in fact it looks rather like someone’s house.

The upstairs room at Oxford Place

Since we opted for the afternoon tea, we were shown upstairs to another room.  It was only very small with polished mahogany tables and lots of mismatched chairs, some of which looked like they had come from a church.  There were lots of different sized framed mirrors on the walls and a large fireplace but sadly no real fire.  The main wall over the fireplace had purple flowery wallpaper and dark velvet purple curtains on the windows, and next to it there was a glass show cabinet filled with retro ornaments, books and board games – for some reason the whole room reminded me of something out of Sherlock Holmes!

We were given a choice of at least eleven different teas to choose from, one of the options being  a mug of ‘builder’s tea’ which for those who don’t know is a brimming bucket size beaker, perfect for biscuit dunking.  I am not ashamed to say this was my choice of tea, I do love a big pot of tea and don’t really care what it comes in!  My husband on the other hand insists on always drinking from a much daintier china cup as he says it is the only way to drink tea and it always tastes so much better!  So he and my daughter chose the English Breakfast – we were as adventurous as ever!  But you could have anything from Earl Grey to Fresh mint and Ginger.

When the afternoon tea came we had an array of small finger sandwiches ranging from cream cheese and cucumber, egg mayonnaise with chives, and Yorkshire ham and mustard.  There was an option of smoked salmon and cucumber but again we opted out!  I have to say beforehand I was thinking the bread would be quite hard and cardboard like, having seen some of the gluten free bread my husband eats, but I was pleasantly surprised the bread was delicious and you would never have known it was gluten free – the waitress was right!  We were also treated to cheese and onion quiche served with parma ham.  The portions could have been a tad bigger but it was very tasty.

There were easily enough sandwiches for more than three of us but we still managed to eat them all apart from one!  Well we had to save some room for the cakes!

Yes it really is gluten free bread!

All the cakes were miniature, but there were an awful lot to choose from! Served on a three tiered cake stand, the top layer consisted of mini raspberry pavlovas topped with strawberries and tiny red velvet cakes with a raspberry on the top.  The second layer was traditional fruit scones and some double chocolate scones which I have never had before but then again any form of chocolate has to be good!  And the bottom layer had a whole range of cakes to tempt you, ranging from peanut butter cheesecake, mini chocolate profiteroles, raspberry dessert shots, brownies, and a chocolate tart.  It was difficult to decide which to have first. 

I have to say the scones were amazing, seconded by my husband who said they tasted just like ‘normal’ scones.  I have tried to master the gluten free scones myself but they tend to come out either rock hard or they just break into crumbs when you cut them in half.  These did neither and were delicious.  The red velvet cake was also very popular followed by the raspberry compote which was very light and creamy.  In fact everything we tried was delicious and not at all what you’d expect gluten free cakes to taste like. The ones we didn’t manage to eat the waitress boxed up for us to take home for later, and  if you still want more cakes you can buy a selection from downstairs  to take home too! 

We will definitely be back as we’ve heard the steak and ale pie is very good...

Ratings All Gluten Free:

Tea: 7/10

Sandwiches:  8/10

Cakes: 9/10

Scones: 9/10              

Service: 9/10

Overall: 9/10

Would I return?   Definitely, gluten free is great!

Royal Caribbean - Explorer of the Seas

Royal Caribbean

Explorer of the Seas

Date :  21 August 2014

Price:  Complimentary

Afternoon Tea by Invitation

High Tea on the Sea!

This was a first for me.  Afternoon tea aboard the Royal Caribbean ship Explorer of the Seas – what could be better sailing along on the high seas while eating cake and supping tea?

We were invited along to the tea by the ship’s sous chef who popped along to our table one evening and told us to expect an invitation. The surprise invite was posted under our cabin door when we returned later and being as there was tea and cake involved, naturally I couldn't turn it down.

 

The tea was held in the main dining area with about a hundred or so other invited guests.  All the tables were elegantly laid out ready with white linen table cloths and crockery and there was a huge spread of sandwiches, pastries, cakes, and all manner of sweet treats.  Having made friends with some Canadians while on board, we all shared a table to tuck into the tea.

Along with the traditional afternoon tea selection of sandwiches and scones we had the added bonus of pasties, sausage rolls, shortbread biscuits and small individual trifle sponges. The sandwiches consisted of cream cheese and onion (which was extremely strong!), tuna and mayonnaise, smoked salmon and cucumber, all beautifully garnished and presented.  I actually found the sandwiches a little too fancy for my liking but then I always like things plain!  Everyone else seemed to like them apart from the fresh smoked salmon which was sadly left as usual.  The sausage rolls and pasties were definitely a hit and the pastry on the sausage rolls was delightfully light and flaky. It’s a shame there were only a few to go around.  There was also some delicious chutney and sour cream to go with all of the sandwiches and pastries.

