High Street, Bletchingley, Surrey RH1 4PA
I love a good country tea room.
Unfortunately they are in short supply. To clarify… there are plenty of country
tea rooms, just few good ones.
And for those who don’t know what a Lamington is, it’s an Australian dessert featuring a square of sponge cake coated in a layer of chocolate icing and desiccated coconut. I think they’re disgusting and I avoid them like the plague.
So it was a pleasure to visit Lamingtons and find that (1) it is one of the few good country tea rooms out there and (2) they did not serve their unfortunate namesake.
What I found instead was an utterly gorgeous gift shop and café, filled with delectable home-baked cakes, an assortment of Charbonnel-et-Walker chocolates and pretty trinkets for the home.
The service was very slow, but I didn’t mind. Unlike many cafes I’ve been to that are clearly over-staffed (sometimes with more staff than customers!), this was clearly a one- or two-man show.
And for those who don’t know what a Lamington is, it’s an Australian dessert featuring a square of sponge cake coated in a layer of chocolate icing and desiccated coconut. I think they’re disgusting and I avoid them like the plague.
So it was a pleasure to visit Lamingtons and find that (1) it is one of the few good country tea rooms out there and (2) they did not serve their unfortunate namesake.
What I found instead was an utterly gorgeous gift shop and café, filled with delectable home-baked cakes, an assortment of Charbonnel-et-Walker chocolates and pretty trinkets for the home.
The service was very slow, but I didn’t mind. Unlike many cafes I’ve been to that are clearly over-staffed (sometimes with more staff than customers!), this was clearly a one- or two-man show.
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| Freshly baked every day |
To bake all those cakes every day and then run the shop takes a lot of time
and effort, so I could forgive them for keeping us waiting, particularly as the
service was exceedingly polite and friendly.
And in any case, it was a pleasure to wait in such beautiful surroundings. If I rated cafes solely on décor, Lamingtons would get 11 out of 10.
And in any case, it was a pleasure to wait in such beautiful surroundings. If I rated cafes solely on décor, Lamingtons would get 11 out of 10.
My slice of chocolate cake was very good; moist, with chunks of chocolate. Ben’s brownie was served slightly warm, so the chocolate icing on top oozed a little in your mouth. I loved the crockery too. The only let down was Ben’s rather average coffee.
So if you’re a fan of rare breeds, then get yourself out into the countryside and treat yourself to a Lamington.
CakeMyDayLondon Rating
