Tea Update: Soho's Secret Tearoom

A few years ago I wrote a post on what was once one of my favourite tearooms in London  - Soho's Secret Tearoom. It was a fabulous 40's inspired tea room with beautiful china and table linen, delicious cakes, and polite staff who all wore 40's clothing, oh and there was 40's music playing. :) Suffice to say it was pretty fabulous. :)

However, a few months ago a friend and I decided that it would be fun to go back there. We were really excited, but sadly we couldn't have been more disappointed. The beautiful table linen, 40s music and clothing had all gone. The tables were covered in ugly plastic table clothes, the staff were dressed in modern clothes, the china was dirty and the chocolate cake I had was, well Mary and Paul would give it a thumbs down, (so not great!). Also my tea cup was particularly dirty, but when I showed it to one of the waitresses and asked for a clean one, all she said was "oh they are all like that, it's just a stain", and walked off!! I decided to try to clean it with my napkin, and surprise surprise it wasn't a stain! So I ended up having to take a clean one off another table!! The whole experience was pretty dismal. The only conclusion I have come to is that it must be under new management. It is so sad as it used to be such a lovely tearoom.

Tea at The Original Maids of Honour

It's been a while since I did a proper post on a tea trip. The main reason being that most of the tea places I have tried recently really haven't been worth posting about. However, a couple of weeks ago, a friend and I decided to try The Original Maids of Honour, which it turned out I couldn't not mention! It's is quite a well know tearoom which has been around since the mid nineteenth century, but I hadn't been to it before as it is all the way out in Kew. All I can say is that it was definitely worth the trek to get there!!

Proper sized tea cup. Not one of those tiny ones which can only hold a mouthful. 

Rather a pretty one too. :)

I would have preferred the tea pot and milk jug to have been china and not metal, but otherwise all was fabulous. :)

Delicious food. Fabulously light and fluffy scones, yummy chocolate flake cake, and lovely ham and cucumber sandwiches. (They usually give a wider selection of sandwiches, but I am rather picky when it comes to sandwich fillings, so they kindly offered to give me a plateful of only the ones I liked!) 

A Maid of Honour - the recipe is a highly guarded secret. Of course I had to try one. Not much to look at, but was a deliciously lemonny tart type thing with lovely fluffy pastry. Absolutely scrumptious!! :)

Outside they had two wonderful old delivery vans. 

So the curtains are looking very tattered,the carpet could be less psychedelic, and the loo needs to be refurbished, but those are just cosmetic things. The food is delicious, the staff are polite, friendly and efficient, and the atmosphere is fabulous. I half expected to see Miss Marple walk through the door as it looks exactly like the tearooms shown in various tv adaptations! It is the perfect place to go on a wintery afternoon, and without a doubt one of the best teas I have ever had in London.

Tea at Fortnums

Welcome back, we have now reached November 2014 (slowly getting through the posts that should have been written last year!) 

My Birthday. Not sure if I have ever mentioned this, but as a sort of tradition, every year on my birthday I go out to tea with my family. Sadly this year my siblings couldn't make it, but my parents and I had a lovely time. We decided to go to The Parlour Restaurant in Fortnum and Mason's. It's kind of an American style ice cream parlour with a Georgian twist. 

Delicious hot chocolate. It wasn't exactly a traditional tea - no scones or sandwiches...

but it was yummy.  Scrumptious banana split. :)

And I rounded it off with a lemon macaroon, by which time I had switched to good old Earl Grey. :)

I apologise for my severe lack of photos! Hopefully I will go there again soon, and will take many more photos. 

Jane Austen Festival 2013 - Part 4: Bea's Vintage Tearoom and the last few days of a week in the Regency.

New years resolution - write posts, at the latest, a week after an event, not 4 months later!!!!!

My final post on JAF 2013.

Towards the end of the week I decided to go back to Bea's Vintage Tearoom and have a proper afternoon tea. The food was delicious, as was the atmosphere - 40s music, books on the 40s for customers to read and a few lovely 40's dresses in cabinets on the walls. The only thing that could have been better was the cake, they had rather odd flavours, and no victoria sponge (a vintage tearoom which doesn't serve victoria sponge!!). Apart from the cake it was wonderful and I would definitely go there again. 

Another event I attended during the end of the week was a talk on using modern make up to get a regency look. 

It was very interesting. I am appalling at putting on make up so I learnt lots of useful tips. 

I also attended a talk on using modern scarfs to make Regency looking turbans. 

Different turban styles

It was great fun trying to make all the different styles of turbans.

Barbara looking very elegant. :) 

A rather blurry photo of me. :)

I also attended a dance workshop, another ball and a friend held a fabulous card party. Bizarrely I didn't take any photos! I must have been having too much fun to remember to take any! :) But Nora and Aurora have some lovely photos, of a few of the events, on their blogs. 

