10 Top Spots for Autumnal Afternoon Tea
This autumn, indulge with a true English classic! Warm up with traditional tea and treats in elegant surroundings or book an afternoon tea with a twist, such as Harry Potter and Mad Hatter-themed delights. Try your tea served with a side of cider, feast with your four-legged friends in tow, or choose a charming teatime location, with castles, colourful gardens and riverside pubs all offering the warmest of welcomes.
1. An upscale affair in the city: Green Dragon Hotel, Hereford
Spoil yourself with a deliciously decadent afternoon tea at Hereford’s Green Dragon Hotel. Tuck into mini welsh rarebit, vanilla scones and profiteroles, with your choice of Trumper’s Tea or Method Coffee on the side. Tea for adults costs £26.95pp, and for children £9.95 - make sure to book ahead. If you’re feeling naughty, add bottomless prosecco for an extra £17 per person.
2. Take your tea by the water: Hope & Anchor, Ross-on-Wye
Get cosy with a riverside afternoon tea at Ross’s Hope & Anchor. Sandwiches include Herefordshire beef and watercress, as well as Wye Valley salmon and cream cheese, so it’s the ideal place to enjoy delicious, local flavours. To make a day of it, canoe or kayak your way there, getting off at the pub’s own jetty! Prices start at £18.50pp, with 48hrs booking notice required.
3. An autumnal extravaganza, perfect for your socials: Bush Inn, Hereford
Enjoy tea-time treats with a quirky twist at the Bush Inn, home to their charmingly presented, ‘picnic benches’. Supremely Instagrammable, their cosy-hued Autumn Bench would be perfect for hen-do grazing and get-togethers with friends, costing £25 per head.
4. Tea amongst the trees: Hergest Croft Maples Tearoom, Kington
Combine afternoon tea with an outing to the gorgeous Hergest Croft Gardens. Home to thousands of rare trees and shrubs, it’s a magical place to see the spectacular hues of autumn. Stop by the Maples Tearoom onsite, with sandwiches, scrummy homemade cakes and tea, plus local favourite Two Farmers crisps - all served on vintage china for a truly retro experience. £17 per head, pre-booking essential and bring your own bubbles.
5. A taste of Georgian elegance: Castle House Hotel, Hereford
For all out luxury in sophisticated surroundings, the family-run Castle House Hotel in Hereford offers high tea and afternoon tea with a special children’s menu, and even boasts a Condé Nast Johansens seal of approval. Their decadent high tea costs £32 and an afternoon tea setting is £26, with children’s ‘tiny tea’ costing £12. Booking is recommended.
6. A dog-friendly, post-walk stop: The Greenman, Fownhope
Dating back to the 15th century, the Greenman (formerly named the Naked Boy!) is tucked away in the quaint village of Fownhope. Surrounded by beautiful Herefordshire countryside, and plenty of lovely walks, get here early to stretch your legs and work up an appetite, before settling down for an afternoon’s indulgence, with four-legged friends welcome, too. Tea costs £18.50pp, with 48hrs booking notice required.
7. A chocolate-lover’s dream: Choccotastic, Ledbury
Autumn is Choccotastic’s favourite time of year, so head on down to their chocolate shop and tearoom to help them celebrate with cookies and cakes which come (of course) with a melted chocolate drizzle, or a more traditional cream tea. And on limited dates, as a special Halloween treat, Choccotastic are conjuring up an enchanting Harry Potter-themed tea for two, complete with edible golden snitches and chocolate frogs.
8. A Mad Hatter’s tea party: Ralph Court Gardens, near Bromyard
After you’ve lost yourself in the fantastical gardens or braved the terrors of Dinosaur World, tuck into scones, finger sandwiches, and tasty toadstools at Ralph Court’s wonderfully wacky Alice in Wonderland-themed afternoon tea. Perfect for families, this fun feast costs £19.50 per person and should be booked in advance.
9. Tea with a side of cider: Newton Court, nr Leominster
Whether you’re fuelling up before an intriguing tour of the cider making process or dropping in after a bracing autumnal walk, quality tea and homemade cakes are always to be found at Newton Court Cider’s new café. Their lemon drizzle cake and tantalising tiramisu sponge are particular points of pride, as are their organic ciders and perry - all of which are made onsite and are available at their café and farm shop.
10. Cream teas and castles: Croft Castle & Berrington Hall, nr Leominster
National Trust tearooms are synonymous with a proper old-fashioned cream tea, and Croft Castle and Berrington Hall are no exception. At Berrington Hall, the Old Servant’s Hall tearoom is just the place to begin your tour of the neoclassical mansion and gorgeous Capability Brown designed pleasure grounds, while at Croft Castle a hearty scone piled with cream and jam makes a great end to a crunchy walk through the estate’s glorious golden woodland.
