Afternoon Tea at Coombe Abbey

Afternoon tea with a twist at Coombe Abbey Hotel

Set in the tranquil Warwickshire countryside, with 500 acres of parkland, formal gardens and a peaceful lake, you can explore the outdoors of Coombe Abbey Hotel and then retire to the Garden Room for a delicious afternoon tea.

Afternoon Tea is one of the nation’s favourite treats. Whether you’re out with friends or family, celebrating an anniversary or treating someone special, it’s a great way to indulge. Which is exactly why I took Mrs HB… because she deserves a treat every once in a while. We didn’t stay at the hotel on this occasion but we have indulged and stayed here too; read the review here.

Afternoon Tea is served in the Garden Room restaurant, a large conservatory with plenty of light and offering direct access to the gardens. On a hot day, it can be a bit stifling but they open wide the doors and a cool breeze wafts around from the custom-made fan in the rafters of this elegant venue.

There are several options for afternoon tea: the popular Abbot’s Experience, Monk’s Experience and Knight’s Experience now sit alongside the luxurious Hendrick’s Gin Pot Afternoon Tea. Served with a thirst-quenching gin and tonic, The Hendrick’s Gin Pot adds a twist to the traditional Abbot’s or Knight’s Afternoon Tea.

Happy days and an appetising afternoon.

Mrs HB isn’t really a fan of afternoon tea because she doesn’t really eat many sweet things. Which is why I chose Coombe Abbey. Not only do they offer a glorious spread of a sweet tea, they offer a savoury version too.

We decided on one Knight’s and one Abbot’s, both with the Hendrick’s Gin pot. The selection of goodies on the menu do change seasonally, and thoroughly approve. One, it’s good to change the menu so that people coming back have something different to munch and two, it keeps people coming back time and again.

Mrs HB’s Knight’s selection came served on a miniature picnic bench and featured an assortment of goodies that included a warm bao bun stuffed full of pulled pork, some chicken satay skewers, a scrumptious quiche with light-as-a-feather pastry and savoury caramelised red onions, honey-mustard sausages and mash, a melt-in-the-mouth cheese scone and sweet pickled onions. The sweet treats that accompanied the savouries were a lovely light almond cake, and the highlight was an edible chocolate flowerpot filled with a lovely chocolate mousse topped with a rich chocolate crumble. It was excellent, but perhaps a little too much for Mrs HB.

My Abbot’s Experience was no less impressive, if a little more traditional. Freshly made finger sandwiches filled with a selection of salmon, cream cheese and cucumber, ham & grain mustard, and cheese and pickle. Lovely. Followed by a chocolate flowerpot, toasted coconut macaroons, a blackcurrant finger cake, a very sweet cherry Bakewell tart. And scones. And tea. Lots of tea.

You can imagine why we didn’t need anything else to eat that day.

I haven’t even mentioned the gin! This is a lovely quirky touch to a relaxing afternoon. Served in a subtly branded Hendrick’s teapot, with ice-gin and tonic carefully blended with slices of cucumber. On a hot day, this is most definitely refreshing. It didn’t last long…

There’s a lot of meat, pastry and dairy on the menu but if you book and let the hotel know about your dietary requirements, they can cater for gluten free, dairy free and vegan options – impressive. But please, let them know 48 hours in advance otherwise you’re going to be disappointed.

Don’t plan on doing much after afternoon tea at Coombe Abbey.

If you’re an Afternoon Tea lover then you will, without a doubt, enjoy the experience here. Due to the popularity of the place, the parks are always crowded in the summer, and Afternoon Tea on weekends is always fully booked so I would highly recommend you book in advance.

It’s not a cheap experience, however. The Abbot’s Experience starts at £26.95 but, given the quality, amount and presentation of the food, I believe it’s actually good value. All the prices are displayed on their website here.

We thoroughly enjoyed a lovely afternoon at Coombe Abbey Hotel, and can’t wait for our next day out.