Jane Austen Festival 2013 - Part 1

I meant to post this about a month ago but somehow I never got around to pressing the 'publish' button!!

This year I was lucky enough to be able to attend the whole festival - not every event, but there for the whole week. 

As usual the Festival started off with the Grand Regency Promenade. However, this year the organisers changed the starting point from outside the Pump Rooms to the Royal Crescent gardens. 

Everyone waiting for the start. 

Getting into line. At the start of the promenade the street was lined with spectators. There were loads of people, it was as if someone famous was attending the promenade! Usually there are only a few people who  turn up for the start to actually watch it.

Walking down Milsom Street. I walked with my friend Aurora. We kept walking up and down the line so we could walk a little bit of the way with all our different friends. So we ended up doing the promenade route about 1 and a half times!! :)

As with last year, the promenade ended in Parade Gardens (I think that is what it's called).  This is where everyone meets up with friends from previous years and chats, whilst watching the dancing performed by Steps in Time.

I spent my time drooling over everyones' amazing outfits and taking sneaky photos!! I loved this pelisse. At the time I didn't know the person wearing it, but met her (Noora) during the week. She is a lovely person and has the most amazing outfits, all made by her! 

Claire, Lyze, Rob and Jag all looking incredible. And Lyze looking very patriotic (she is American)!! :)

Not a great photo, but loved the back of this lady's gown - beautiful embroidery.

Adorable little baby

After the promenade Aurora, an American friend of hers, and two of her friends, and I went and had lunch in the Pump Room.

I am appalling at remembering names, but I remember that they were very nice people, who had amazing clothes. I just love her hat!! :)

Once again can't remember her name but she was also very nice and had beautiful clothes.

I can't precisely remember what we did after lunch. I think we wandered around the city, and Aurora and I found ourselves at Bea's Vintage tearoom. A lovely 40's inspired tearoom. I heard about it over a year ago but never got round to finding it last year, but this year I managed to. 

Bizzare photo I know but Aurora had this really cool pink hand sanitizer. 

Since we had eaten lunch a few hours before, we didn't feel like having a full afternoon tea, instead we each had a scone.

Modern and Regency worlds colliding. Aurora at the express till buying a sim card at Carphone Warehouse! 

That evening there was the Farthingale's Ball in the Assembly Rooms.

Jeanette in the ballroom before the dancing started.

Dancing

Next Post: Jane Austen Festival 2013 Part 2

Celebrating 200 Years of Pride and Prejudice - Part 2: The Village of Meryton

The following day we hopped on a coach, our destination - the village of Laycock. It is a lovely picturesque village that is owned by the National Trust. People live there, but there are strict rules on what colour they can paint their houses etc. It has been used in quite a few films. Most notably as the village of Meryton in 95' Pride and Prejudice, also Cranford in Crandord. :)

We spent the morning wandering around the village, seeing what buildings we recognised. :)

Miss Matty and Miss Deborah Jenkyn's  House (Cranford)

Corina outside the Jenkyn's house

Captain Brown's House (Cranford)

The very elegant Claire and Corina.

A lovely little bakery

I think this house, or maybe the one in the photo above (my memory is like a sieve sometimes!), was used as Miss Bates's house in the 95' ITV version of Emma.

Laycock church which was used as Highbury church in the ITV Emma

Inside the church

Everyone gathered round to hear all about the history of the village.

Ignore the cars!

Natalie with her beautiful parasol. :)

After wandering around most of the village, we went and had a cup of tea in the local tea room - King John's Hunting Lodge

This is the owner (once again my memory has failed me when it comes to her name!) Anyway, she had a lovely collection of antique (victorian) clothing. Oh and she has also published a lovely book or Regency recipes called 'Tea with the Bennets'.

Me holding the owner's beautiful parasol and shawl. :)

Natalie looking amazing as usual. Her clothes are exquisite. :)

Claire and Corina looking very smart in their ball gowns.

After tea we continued our tour of the village.

The Red Lion pub. Used as the outside of the Meryton Assembly Rooms in 95' P&P.

The National Trust shop - a must when visiting any Trust property. :) I managed to stop myself from buying anything, which is frankly amazing as I always end up coming out of their shops carrying many bagfuls of stuff! So many pretty things. :)

This building was used as a shop in 95' P&P. The one where Lydia spots 'a hideous piece of material that would do very well for Mary'! (not sure if those were her exact words!)

pretty building

and another

and another. :)

This shop was seen in 95' P&P aswell. The victorian postbox was disguised as I think a water pump.

We had a wonderful time. There was great excitement at seeing buildings used in much loved films and tv programmes, and the village was very pretty - very chocolate boxey. :)

Next stop - Longbourn!!! :)