Afternoon Tea At Bea’s Vintage Tea Rooms In Bath

Bath was my chosen location for a day trip with my best friend, for my birthday. While in Bath we had two man objectives: shopping and afternoon tea. I had promised her I would research a great place for afternoon tea but time ran away with me and the day before I was frantically searching for somewhere. After a quick search on the Visit Bath website I had a few ideas and this one: Bea’s Vintage Tea Rooms had also been recommended to my friend. Add in the fact they served afternoon tea all day, not just in the late afternoon like some places and we had our choice made.

These tea rooms are slightly north of the city center although easy to find and couldn’t have taken more than 10 minutes to walk to, from the center. We arrived early at around 12.30 and the place was pretty empty, luckily this didn’t put us off and it enabled us to grab the last table outside in the sun. The waitress – who was dressed in a vintage outfit with a head scarf and bright red lipstick – bought us menus very promptly and reeled off all of their daily specials. She explained parts of the menu and told us the cake of the day. I was overwhelmed with choice but very impressed by her memory.

We had come for afternoon tea so ordered exactly that, opting for lemon meringue cake and chocolate & blackberry cake from the cake tray. The tea was served in individual pots with loose tea, which on more than one occasion stumbled me. I was repeatedly tipping my cup back into the pot to pour again, remembering the tea strainer this time. Each piece of china was different but all just as elegant as each other. The food was served very quickly which I was very glad about, as I was starving by this point. We received cucumber, salmon and egg mayonnaise sandwiches, served on a mixture of white and brown bread. The next tier was scones, with one each plus adequate jam and cream for them. When I first looked at the scones I was concerned they would by too dry, but after my first bite I realised I was very wrong. I could explain the exact flavor but we thought they tasted a little like shortbread. The cakes tasted as equally yummy as they looked.

It wasn’t until after we had devoured our way through the afternoon tea that either of us ventured inside. I made my way into the tea rooms and suddenly realised how busy it was and how much space there was inside. I found my way downstairs to the toilet eventually, the decor was designed to make you feel like you had gone back in time. This really was a vintage place, the toilets were cover in signs most notably the air raid shelter one. My mind was racing in time while I walked the corridor back upstairs.

I couldn’t quite believe how lucky we had gotten with this adorable tea rooms. I loved being able to soak up the sun but there was a bit of me disappointed for not making the most of the cute interior and amazing decor. Bea’s Vintage Teas Rooms would be the perfect place come rain or shine as the menu serves hot and cold food with plenty of seating inside.