So a couple of weeks ago I left London to stay at Jonny's for a little while before he went back out on tour. I had just found out about this small vintage tea shop in Ampthill which is probably about a mile walk from where he lives. I'd wondered WHY I hadn't discovered this place sooner but since I eventually did, I saw no point in wasting time in going and I persisted on dragging him with me.
It's a lovely little walk up to this cafe with pretty houses and lots and lots of greenery which is definitely a far cry from living in south east London. Admittedly, I can be a bit of a lazy bug when it comes to walking but the weather was perking up so we decided to walk it anyway and get some fresh air.
The cafe is located down a little alleyway just off of the main street; it's definitely tucked away which is most likely why it took me so long to know about it and even Jonny had no idea it was there.
As you can see, it's absolutely adorable! I love coming to places like this because I feel right at home and it truly does feel like an escape from the norm of everywhere else on the high street. I have to admit I do love my trips to Costa Coffee but these little tea shops will always beat them, hands down.
When we first arrived the cafe was so packed there weren't any seats inside but since it wasn't raining, we were more than happy to sit outside. Unfortunately, the seats were wet from the earlier rain but one of the cafe's staff were more than willing to find us something to sit on to avoid the rain. Thankfully, as we settled down, a pair of people left so we could go and enjoy sitting inside and take in the interior.
The interior is just adorable; despite being quite small, I think this gives it an advantage as it makes the place seem more cosy and relaxed. The walls are adorned with cute and quirky vintage style signs as well as trinkets and homeware on display including lovely vintage tea cups. My immediate thought as we walked in and sat down was "well I feel right at home!"
I
was so impressed by the cutlery and china. I'm not normally a tea drinker but whenever I go to a tea shop I always HAVE to have it because 1. I just adore vintage china and 2. for some reason, I like pretend I'm more elegant than I really am ;)
The last tearooms I went to (back in London) I wasn't particularly impressed with because the cake was all store bought, so very dry and the tea was simply just bog standard tea bags which I don't expect to get in a vintage cafe so the menu wasn't great. However, Cakestand & Crumb was right up my street because the cakes were all home baked and the tea was loose and absolutely delicious. I would definitely be an avid tea drinker if I could have it like this everyday!
After I was told the scones were sold out (I believe they have very high amount of orders and a small kitchen which makes it difficult for them to provide these on the day and it's better to book in advance, I'll keep that in mind for next time) , I decided to opt for the smoked salmon sandwich with crisps and salad on the side. It was very simple but delicious and exactly what I'd expected, I didn't want anything fancy but nice china to eat it from. I then couldn't resist going in for a slice of cake afterwards. As you can see in the photo, I went for a slice of blueberry and lemon cake; I cannot say enough good words, so moist! I'm just so impressed.
I honestly cannot remember the price of the individual items on our order (I know, I'm a bad blogger) but our order of a pot of tea, soft drink, two slices of cake and a sandwich came to roughly about £14-15. Baring in mind that these are also very generous portions as well as plenty of hard work going into making the cakes from scratch, it's so reasonable. I felt plenty full and it was much nicer, and cheaper, than having a bog standard lunch elsewhere.
I do like to keep my reviews balanced so I often point out things that I feel could have been improved, but I really struggled here. We had such a lovely afternoon that I couldn't fault it at all.
I've gone away and I'm already trying to plan when I can go again. I'd love to take my Mum as we love doing these sorts of afternoons together but it's a bit far from our house to come just for an afternoon tea. Either way, it will be done and I'm sure this will become a regular haunt of mine now I know of it's existence.
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xo
*I was not paid, sponsored or gifted any items for this review. I wrote this based off of my own visit paid for by myself.
