It was a dismal February day, with leaden grey clouds and a chilling north wind. To brighten the mood, I made an advanced booking at local restaurant and bar, Jam. It was thanks to my friend Kelly who gifted me a voucher for afternoon tea, that we visited this restaurant. We had not been before.
Our table was booked for 12.15pm. On arrival, the maître d’ was expecting us and showed David and I to our table with a view of the busy street beyond.
The restaurant is small but well designed. It gave a luxurious vibe without being pretentious. I had had second thoughts about booking for a Saturday at lunch time as I thought the place would be heaving. Thankfully it was not. There were other people enjoying afternoon tea and a party celebrating a baby shower but that was it. I suppose it would be busier of an evening.
Darjeeling Tea
We sat down with the drinks menu and had a choice from over 20+ teas. I chose the Darjeeling (floral, much better without milk) and David had the afternoon blend (which he thought was quite strong). The drinks came in teapots, enough for three cups, and small metal pails for the milk. We were asked later on if we needed hot water top ups for our teapots.
The maître d’ asked for any dietary requirements. I ordered the vegetarian afternoon tea. I was happy as I thought the choice of afternoon tea would be limited with the voucher but it wasn’t. My sandwiches were a little different to David’s when the cake trays arrived, one for each of us! I’ll list the choice of sandwiches and cakes below.
The only other afternoon tea I can make a comparison with is my trip to Browns last year. Though Jam’s price was a little higher for two people, I found the quality was much better! You certainly got more for your money!
Vegetarian Afternoon Tea
Vegetarian Afternoon Tea:
- Cucumber and cream cheese roll
- Fried onion and pepper roll
- Tomato and hallumi roll
- Grated cheese roll
(All the cakes were homemade.)
- Sponge cake
- Nutty chocolate brownie
- Trifle
- Fudge
- Homemade scone (it was still warm) with clotted cream and homemade jam
Afternoon Tea:
- Ham roll
- Smoked salmon roll
- Egg roll
- Cucumber and cream cheese roll
- The cakes and scone was the same as above
Afternoon Tea at Jam
The homemade fudge was sweet and rich, though I couldn’t eat too much of it. David enjoyed the chocolate brownies, indeed, he ate mine too! He said they were moist and nutty. The trifle was smooth and the mixture of cream and custard was delicious! The jam was a little tart but it didn’t detract from the gorgeous fluffy and fruity scones!
Service was good and they even did doggie bags! Our left overs came all wrapped up in silver foil with a handle!
Overall, I enjoyed the afternoon tea experience at Jam. I was even happier that I got the vegetarian option! David enjoyed the cakes but said the choice of sandwiches were not to his liking.
I’ll rate this afternoon tea an 8/10!
Do you enjoy afternoon teas? What are your experiences of them?
Thanks for reading,
Christine (and David!) x
On Thursday I met up with an old ‘boss’, and friend, Sue and her guide dog Cath, for afternoon tea.
The last link I clicked on was 
Sue ordered a coffee and I a pot of loose tea which filled approximately four small cups. When being served, Sue was kindly told where the milk jug and sugar was placed on the table, a nice touch by the waiter.
I was looking forward to the scones, but they seemed a little dry. Indeed the whole menu made you want to drink tea by the gallon. Cakes are thirsty business!
Christine Lucas 