There was plenty of choice for dessert with everything from traditional plain and fruit scones with fresh strawberry jam and peaches and cream, to buttery shortbread biscuits which just melted in your mouth, fruit tarts, profiteroles, vanilla and strawberry sponge cake, all washed down with some traditional English Tetley’s tea.

As we were sharing amongst the table I didn't get to sample all of the desserts (which was probably a good thing in hindsight), but I did try the profiteroles and the scones with fresh strawberry jam and cream. Needless to say they were delicious.

Some of the delicious desserts

Unfortunately there wasn’t anything gluten free, but after consulting the chef he did bring us a strawberry mousse and custard pudding.  The gluten free food is usually very good on the ship but on this occasion they didn't know we were attending otherwise they would have probably put on a good spread.  We will know next time to let the chef know.

Gluten Free Dessert

All of the food served on board was excellent so it was no surprise that the spread they put on for afternoon tea was equally as tasty. Unfortunately it’s lethal for your waistband – a few more laps around the deck are in order I think.

Ratings:                            Gluten Free:

Tea: 8/10                                   

Sandwiches:  6/10                  

Cakes: 8/10                               Dessert:  7/10       

Scones: 7/10                           

Service: 9/10    

Overall: 8/10

Would I return?   Yes 

Victoria Plum Team Room Otley Leeds

Victoria Plum Tea Room

Victoria Plum Tea Room Otley

Otley

Leeds

Date Visited :  24 July 2014

Price:  £7.00

Otley is a busy market town on the outskirts of Leeds.  It boasts a large array of shops, pubs and cafes and down by the river is the beautiful Wharfemeadows Park where you’ll find a bowling green, tennis courts and children’s playground. 

River Wharfe Otley

Since Otley is such a nice place to wander about (the top of the Otley Chevin has some fantastic views), when I visited I parked right at the top of the Chevin in the Chevin Forest Surprise View Car Park and then walked down from there into Otley.  This car park is perfectly located if you want to have a walk about as it’s not too far from the centre of Otley – and it’s free.  Plus, if it’s a nice day the magnificent view of Otley from the top really is worth seeing.  It’s all downhill on the walk down, so it’s quite a leisurely stroll, but I should warn you that the trek back up is a little more taxing!  The steep climb back up the hundreds of steps does make you feel slightly less guilty about eating all that cake at the tea shop.  Sort of!

Views from the top of the Chevin

There are a number of good little teashops in Otley, but we chose to go to the Victoria Plum Tea Room mainly because they served gluten free food.  The cafe is situated in the heart of Otley, just on the corner near the All Saint’s Parish Church.  It’s an old fashioned quaint cafe with mismatched chairs and tables set outside on its cobbled patio.  When we visited there were still signs that the Tour de France had passed through with its yellow decorated bikes and buntings strewn across the outside and in the front window.

Inside the quaint tea room

The tea room is quite small inside but it has plenty of wooden painted tables and chairs and it had a cosy snug feeling.  Its white washed walls and original beam ceiling are decorated with pictures of cupcakes, china cups and saucers and retro signs.  It had a big stone fire place with a more contemporary wood burning gas fire.  A large dresser sits at the far end of the cafe, heaving with mismatched china cups, saucers and teapots and more importantly all the delicious freshly baked cakes!

The High Tea is served on a three tiered cake stand, which was absolutely brimming with food - there were easily enough cakes and sandwiches for two people but I had it all to myself!  Most tea rooms I have been to only give you four small finger sandwiches, but here the portions were pretty substantial.  There were three cheese finger sandwiches in brown bread, two egg mayonnaise, and two ham and tomato, served on large open breadcakes. 

The cakes consisted of a large chunk of fruit cake, a lemon sponge cake topped with a thick layer of lemon icing, and of course, the traditional large fruit scone served with strawberry jam and cream.

High Tea

Gluten Free Meal

My two guests opted for a baked potato with cheese, garnished with a large helping of salad and coleslaw, and a sausage sandwich.   They both agreed they wished they had gone for the afternoon tea after it arrived looking so delicious. I could probably have shared it really as I did struggle to eat it all.  There was more than enough food for two people, so I did have to save the fruit cake and take it home to eat later.

The gluten free options were quite limited, and although they provided sandwiches unfortunately they didn’t do any cakes.

 

It's all up hill on the way back...

It's all down hill going!

The food here was excellent.  Everything is made fresh to order and the portions are very large, so it is extremely good value for money at a mere £7 each.  I think this is possibly the cheapest afternoon tea I’ve ever had and also the most filling! 

     Ratings:                            Gluten Free:

     Tea: 8/10                                   7/10

     Sandwiches:  7/10                     Baked Potato with cheese   8/10

     Cakes: 8/10                                       

     Scones: 7/10                           

     Service: 9/10    

     Overall: 8/10

     Would I return?   Yes 

Tea Cosies - Yeadon Leeds

  

Tea Cosies Yeadon - Leeds

Tea Cosies

10 High Street

Yeadon

Leeds

LS19 7PP

Date Visited : 29 May 2014

Price: £9.45

OR £14.45 for 2 people

Gluten Free Price: £9.45

I came across this tea shop whilst searching on the internet for local tea shops, and decided to give it a try, mainly because it offers gluten free options.  Not many places, especially tea shops, tend to serve gluten free food so it can be quite tricky trying to find places that cater for coeliacs…so with the prospect of both gluten free sandwiches and cakes on the menu, we were really looking forward to this little indulgent treat!

