Food

 The Best Afternoon Teas in Essex

Anyone that knows me will know I love Afternoon Teas! Whether it’s to celebrate a birthday, a baby shower, to catch up with friends or spend time with my family. I enjoy the whole experience. I’ve visited many great Afternoon Tea venues in my time and after writing about some of my favourite afternoon teas, I thought it was time to review some of The Best Afternoon Teas in Essex. What a journey it has been, I’ve discovered that Essex has some true gems to offer! So without hesitation and in no particular order, here they are The Best Afternoon Teas in Essex:

Roslin Beach Hotel, Southend

What an utter delight it was to visit The Roslin Beach Hotel in Southend today for afternoon tea. Set in absolutely beautiful surroundings, with attentive staff and some of most delicious sandwiches I’ve tasted!

The Roslin Beach Hotel in Southend Essex, is a stylish and luxurious hotel in a quiet location overlooking the sea. From the moment I arrived at The Roslin, I was excited. Greeted by a most beautiful floral display at the entrance, as soon as you step inside the Roslin Beach Hotel, you know it is going to be a good experience. The doorways are decorated with gorgeous floral displays and the venue decor is modern and classy. I felt that everything had a luxurious feel to it. The staff couldn’t be more helpful and the Afternoon Tea certainly lived up to my expectations.

Afternoon Tea at The Roslin Beach Hotel was enjoyable from start to finish. The sandwiches had a great selection of fillings, from roast beef and horseradish to coronation chicken,  they were generously filled and extremely fresh. A quiche is served alongside the savouries. The Roslin invites you to replenish your sandwiches at no extra cost which is always a nice touch.

The selection of cakes were some of the best I have tried during my tour of the Best Afternoon Teas in Essex. We were served a delicious  array of mini sweet treats and the creme brûlée was simply to die for!

I felt The Roslin Beach Hotel was an amazing experience, from start to finish. I really enjoyed my luxurious experience, I’m sure you wouldn’t be disappointed! Afternoon Teas at The Roslin Beach Hotel start at £21 with the option to add a glass of Prosecco. Children’s afternoon teas are also available. For more information or to book please visit their website.

Stifford Hall Hotel, Thurrock

Today I’m at Stifford Hall Hotel as part of my journey reviewing the Best Afternoon Teas in Essex! Stifford Hall Hotel did not disappoint. Simply lovely nestled in a cosy fire lit library, with a feast of sandwiches and delicious cakes!!!

Stifford Hall Hotel in Thurrock is an elegant 18th century Georgian mansion set amongst pretty grounds. Our afternoon tea was set up in the library. Cosy and relaxed it had a great feel to it with a beautiful stained glass window. They also serve afternoon tea in their Garden Suite which is light and airy with pretty views over the gardens.

I was blown away by the amount of sandwiches we received with Stifford Hall Hotel’s afternoon Tea. I received a cake stand full of sandwiches with a huge selection of fillings, a tier of meat, fish and vegetarian. They were all very fresh and extremely delicious. It’s not often I am outdone by the sandwiches but this was a feast and even beat me!

The cakes were a good and varied selection and very nice. There were some amazing custard and fruit tarts and the scones came all ready topped with a huge dollop of clotted cream, jam and a strawberry.

I really enjoyed my visit to Stifford Hall Hotel, it’s a real hidden gem and absolutely deserves its place on The Best Afternoon Teas In Essex list. Afternoon Tea at Stifford Hall Hotel is £15.95 which is excellent value for money. For further information or to book please visit their website. They also do fantastic roast dinners on Sundays which I definitely recommend, again very good value for money.

Merrymeade Tea Room, Brentwood

Enjoyed a wonderful afternoon tea at Merrymeade Tea Room! Great value and you can even enjoy soaking up the rays on their terrace while the kids play in the gardens.

