Tillbridge Tastery, Sturton by Stow

In the last few years Afternoon Tea has become a popular pastime once again. Evoking memories of a bygone era, this light meal has only seen a few tweaks to the classic combination of cucumber sandwiches, scones, cakes and a pot of tea. This month we were invited to Tillbridge Tastery in Sturton by Stow to enjoy their traditional Afternoon Tea experience.

It was a beautiful Friday afternoon when my guest and I arrived at the venue. From the outside with its distinctive red branding you can see how owner Sally has carefully renovated this cottage to create this 55 seater restaurant.

We were welcomed by Mandy, who had reserved a table for us in the window. Although it was a wonderfully sunny day, the wind was a bit bitter, otherwise we’d have made use of the beautiful garden, complete with an original well.

When you first enter, you notice not only the wonderful smell of freshly baked cakes, but the wonderful gifts that they also sell. From handbags and jewellery to shrugs and wedding gifts, in every room you will find beautiful handmade items.

Afternoon Tea is served at the Tillbridge Tastery daily between 2.30pm and 4pm. We were invited to choose our sandwich filling from their menu, which included choices such as smoked salmon, cucumber & lemon cream cheese, ham & mustard, egg mayonnaise & smoked bacon and cheese & chutney. I opted for the brie, walnut, lettuce and cranberry whilst my guest chose the roast beef and horseradish. Tillbridge Tastery advertise their Afternoon Tea as ‘vintage’, and the presentation certainly lived up to this. From the side plates with their cute cutlery to the tea stands, they have thought of everything to bring their customers a satisfying traditional tea.

After we finished our sandwiches we were looking forward to our cakes and scones, all freshly baked on the premises. We started with the scones, with clotted cream and jam, which were lovely and crumbly. As the cakes are freshly made, the options will vary but on the day of our visit we enjoyed some classics including Victoria sponge and brownies, with interesting flavours of coffee and cherry. Although we didn’t manage to finish all the cake, I did take mine home to share.

After we were comfortably full we took a walk around the café and gift shop, and paid a visit to the wonderful garden. Come rain or shine, a trip to the Tillbridge Tastery is well worth a visit.

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