On a wet and rainy Saturday afternoon, I whisked my Mam away for a decadent afternoon of cakes, tea and several Gin & Tonics in the luxurious confines of Slaley Hall for one of their excellent G&Tea afternoon teas (£21.35pp).
Who could resist?
I was a little hesitant as our previous visit had resulted in less than stellar customer service but with an open mind, on we trekked. And let me just say what a trek it is from the car park. Up hill. In the rain.
Taking our seats in the grand Dukes Grill, I needn’t have worried as our server for the day was an exemplary model of customer service.
With a huge range of my favourite Newby teas to get us started, we brewed our teas whilst supping on our G&Ts. A girl could get used to this you know?
As with most afternoon teas, we started with the savoury – a selection of ham, salmon and egg sandwiches on sliced bread – delicate and as dainty as you’d expect, the bread was a little claggy but there’s nothing a good cup of tea can’t fix.
The scones were freshly made and generous in size, slathered in clotted cream and strawberry jam they went down a treat.
The piece de resisténce is always the cakes on the 3rd and final tier. Thoroughly decadent and seriously rich, the chocolate brownie slice was an utter wedge of luxury. It was so thick and gooey you could feel sticking to your bones.
Throughout our whole visit, which was around 75 minutes for our G&Tea Afternoon Tea, we were well looked after by our attentive and very professional servers. Not once was our water glass empty nor the water in our teapot merely tepid. An excellent return visit and thanks to a LivingSocial deal I had purchased, it made the trip even more cost effective.
I was however quite put off by the chipped plates and cups and the cake presentation was a little sloppy but that’s by the by I guess as the service made up for it.
Next time I visit, I want to try Hadrians Brasserie as the food looks delicious!
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