Afternoon tea is the perfect excuse to get dressed up and indulge in delicious cakes, bakes and sandwiches. As the occasion has gained popularity, many places are now offering afternoon tea with their own twist. One such place is Truly Scrumptious, a quaint tea house offering a truly scrumptious afternoon tea!
Truly Scrumptious Afternoon Tea
Where is Truly Scrumptious Tea House?
Nestled in the countryside on the outskirts of Milton Keynes, Truly Scrumptious Tea House is in the small village of Salford, Bedfordshire. The surroundings are idyllic and so peaceful, the kind of place where you feel just how fresh the air is when you step outside. This does come at the price of not being easily accessible by public transport, but it’s within reach by taxi from Milton Keynes.
The Tea House
Truly Scrumptious Tea House is a charming place, both inside and out. From the outside it’s an unassuming building surrounded by luscious, rolling fields. Step through the door into the tea house itself and it’s an absolute dream.
A small entrance hall welcomes visitors in and offers a place to hang coats, and it feels like you’ve stepped into someone’s home. Moving through to the welcome area, the room hosts the bar and a number of sofas to relax on before going through to tuck in to the afternoon tea. The decor is very lush, a true Tiffany dream.
The afternoon tea at Truly Scrumptious is enjoyed in one of two rooms, both small enough to feel intimate but large enough to feel like you’re not sitting on top of each other. It’s a fine balance, one they have mastered well. An array of tables and chairs are spread across both rooms, set with everything you need for your afternoon tea.
The Truly Scrumptious Afternoon Tea
The menu for the afternoon tea at Truly Scrumptious changes every so often to keep it interesting and worth revisiting.The menu featured the traditional afternoon tea stand with a layer of sandwiches, a layer of scones and a layer of cakes. There was also a ‘winter warmer’, a small teacup with tomato soup in it. A lovely touch and definitely fun to enjoy a small soup out of a mug.
The sandwich tier consisted of ham and wholegrain mustard, cucumber and cream cheese, cheese and pickle, egg mayonnaise and tuna crunch. A range of breads were used for the different sandwiches, all of which were deliciously squidgy and fresh, with a generous amount of filling. And for a quirky addition to the plate, a teacup full of crisps.
Moving up a tier, the scone plate. A choice of butter or fruit scone is offered, complete with the afternoon tea essential jam and cream. The real question here is, do you put jam or cream first?
Arriving at the top tier, a selection of cakes and bakes were presented. Gracing the plate was a brownie, a slice of lemon cake, mini Victoria sponge topped with a slice of strawberry, a shot glass of trifle and a strawberry dipped in chocolate. All very delicious!
Afternoon tea also includes a selection of drinks, mostly revolving around teas or French press coffee.
FAQs
Is there a dress code?
Not formally, but this isn’t a quick pop out for McDonalds kind of thing. Afternoon tea is usually an opportunity to dress up and as such a smart casual dress code is recommended.
Is it just for the ladies?
Not at all! The Truly Scrumptious Afternoon Tea is a very feminine experience, but there were men also there enjoying the delicious food on offer.
How can I book afternoon tea at Truly Scrumptious?
You can book your afternoon tea experience directly on the Truly Scrumptious website.
My experience
The afternoon tea at Truly Scrumptious was a birthday treat for me from my parents, so the three of us made our way to the tea house in early March, ready to tuck into some delicious treats! This was my first time visiting but my mum had been before and loved it, hence us going back for another visit.
Stepping in, we were welcomed by the hostesses and brought a drink while we relaxed on the sofas. I opted for the elderflower drink while my parents went for Prosecco and we enjoyed some popcorn with a relaxing chat amongst ourselves and with the hostess until we were shown to our table a short time after.
We had an early booking, so as we stepped in to one of the tea rooms we were the only party in there, with the other room occupied by a large group. The hostess showed us to our table, took our drinks orders and brought us our ‘winter warmer’, a teacup of tomato soup. I’ve had a fair number of afternoon teas and this is the first time I’ve been served soup in a teacup, but after my initial confusion of it, I actually loved it! It’s a quirky and super cute touch, and one that has been a talking point with many people.
The afternoon tea stand was delivered to the table shortly after, and we were given a run down of what everything was. As someone who is a picky eater, this was greatly appreciated, and we quickly tucked in. Everything was absolutely delicious, and there was the perfect amount of food that we were all very satisfied with what we’d had but there wasn’t any waste or food leftover.
A special mention has to go to the staff and hostesses. Not only were they friendly and attentive, but I truly felt like I’d been welcomed in to their home and made to feel like they really cared that we were having a good time and enjoying the food. It felt like no request was too much, and they had a wonderful way about them that made the whole afternoon tea that much better. They checked in with us frequently, but it never felt intrusive and they didn’t linger if we said all was ok.
When it came to the end of our afternoon tea indulgence, we weren’t hurried away to make space for the next booking. In fact, it was quite the opposite, and due to the way they take bookings at Truly Scrumptious, we were welcome to stay and enjoy the surroundings with a drink for as long as we liked.
Would I recommend it?
Absolutely! If you haven’t got the impression already that I loved the afternoon tea at Truly Scrumptious then I’ll just summarise and say I loved the food, the atmosphere and the hostesses! It’s a great treat in wonderful surroundings, I’d be very happy to return and would recommend to anyone looking for an afternoon tea in Milton Keynes.
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