Features

Still time for tearooms

After being eclipsed by trendy US-style coffee bars, the traditional teashop is staging a refreshing revival. Barry McLoughlin tells the tearoom tale and visits some of the best

Like an infusion of freshly brewed tea slowly permeating through the pot, the question gradually took shape on a visit to one of Britain’s great cities... Is the party over for the tearoom?

All we had wanted was afternoon tea yet we couldn’t find a single tearoom in the city centre. Eventually we had to settle for the café in a well-known department store, where the food – but not the atmosphere – was a reasonable substitute.

So is that great British institution, the traditional teashop, in terminal decline? Thankfully, the answer is no – though these days you have to go into the rural and coastal hinterlands to find the best.

When Thomas Twining opened the first tearoom in the Strand, London, in 1706 – it’s still there – he launched a tradition that has survived for more than 300 years, and in many rural areas historic tearooms – often in ancient buildings – still serve traditional teas with pride. The intoxicating deep-brown liquid is poured from ornate teapots; there are pristine lace doilies and gleaming silverware.

Afternoon tea itself is also enjoying a renaissance. Irene Gorman, head of the delightfully named Tea Guild, said: “Afternoon tea is enjoying a well-deserved resurgence. It is an increasingly fashionable way to catch up with friends, take a break from shopping, or conduct a business meeting. Modern life can be hectic; taking afternoon tea is the perfect way to slow down and relax.”

Tearooms strove for gentility. Elegant lace curtains hid the diners from the gaze of passers-by, and the name of the café was often written over the door or in theglass pane in a rounded, florid, copperplate hand. Waitresses wore white caps, well- laundered aprons and starched collar and cuffs. Inside were booths or tables, highly polished and with elaborate crockery to match. There was the gentle tinkle of silverware on plates and a low hum of restrained chat. Tea was served on three-decker stands, sandwiches at the top with scones below.

Today preserved railways, museums and galleries, cathedrals and stately homes are some of the best places to find a decent teashop. Indeed, there’s the famous description of one leading cultural centre as a ‘lovely café with gallery attached...’

» Tp Continue Reading the Full Article, Click Here

Do you like going out for afternoon tea? What's your favourite place to go? 

To keep up to date with all the latest from Choice, or if you have something you want to share with our team, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Instagram and YouTube

Other stories in Features

Shake up your makeup
New Year, New You
From Italy with love
Mail-order meat comes of age
Christmas recipes
Christmas Crafts Part 2
Back to your roots
In your garden in Winter
Christmas Crafts
Christmas Gift Ideas
Vegan Skincare
Recipes for hope
Beauty Feature - Embrace the grey
Calling all coffee fans!
World Oceans Day 8th June
Beauty Feature - Feet First
Craft Corner - A great Easter basket
Battle of Britain
Claire Foy "I didn't get life until I was 32"
Alexander Armstong: "My family is my priority"
Cosyfeet Community Award 2019
How to Maintain Your Independence in the Kitchen
Ruth Wilson "Audience's don't know who I really am"
1969: The Year The Dream Died
Want to live the (Feel)Good Life? Move to Watford
Pressures of the sandwich generation
Steve Coogan"The most radical thing I can do is talk about love"
Oldie of the Year 2019
Rabble: The Movement keeping you fit and making you money!
Suzi Quatro: "I've always been a rocker at heart"
Women in WW1
Do you remember? UFO
Bognor and other Regises
John Lennon & Yoko Ono: 'Imagine'
Bill roache "It's a real privilege to make people happy"
Nana Mouskouri "Music brings me peace, love and hope"
How to Earn Money by Working from Home
How to get the best night's sleep, every night
Ringo Starr "I'm learning to handle life"
Headphones with a built in hearing test
Petula Clark: "I make the most of every moment"
London's other underground
Blue Peter: Here's one they made earlier
Gary Oldman: "Acting is an antidote to self hatred"
Emilia Fox: "I've learnt to find my own voice"
Love Your Gut Week Recipes
Puffin photos help to tackle decline of the 'clowns of the sea'
Craig Revel Horwood: "I don't care what people say about me"
Do you remember? Apple Records
What a Carry On!
Worried about being worried?
"I feel like the unluckiest person in the world."
Death of a Princess
Queen Elizabeth: Happy and Glorious
The Beatles: It was 50 years ago...
Hank Marvin: “Meeting Cliff changed my life”
Nicole Kidman "Children are the joy of my life"
The world of Parry Ray
Monty Python: Something completely different
Staffordshire Day
I always think I'm going to get found out
All shook up...The day that Elvis died
Twiggy: "I thought the world had gone mad"
Peter Capaldi: "I like characters who are strange"
Make eating breakfast a resolution which sticks, with milk&more
"Turning 60 can't be that bad!"Jennifer Saunders
The Enduring Power of the Unknown Soldier
Bradley Walsh "Variety is great for the soul"
Thank you, Brewood
"You never know what's round the corner"
1966 and All That
Remembering the Heroic Olympians
Martina Navratilova: "I Always Question Authority"
Guide for choosing clothes for older relatives
Getting older and disabled drivers behind the wheel
Men in Sheds
Scared to Shop!
Over 40s Named Most Successful Online Daters
Stay at home mum and author re-ignite's her career
Dating in later Life
Great garden getaways
Toton Engineman Review
The Making of Les Mis
“I’m a restless person by nature”
"We’re such country bumpkins”
Hallowed hall of fame