If you’re staying at Cheddar Woods then The Lion Rock Tea Rooms are a must-visit! Welcome to another Love Local blog dear readers…
After a fantastic stay at Cheddar Woods Resort & Spa, this month’s ‘Love Local’ blog features a lovely tea room at the foot of Cheddar Gorge. The Lion Rock Tea Rooms can be seen all along the Cheddar high street, a beautiful, bright blue beacon filled with goodies!
the tea rooms
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Now we all know how I feel about food, especially cake, I am aware how much I talk about it! But The Lion Rock Tea Room is spectacular. The building was once three stone mason cottages and dates back to the 16th Century, inside you can see all the nooks and crannies, with the low ceiling adding a cosy feeling, it was converted and established as a tea room in 1908. The building has seen many changes over the years, even surviving the great flood in 1968 and more recently winning the UK Tea Guild award of excellence in 2011/12 and 2013. The inside has a cosy atmosphere, with plenty of seating, there is cake to look at as soon as you walk through the door (always a good sign in my book) and the modern, simple, flowery décor adds a touch of class too! It was a lovely, cosy afternoon tea, safe from the very wet and dark day outside, however if you manage to get some decent weather, the tea garden outside is a stunning place to eat, it is partly undercover so you could eat out in the rain if you really wanted to!
plenty of choice and great service
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Everyone at The Lion Rock is friendly and attentive, they always had a ready smile and really knew about the food and tea they were serving. They create a relaxed and friendly atmosphere, nothing seemed to be too much trouble, they cater to gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan diets. As well as taking care of any well behaved dogs that turn up too, and if they are very good they may even get a special doggy treat (Scooby snacks?) We had to leave Hugo at home this time, but really look forward to taking him next time!
At the tea rooms they offer all sorts of mouth-watering dishes, from soups and paninis to homemade fish pie and garlic mushrooms, as well as a cooked breakfast if you are out for a stroll early on. Everything looked and smelled amazing but for me, as always, it was all about the afternoon tea!
afternoon tea
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There is something so civilised about afternoon tea, it makes me feel like Jane Austin in The Pump Room back in the day. I shared my afternoon tea with the husband (now known as Hugo’s Dad) – who was also impressed with the spread we received, coming from a man who has eaten three steaks and two puddings in one meal before… We had a selection of ham and Cheddar cheese and onion finger sandwiches, perfect for us, Hugo’s Dad had the ham and I indulged in the cheese and onion. We then moved on to the scones, they were still warm from the oven and tasted amazing, much to Hugo’s Dad’s delight, who went on to steal a lot of the clotted cream, not that I’m holding a grudge… my mouth is watering just at the memory! And top all that deliciousness off, we both chose the chocolate fudge cake, and what a doorstop of a slice we got! It was simply scrumptious and as I couldn’t finish it, from being so full, I admitted defeat and took the rest of it home in a box. We had a pot of the house loose leaf tea, Miles, which was so nice we bought some to take home! I could not fault this lovely tea room and it is easy to see why it is the only award winning tea room in Cheddar. They go above and beyond to be friendly and welcoming to everyone that walks through the door, all while offering delicious food and a glorious selection of tea, coffee and sumptuous hot chocolate.
This is a must visit place in Cheddar, do not miss out on the chance to have a lovely, relaxing time and outstanding afternoon tea!