Oulton Hall - Oulton - Leeds

Oulton Hall

Rothwell Lane

Oulton

Leeds

LS26 8HN

Date of Visit: 31 July 2016

Price: Mon-Thurs £21.00

Price: Fri-Sun £24.00

Oulton Hall is a beautiful 18th century mansion near Rothwell, just on the outskirts of Leeds. Set back from the main road, it is approached by a long sweeping driveway and is surrounded by beautiful landscaped gardens and a 27 hole golf course. In the July sun it looks very grand.

Afternoon tea is served in the drawing room, a large airy space with high ceilings, ornate cornicing glass chandeliers, plush carpets, dark wood panelled walls and quality furniture. We were shown to a large marble coffee table surrounded by comfy chairs and a sofa in front of a huge glass window which offered a glorious view onto the well-kept gardens.

The Drawing Room

For our afternoon tea we were offered a choice of two sandwich fillings to share between us, so  we went for egg and chive mayonnaise and Yorkshire ham with fruit chutney, on white and brown bread.  Other filling options included smoked salmon with milled black pepper, or cream cheese and cucumber.  As an added bonus, we were also given a warm savoury red pepper tomato and spring onion tartlet.  The gluten free menu consisted of the same selection, although the ham sandwich came without the fruit chutney which unfortunately made it very dry.  The savoury tartlet was also notably absent.

Gluten Free Sandwiches

When the afternoon tea came it was served on a tall three tier stand with a selection of fruit and plain scones, served with strawberry preserve and clotted cream, Yorkshire tea loaf and a chunk of Wensleydale cheese.  The other cakes included a fresh cream chocolate éclair, a fresh strawberry and coconut tart, a bakewell tart and a vanilla panna cotta topped with a blueberry.  The gluten free sweets comprised of a plain and fruit scone, millionaire’s shortbread and a bakewell tart topped with a cherry – although this did look suspiciously like a shop bought one.

The tea menu is locally sourced from Taylors of Harrogate, offering a large selection from Kenya, India and China, and a range of fruity infusions, including lemongrass and ginger, and sweet rhubarb.  Naturally we went for the most boring option and stuck with the trusty English breakfast blend.

Although the sandwiches were very tasty, I found the cakes a bit underwhelming and with only one of each choice between two, it was a fight to see who was having which cake!  The gluten free option was equally unspectacular for such a well established place.

We did enjoy our afternoon tea but I must admit we were slightly disappointed by some of the cakes, and expected much better quality from a luxury hotel.  Plus, we had to pay more because we visited on a weekend and I felt due to the lack of options for the gluten free tea, it should have been priced a little cheaper.  On the other hand, the service was very good and the staff were very friendly.  I guess we just expected more from a four star hotel.

Gluten Free Cakes

Ratings:                                          Ratings:  Gluten Free

Tea: 7/10                                                     Tea: 7/10

Sandwiches:  8/10                                      Sandwiches: 6/10           

Cakes: 6/10                                                 Cakes: 5/10

Scones: 7/10                                                Scones: 7/10

Service: 8/10                                              Service: 8/10       

Overall: 7/10                                              Overall: 6/10

Would I return?   Maybe