Leam’ and Warwick are home to several gorgeous afternoon venues. Let’s review the Vinteas tea room in Leamington Spa:
Very rocky road cheese-cake
Traditional Afternoon Tea
Traditional & Gentleman’s Afternoon Tea
Vinteas Tea Room, Leamington Spa
Overall Mark: ★★★★★
Price: £13.95/person
Tea Refills: No; Water refills: Yes
(£2.70 – £6 for an extra pot of tea)
Food refills: No
Hours: Mon-Sat: 9:30 am to 5:30 pm; Sunday: 10 am to 4:30 pm
The Vinteas Tea Room Setting ★★★★☆
This cute little tea room is located on the Park street side of The Royal Priors shopping centre, right at the heart of Royal Leamingston Spa.
The decoration is gorgeous but also quite girly, though that should be expected from such a tea room. The Annie Sloan painted furniture is an excellent match with the Nina Campbell Parakeet wallpaper and the vintage China. Conversely, the pink seating area in the back areas looks a bit tacky if not downright out of place, though it’s probably ideal for a hen party.
There are plenty of tables with decent spacing between each other, but do book in advance and especially so on weekends.
The Tea & Beverage Selection ★★★★★
For a tea room this size, the tea selection is excellent with several choices of black, green, white, oolong and floral teas. I especially recommend the “Morning Dew” green sencha tea (also known as Morgentau): the mango and bergamot flavours are deliciously refreshing.
Tea is brewed at the proper temperature and with the right amount of tea leaves. There are no tea refills but at £2.70 for a small teapot, you won’t have to feel too bad about trying out a few different teas.
The Savouries ★★★★★
There are two afternoon teas to choose from, the traditional and the gentleman’s afternoon tea. Each version comes with a different set of savouries:
- The Traditional afternoon tea savouries: 3 sorts of finger sandwiches and savoury bites (.e.g. quiche).
- The Gentleman’s afternoon tea savouries: 3 sorts of finger sandwiches, pork pie, sausage rolls and fresh toasted bread with salmon or pork pâté.
The sandwiches were rather ordinary, but very nice and served in generous quantities. We got “Cheddar cheese & chutney”, “Honey roast ham with mustard” and “Chicken & pesto”.
If you have a preference for savouries, I strongly recommend choosing the “Gentleman’s afternoon tea”: these were among the best sausage rolls I ever had (and I’m normally not keen on these). The salmon pâté and the toasts were a delight as well, a must-try for non vegetarians!
The Scones ★★★★☆
Whether you choose the traditional or the gentleman’s afternoon tea, each guest gets one big scone (plain or fruit).
The scone itself is delicious and chunky. It comes with clotted cream and strawberry preserve.
The Cakes & Pastries ★★★★☆
Guests that opt for the traditional afternoon tea can choose a slice of cake from the daily selection. There are several cakes & tarts to choose from: Victoria Sponge, Red Velvet, Coconut & Jam, Chocolate & Raspberry torte, Toffee & Walnut Tart, Apricot Frangipane…
Afternoon tea is all about sharing so this is even better if everyone orders a different cake, as you’ll be able to try a few, if not all of them! Among the best cakes I was able to try out, the “Very rocky road cheesecake” and the “Banana cake” were the tastiest.
Any slice of cake can be bought separately for £3.55. Be wary though: some cakes may be excluded from the afternoon tea (such as the passion fruit & white chocolate cake).
The Service ★★★★☆
The staff is polite and efficient. Special thanks to the gentleman whose name I did not catch, but whose service was stellar.
Conclusion & Overall Mark ★★★★★
The Vinteas afternoon tea gets everything right: a nice setting, a strong tea selection and delicious food, all for a very reasonable price (£13.95/person).
+: The cute setting
+: The tea selection
+: The Gentleman’s afternoon tea savouries
+: The Traditional afternoon tea cakes
+: Good value for money
-: Rather ordinary sandwiches
-: Some cakes aren’t included with the afternoon tea
Email: contact.vinteas@gmail.com
Phone number: 01926 832 091