Merrymeade Tea Room is set within Merrymeade House in Brentwood, Essex. A quaint traditional tea room with views over the gardens and opening onto a Terrace with outdoor seating. I felt Merrymeade Tea Room deserved their place on ‘The Best Afternoon Teas in Essex’ list as they offer such brilliant value for money in a lovely traditional setting with the added bonus of dining on the terrace. It is the perfect spot to to relax and enjoy afternoon tea whilst children can play in the gardens.

Their traditional afternoon tea is £11.95 and includes sandwiches, scones and sliced cake. The luxury afternoon tea is £13.95 with the addition of chocolate dipped strawberries, grapes and unlimited tea.

You can choose 3 options from a good selection of sandwiches, we opted for coronation chicken (a favourite of mine), chicken, bacon & avocado and Brie & cranberry. The sandwiches were incredibly fresh, generously filled and very tasty.

Whilst Merrymeade Tea Room doesn’t claim to bake all of their own cakes and scones, they do offer a good selection of traditional homemade cakes. I can personally vouch for the lemon drizzle cake, it was moist and full of flavour. The chocolate strawberries were a lovely addition to the afternoon tea and tasted amazing!

Merrymeade House also offer a children’s afternoon tea which is a very generous portion. For further information or to book please visit their website.

Prested Hall Hotel, Colchester

Tried out Prested Hall’s Afternoon Tea today, think oak beams, comfortable surroundings with a hint of luxury and scones to die for! What a treat… a traditional afternoon tea but like they say ‘just that little bit different!’

Prested Hall in Colchester Essex is a gorgeous 15th century Manor House set at the end of a long and impressive driveway. I absolutely loved the relaxed and comfortable feeling I had when I entered Prested Hall. It’s a wedding venue, boutique hotel and spa, traditional crossed with modern, makes for a great experience.

Our afternoon tea at a Prested Hall was set within the cosy library, a lovely room where I felt as if I were ‘Lady of the Manor’. They also serve afternoon tea in The Garden Room and The Orangery.

The afternoon tea that arrived was very impressive. The sandwiches included some more unusual fillings from your regular afternoon teas which was a really nice addition. They were very fresh and generously filled.

The scones were some of the best I have tasted, lightly spiced and served warm with a choice of jams and clotted cream. They were a real delight. The cakes and sweets were all very good. A really nice selection of cheesecake and other perfectly sized sweet treats.

I thoroughly enjoyed my experience at Prested Hall, from the sweeping driveway, traditional and classy venue to the very enjoyable afternoon tea! It’s definitely one for our list of the Best Afternoon Teas in Essex! The menus are changed regularly and available online. They are very reasonably priced at £16.50 for their Traditional Afternoon Tea or £23 for the Champagne Afternoon Tea. Prested Hall also offers a children’s afternoon tea. For further information or to book please visit their website.

Cardamon Tea Lounge & Shop, Colchester

The Cardamon Tea Lounge and Shop is a quaint traditional tea room in Colchester. They absolutely deserve their place on The Best Afternoon Teas in Essex. It is a real hidden gem, we originally stumbled across it one day and have been regulars ever since. We aren’t the only ones that like it, it won the Essex Life Food and Drink Awards 2017 for Best Coffee/Tea Shop. Now its quickly becoming a popular spot for wonderful and imaginative Themed Afternoon Tea in Essex.

The Cardamon Tea Lounge offer something that little bit different from everyone else. They specialise in themed afternoon teas, each month brings a new theme. The attention to detail is incredible. I have reviewed several of their themed afternoon teas, you can read about some of my favourites below:

Sherlock Holmes Themed Afternoon Tea

A Wizards Themed Afternoon Tea

Practically Perfect Mary Poppins Themed Afternoon Tea

The afternoon teas at The Cardamon Tea Lounge always vary so much with exciting fillings, incredible home made cakes and desserts. I am always amazed and surprised at the sheer imagination and thought gone into each and every afternoon tea. Themed children’s afternoon tea platters are also available and are sure to delight almost every child with many themes to choose from throughout the year.

