Tea at the Cotswold Lodge Hotel was absolutely splendid.
At first, it was a tad bit hectic dealing with who wanted tea, who wanted punch, and the inability to count twelve squirmy teenage girls. And afterwards came the joys of managing allergens and who could eat what.
But once things began to settle down, we began to take in the gorgeous tea room and the little antiques spread about. We chatted and took pictures for the 'gram,' but mostly enjoyed each other's company.
Once the tea and finger-foods were brought out, there was that cliché twinkle in my eye. Pots of fresh, steaming tea were brought out along with towers of delectable morsels of food.
Pouring myself a cuppa in an old tea room in Oxford transported me to a world in which I was a nineteenth century novel heroine, about to be married off to some old, rich man - and I absolutely loved it.
I started out with a cup of Earl Grey, my personal favorite, and was not disappointed. The tea was perfectly brewed and warmed my chest in the loveliest of ways, even though it was a rather hot summer day.
I then began to work my way up the layered cake stand. First, I tried the salmon sandwich, which I didn't love per se, but that's mostly because I'm not a huge fan of fish. Then came the ham and the cucumber sandwiches which were good, but not spectacular. Surprisingly, I found that the egg-salad sandwich was my personal favorite. The egg-salad itself was simple and not overdone like at some places, where they try to reinvent the classic. Like I say, if it's not broken, don't try to fix it.
Next up, the scones (which I've now begun solely pronouncing "skon," rhyming with "gone"). We were given two types of scones: plain and sultanas (raisins, for my fellow clueless Americans), as well as clotted cream and strawberry preserves. While they were both wonderful, I found that I preferred the plain scones.
Lastly, I climbed my way up to the dessert tier. There was an assortment of cakes, jellies, macrons, and truffles. At this point, I was too full to fully enjoy everything, but the lingonberry jelly was my favorite.
If looking for a slow-paced, authentic afternoon tea, the Cotswold Lodge Hotel's tea room is definitely the place to go.
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