For an afternoon tea at Christmastime to really make an impact, it needs a statement selection of cakes. I’m not just talking about adding a mince pie or Christmas cake, but something unique, and that’s what’s on offer with the afternoon tea at The Lingholm Kitchen & Walled Garden in the Lake District.
Located on the western shore of Derwentwater in the heart of the beautiful Lake District, The Lingholm Kitchen & Walled Garden offers delicious homemade food, from hearty breakfast and lunch to afternoon tea. The beautiful cafe and old greenhouse dating back to the late 1800s look down onto the octagonal walled garden and up to Skiddaw.
I can’t stress enough how wonderful the setting is at the Lingholm Estate, nearly on par with how excellent the food is, and all of the products included in its afternoon tea are made fresh in its onsite bakery, and you can tell.
The festive afternoon tea is priced from £28 per person and comes with sandwiches, scones and pastries, and the most incredible selection of sweets, as well as unlimited tea, coffee or even hot chocolate to enjoy. You can also add Prosecco for £32 per person if you want. Plus, the bakery can cater for dietary requirements, such as vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free, just let them know when booking.
What’s so special about the afternoon tea at The Lingholm Kitchen & Walled Garden
Everything about the afternoon tea at The Lingholm Kitchen is special. From the freshly baked rolls for the sandwiches packed full of delicious fillings to the warm scones and mushroom brioche treats, the homemade jam and the cakes are on another level.
For me, this was an afternoon tea to rival some of the fanciest hotels in London. The unique touches they added to the menu, like cranberry and orange scones and ‘Mont Blanc’ chestnut cream flavoured tartlet made it not only festive but memorable.
I normally say that an afternoon tea is judged by its scones, and in this case, it passed with flying colours, but when it comes to a festive-themed afternoon tea, you need amazing sweets. For the Lingholm line-up, there wasn’t a bad one among them. From the incredible, and my favourite, double chocolate and cherry yule log to the clementine and hazelnut eclair and the mince pie frangipane tart with brandy butter. Each one was a treat.
It was also a very filling afternoon tea. just look at those sandwiches packed full of delicious and fresh ingredients. There was turkey, stuffing and cranberry, cheddar and quince chutney, and egg and cress, and for the vegetarians, the turkey was switched out for avocado and tomato. I can’t stress enough how good those rolls were, soft with a crisp top, and tasted incredible.
They also have a great line-up of loose-leaf teas on offer, as well as coffee and hot chocolate, which I always think is a nice addition to a festive afternoon tea.
After you’ve munched your way through the afternoon tea, take a walk around the Octagonal walled garden, which sits on the same spot as the old Lingholm Kitchen gardens which Beatrix Potter credited as her inspiration for Mr McGregor’s garden in ‘The Tale of Peter Rabbit’. It has been wonderfully constructed using more than 75,000 reclaimed red bricks and I can imagine in the summer it is brimming with vegetables.
The Lingholm Kitchen & Walled Garden, Portinscale, Keswick, Cumbria, CA12 5TZ
