Tag: cream tea

Afternoon Tea · Cafe · Cakes and Desserts · Eating out · Lunch

Lakeside Cabin Cafe (nr St Ives)

katchambersLeave a comment

Cakes….really giant, tasty, homemade, moist cakes (End of review)…Ha ha not really but that does sum it up in 7 words.

We recently went on holiday to Cornwall, and this was one of the best places we ate at. As soon as I saw the pictures of the cakes I was so there. I mean, look at this monster…

Lakeside Cabin Cafe (Review)

I usually find that size doesn’t matter 😉 and in terms of cake the bigger is not usually the better, more times than not a cake is either large or delicious, but not usually both. At the Lakeside Cabin Cafe the cake I had was both extra large and more importantly extra delicious.

Going back to the beginning though, we arrived early for lunch and was lucky to find it pretty quiet. The inside of the cafe is quite small, but they have a small covered outdoor area and then a larger garden area over-looking the lake. The weather was a perfect 21-degrees-C with a clear blue sky, so it was a pleasure to sit outside on the picnic benches.

We ordered our giant cakes with a side of lunch, and whilst we waited we went over to the lake for a little walk, it was very pleasant. I had soup, my husband had a salad and the kids had toasted sandwiches. The salad had a strange mix of flavours (according to H) but I loved my soup, the bread and the soup were both pleasingly thick.

But to be honest it is a surprise that I even remember the soup because my brain was wiped of everything after I tasted that cake. I chose the double chocolate with fresh cream cake; to be honest, I wanted to live inside it.

The downside of the cafe, I suspect because of the cake, it became very busy very quickly and the staff were not able to keep up, though they were so nice. There were only two people working that afternoon, and it was not enough, we did have to wait a long time. Now it was worth the wait, trust me, but it did eat into one of our beach days on the way to St Ives.

My suggestion to you is: get the cake to take-away if it appears busy, and my small suggestion to the owners is due to the price I would have liked a half portion for half the price, because the portion sizes were giant and I could not eat it all – though I did try. But who is complaining really, you’ve seen the cake right?

Afternoon Tea · Cakes and Desserts

Afternoon Tea at French Affaire (Stony Stratford) Review

katchambers7 Comments

I have been to French Affaire many times; for dinner (which was nice) and for lunch (delicious) but what was truly memorable from both those visits were the desserts; their desserts/pattiseries are truly scrumptious. Therefore the idea of experiencing a French Affaire afternoon tea was an exciting prospect.

I went along with a close friend; we sat outside because the weather was pleasant and they have a newly expanded seating area which is covered and has heaters (because you know – England!). Speaking of this; when I visited in the winter they provided blankets and seat covers and heaters and it was lovely and cosy.

To begin, I have to make a rather random comment about the cutlery. Even the cutlery is classy – a sort of bronze colour, and the milk pail, so cute. So yes it began well with pretty cutlery, a pot of tea and then we were served a large plate of savouries to share. There were 2 of each item. The spinach and mascarpone tartlet was memorable, I do love me some cheese. However, I wasn’t too focussed on the savouries, because for me it is all about the cakes and scones with an afternoon tea.

And wow what a spectacle the cakes made – in their sort of half a bird cage. They looked so aethetically pleasing. I could not wait to try the plant pot cake. And I was not disappointed, it was a chocolate plant pot with strawberry cheesecake inside – oh my it was delectable. The chocolate and praline cake was my next favourite, then followed by a flavourful pistachio cake. These cakes are surprisingly filling, so I was only able to eat one of the delicious scones and no more cake; I was full to the brim.

They obviously have an artisan who makes these cakes; especially as they have recently opened a little cafe opposite the restaurant serving only their pattiseries and cake delights (plus an awesome looking waffle on a stick with a million toppings), so I will certainly be going back for their cakes and sweet treats again at their cafe L’Atelier.

During lockdown their afternoon teas were available for home delivery; which I think they still offer. However they do have a lovely alfresco area which would be perfect this time of year.

My only niggle with French Affaire is that their service is not as warm as I would like, perhaps it was a language barrier, as the server was French. They were not rude though and it would certainly not put me off from trying their absolutely delicious cakes and pattiseries.

The afternoon tea cost £25 per person. I think this was on the pricey side but the food really was special so it is worth it.