The tea shop is a fairly new establishment, opening in early January this year.  The cafe is family run and all the produce is home baked on the premises daily.   It is located at the bottom of Yeadon’s High Street, just around the corner from the Town Hall square.  There is a small car park (which is free) just a short two minutes’ walk from the Tea Shop, so don’t worry about having to park miles away and then face a mini hike before you can eat your lunch.

From the outside the shop looks quite big with its large glass windows, but on entering you find it is actually quite small and cosy.  The café is quaintly decorated in pretty pastel shades of green and pink with flowery wallpaper and pictures and buntings adorning the walls.  Twinkling glass chandeliers hang from the ceiling and an ornate Welsh dresser sits in the corner adorned with an array of mismatched china teacups, whilst a (rather extensive) collection of teapots are whimsically displayed all around the shop.  As an avid collector of teapots myself (no mocking, please), I rather enjoyed the mismatched teapot collection.

Being quite a cosy tea shop, there were only four small tables inside so I would advise booking in advance if you are planning to go so as not to be disappointed.   Although there is additional seating outside which would be perfect for sunnier, warmer days, but sadly when we went it was far too chilly to sit outside.

The table was already set for our arrival with mismatched china cups and saucers lacy table cloth and fresh pink roses in the centre.  Everything looked really pretty and the place had a warm friendly atmosphere. 

  

We were handed our menu by the welcoming friendly staff.  Myself and two guests had booked afternoon tea, one being gluten free.  

There was a wide range of sandwiches to choose from, which was a welcome treat…in most tea rooms you are restricted to just two choices and these often have to be the same as the other person you are sharing with, which can be very annoying if you’re as fussy as me!  So it was a pleasant surprise to find that there were no such rules here and you were free to choose any combination you liked.  The choices consisted of tuna and cucumber, ham and mustard, beef and horseradish sauce, egg and cress, and cheese with chutney.  Whilst there were a variety of choices, there was still no tinned salmon and cucumber which is my absolute favourite – I have only found one tea shop that does this so far!

Similarly there were plenty of teas to pick from.  From the regular English breakfast to the more unusual peppermint or Meo Feng green tea.  There were no tea bags in sight though – only traditional fresh leaf tea, which pleased my guests who think this is the only way for real tea drinker’s to drink any kind of tea!
 

The afternoon tea came on a three tiered stand to be shared between two and the gluten free tea came on a separate two tier stand.  We were served  four triangle cut sandwiches each in brown and white bread garnished with salad and a selection of cakes ranging from a fruit scone each with jam and cream, a Viennese whirl, lemon drizzle cake, coffee kiss cake, and a fruit flapjack.   The lemon drizzle cake was especially yummy and very light - and it was gluten free!  The gluten free tea also came with a variety of choice ranging from carrot cake, lemon drizzle and a fruit scone.  It is very rare in a tea shop to have gluten free scones (or at least this is what we have found), especially such delicious ones that my guest assured me tasted just like ‘normal ones’!



Gluten Free Afternoon Tea

Afternoon Tea For Two




















The afternoon tea here was delicious and we were especially impressed with the gluten free options. To have more than one choice of gluten free cake is always a bonus!  The staff were very friendly and knowledgeable and, as well as serving gluten free food, they were more than happy to cater for other dietary requirements on request.  A child’s afternoon tea was also available with smaller portions for a reasonable £4.50.  And as a little extra bonus, I noticed they served marmite on toast as part of their breakfast menu – my favourite!  I find that hardly any cafes, here or abroad, ever seem to serve marmite, it’s always jam, so I always end up having to carry my own little pot around with me (as you do, it’s perfectly normal!).

This lovely quirky café is every afternoon tea lover’s delight and I would definitely recommend it –even if it’s just to pop in for a quick bite of marmite on toast washed down with a hot cup of tea. And if you wanted to make a bit more of a day of it, you could wander around the shops up the High Street or take a stroll around Yeadon Tarn, a large boating lake and park just up the road from the cafe.  On Friday's there is also an open market.

Note:  It does close quite early at 3.30pm, but as long as you are there before this time there is no pressure to leave.

We will definitely be paying another visit very soon!  Gluten free food highly recommended.

Ratings:                                                             Gluten Free Ratings:

Tea: 8/10                                                                          

Sandwiches:  8/10                                                          7/10

Cakes: 9/10                                                                      9/10

Scones: 8/10                                                                    8/10

Service: 10/10                                                                 

Overall: 9/10      
                                                             

Would I return?   Yes