Rockliffe Hall Afternoon Tea

Now I've had afternoon tea in many places, I've had amazing ones and some pretty horrendous ones. I have 3 favourites though; The Ritz, the tea rooms at Tiptree Jam Factory and Rockliffe Hall. The Ritz is so expensive that it's a 'once in a lifetime' kind of place and Tiptree is no longer on my doorstep, so Rockliffe seems to be our chosen spot recently. Today was our 4th visit for afternoon tea. I've had many spa days there and a few meals, as well as a posh overnight stay for my birthday a few years ago. The hotel is gorgeous, the interiors luxurious and plush, and the staff are beyond helpful, nothing is too much hassle.

We started off our trip today with a walk around the grounds. The sun was out and there were signs of spring everywhere. As Rockliffe is also a golf course, there are acres of beautiful grounds to explore, but you need to be aware of stray gold balls flying around! There is plenty of wildlife and we spotted a couple of squirrels on our walk this afternoon.

You are greeted at the door of the hotel and directed from there. We had afternoon tea in one of the lounges today but it is also served in the orangery at other times too. There is a massive selection of teas and coffees, I went for chai tea and Marmar had a latte.

The actual afternoon tea was just divine. It gets better every time we go. Unfortunately the sun was so bright today that I couldn't get a decent photo of the cake stand. It's not often you hear me complaining about the sun!!

Today we had finger sandwiches (ham and mustard, cream cheese and cucumber, smoked salmon and cream cheese and egg and cress), mini cheese and tomato tartlets, warm cheese scones, fruit scones with jam and clotted cream, raspberry and rose petal pavlovas, strawberry and white chocolate macaroons, mango and passion fruit cheesecake pots, millionaires shortbread and Victoria sandwich. What a feast. It was all so good, I wish we'd been able to finish it all but once again I was defeated by the sugar overload! Why did I eat that cheese scone to begin with?!

We had a really lovely afternoon and can't wait to go back. I think a spa day has to be on the cards soon, it's been 6 months since I was there, waddling around with my enormous pregnant belly! It was lovely being back with my gorgeous boy, he loved being in the new surroundings and even found a new doggy friend by the fire!!  

I really recommend it to any of you that live in the north east or if any of you fancy a trip up here, Rockliffe is the place to stay. We had a gift voucher today which was given to my mum by a very kind friend (thanks Ann!) and they make a really good present if you're not sure what to buy someone for a birthday or Christmas (husband, son, brothers, JLAD, you won't get a hint much more obvious than this!)