Themed afternoon teas are £20 per head. Their Alice in Wonderland theme afternoon tea runs throughout the year and is £14.95 and their luxury Queen of Hearts afternoon tea is £20 per head. Childrens platters are £6.50.

For further information or to book please visit their website, where you can find their afternoon tea event calendar.

The County Hotel, Chelmsford

What a treat, enjoying not only a traditional afternoon tea but also The County Hotel’s Best of British Afternoon Tea. An excellent twist on a traditional classic!

The County Hotel is an elegant and classic hotel situated in Chelmsford Town Centre. Afternoon Tea at The County Hotel is served in the award winning Samphire Restaurant. You can opt for either the classic afternoon tea for £14.95 per head or their Best of British afternoon tea for £20 per head. They also serve childrens afternoon teas.

The classic afternoon tea came with a selection of freshly made finger sandwiches, not one but two warm hand made scones per head and a wonderful selection of handmade sweet treats. It was a really nice traditional afternoon tea and enjoyed it very much.

The Best of British afternoon tea was simply amazing! It consisted of roast beef and coronation chicken sandwiches and then some hot savoury delights. We enjoyed a scotch egg, chunky sausage roll, mini fish and chips, a Ham and Cheese Croque Monsieur and some pork crackling sticks. The sweet stuff didn’t disappoint either, some of my most favourites were on offer! A chocolate brownie, carrot cake and a chocolate eclair. I thought the Best of British Afternoon Tea at The County Hotel was an excellent twist on the usual afternoon tea. I would definitely recommend trying it out!

For further information or to book please visit their website.

Orsett Hall Hotel, Orsett

Lovely sunny afternoon enjoying a wonderful afternoon tea and children’s afternoon tea at Orsett Hall! The Garden Brasserie is just so pretty, even more beautiful in the sunshine! We even enjoyed a wander around the grounds!

Orsett Hall Hotel is such a pretty venue, a stylish boutique hotel and wedding venue with Spa. They serve their afternoon teas in the beautiful Garden Brasserie with floral-inspired décor and lovely views of the hotel grounds. Its really is a spectacular room with the most stunning multi-coloured chandeliers.

Afternoon Tea at Orsett Hall feels like a luxury affair, gorgeous surroundings and attentive staff. Sandwiches are filled with the traditional afternoon tea fillings and comes with a warm mini quiche. The sweets and scones are always very good at Orsett Hall. On this occasion I had enjoyed the most delicious white chocolate and ginger cheesecake. It blew my mind, it was absolutely amazing!

Afternoon Tea at Orsett Hall Hotel starts at £20.95 with the option to upgrade to a Champagne afternoon tea for £28.95. They also offer a savoury afternoon tea (which I am yet to try) and a children’s afternoon tea which is brilliant. It is served on its own mini cake stand! My daughter loved all of it!

The Chichester Hotel, Wickford

Afternoon tea at one of our favourite venues in Essex, The Chichester Hotel, Wickford, Essex. (Amazing Sunday dinners too!).

The afternoon tea at The Chichester Hotel in Wickford already features within my post about my favourite afternoon teas. The Chichester Hotel is a charming renovated 13th century farmhouse in Wickford, Essex. The afternoon tea is served in the Gallery Restaurant. I can personally recommend their fantastic sunday roasts!

The Chichester offers great value for money at £14.95 per head for their afternoon tea. A lovely relaxed environment and the staff are always so helpful. The sandwiches are always freshly made and well filled. The thick cut ham was amazing! The sweets are always good, normally a yummy cheesecake with a selection of cakes, you also get a plain and a fruit scone.

Thank you for reading ‘The Best Afternoon Teas in Essex’. I had such a wonderful time visiting each of these venues and would happily recommend each and every one. If you know of an amazing afternoon venue in Essex that I need to try, please pop me a note in the comments!

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Written in collaboration with the above venues, please note all comments and opinions are my own. All prices correct at time of publishing.