Cupcake Monday! English Tea Rooms Wish List

May 07, 2012

Cupcake Monday! English Tea Rooms Wish List

A stunning country view accompanies your tea at Barnsley House, Cotswolds

**Should I change the name of Cupcake Monday? It's not just cupakes, it's any pretty food, and places to eat pretty food. Anything related to all of that, really. And tea. Is it confusing? If you came here to look at cupcakes and found a pie, would you wave your fist at the screen? Please feel free to weigh in with suggestions in the comments!

Dalani magazine has compiled a short quide of some must-see tea rooms, shops and events in the south of England and I'm sad to say I haven't been to one of them. So I've added the most intriguing of the lot to the growing list of London tea rooms and patisseries I am determined to visit. I'm planning a tour of the loveliest and grandest ones - it's about the experience as much as it is about the tea and cakes, and it all lies in the details of the room, the cafe, the shop. This isn't something I can do all in one weekend (and surely my stomach would be screaming at me if I didn't pace myself) so it will be spread out over the year, and it would really help if train prices were just a bit less cruel!

As part of their Jubilee celebrations, Selfridges rooftop will be opened from May 31st to play host to the “highest” tea room on Oxford St and a spot of golf like it was in the ’30s.

The rooftop was re-opened in July 2011 for the first time since 1940 when it was destroyed by bombing in WWII. It included a boating lake the colour of radioactivity, thousands of plants, and a cocktail bar. In the 1920s and 1930s, the roof was often used for fashion shows. I think it's been used for fashion events more recently, if I recall correctly.

The V&A Cafe at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London is set in the 160-year-old refreshment rooms designed by William Morris. Afternoon tea is accompanied by a pianist on Mondays or harpist on Wednesdays. Gloriously grand and traditional.