Time for an old-fashioned afternoon tea!

Nosebag's yummy Lemon Drizzle Cake!
(Image - www.nosebag.co.uk)

I had the pleasure of taking two very civilised tea breaks this weekend, sampling some delicious traditional afternoon teas!

First, on Saturday, I visited The Nosebag in Oxford, sampling an enormous slice of homemade bacon and courgette quiche (thick, perfectly baked pastry with a copious amount of cheesy, smoky filling, with the courgettes adding extra bite!) with a selection of fresh salads (including my favourite - tomato and onion salad!), moist, zingy lemon drizzle cake (another huge slice, which we shared between two of us!) and soothing Storm organic English Breakfast tea, served in a kooky earthenware pot.

The atmosphere was relaxing and laid back, with inviting smells wafting from the kitchen and a smorgasbord of organic foods on offer, including a creative and colourful salad bar.  

The artwork on the walls can also be purchased at reasonable prices, adding to the atmosphere and allowing visitors the opportunity to take a little piece of Oxford home with them.

I thoroughly recommend this delightful Oxford institution - especially after spending a long time walking around the city and its excellent museum, the Ashmolean (the perfect stop for enthusiasts of history and the ancient world, and it has a great gift shop!)

High Tea at the Original Maids of Honour
(Image - www.theoriginalmaidsofhonour.co.uk)

On Sunday, closer to home, I paid a visit to The Original Maids of Honour, a tea shop in Kew, Richmond, serving Maids of Honour cakes, which have been around since Tudor times (believed to be named after cakes that Henry VIII enjoyed with Anne Boleyn and other Maids of Honour - look out for the portraits of Henry VIII and his relatives adorning the walls!)  The tea shop certainly has a long and illustrious history - the first Richmond Maids of Honour shop can be traced back to the early 18th Century.  

My friend and I ordered High Tea for two, with a selection of sandwiches (a traditional mix of individual finger sandwiches of ham, cheese, salmon and egg), tasty plain or fruit scones (I chose plain and my friend had one of each) and our choice of cakes from a huge selection! Too full after all the sandwiches and very big scones, we took our cakes home with us! I ate a coffee eclair, which was amazing - thick and plentiful coffee icing and lots of coffee-flavoured Creme Patissiere inside. My guest chose a thick slab of lemon cake.

Tempted by all the wonderful food, I also took home a massive wedge of chicken and ham pie, which I heated up at home for dinner later that day. The pie was the best I've ever tasted - full of meaty flavour and gooey, with almost caramelised gravy oozing out when warmed!  My friend took home a slice of homemade quiche, which looked and smelled delicious!

I was extremely impressed by the quality and quantity of both the High Tea and "takeaway" portions, and will definitely return! I've already recommended to my family and any friends who will listen!

Until the next tea break...

Rachael