As part of our anniversary plans this year Andrew and I opted for something a little different. We went to Lumley Castle in County Durham, only a short drive away, to sample their afternoon tea. 
Lumley Castle offer four different options for afternoon tea, to cater for what you're looking for. Grand (which we opted for, since neither really wanted a drink around 3:30pm in the afternoon) which includes a selection of sandwiches, cakes and scones plus unlimited tea and coffee; Pimms, Prosecco and Champagne. The price varies from £14.95pp for Grand Afternoon Tea up to £25.20pp for Champagne Afternoon Tea.I stuck to good ol' tea while Andrew opted for coffee and the service was great, never having to wait more than 2-3 minutes if we wanted a fresh pot. We did get lost finding the room at first, wandering down the huge corridors to a banquet suite (oops) but we found the Library Bar and it's a lovely setting for something relaxed like afternoon tea. With a fire burning behind us and the sunset outside it felt really cosy. Next time I want one of the tables by the window to sit and gaze at the view.
The sandwiches were really good, we were given smoked salmon and cream cheese, tuna and cucumber, roasted beef and red onion marmalade and cream cheese and roasted pepper. All went down a treat, with the salmon headed my way as the only fish-eater out of us.
Moving on to the sweet stuff now. The scones were so good, they were soft and fluffy and very fresh. I think we could've both eaten another!We really did save the best until last with the mini cake selection. We each had a little chocolate cup filled with berry mousse, mini chocolate éclair, mini macaroon, carrot cake and a seasonal fruit tart. Everything was lovely and a great little selection. I ended up eating two fruit tarts and I took the carrot cake slice home.
If you're around the North East and you fancy afternoon tea somewhere a little different, head along to Lumley Castle. The castle itself and gardens are so lovely, I would've taken more photos if we'd arrived a little earlier with time to spare! I'm sure we'll be heading back soon, so keep an eye out.
