Cost – £35.00 per person (July 2023)
Parking and Access – There is a large car park available to the rear of the hotel. There is also some on road parking available across the road in front of the hotel.
There were no steps into the hotel from the car park, and just one step up to the front entrance. However, there were steps up to the part of the restaurant where we were served. There were other areas that could be accessed on the flat.
The toilets were close to the restaurant, but were upstairs. I didn’t see any lift, or an accessible toilet on the flat. However, given the size of the building, there must have been one available.
Background – I had been given a voucher from Buyagift for this Afternoon Tea. I researched the hotel, which looked lovely, as did the Afternoon Tea, so we booked, and planned our route to Wansford.
Wansford is a very pretty village, not far from Peterborough. The buildings are all built from a lovely honey coloured stone. The main street was originally the A1, which now passes to the rear of the hotel. Next to the hotel is a lovely old stone bridge crossing the River Nene.
Wansford Station is the terminus of the restored Nene Valley Railway, and is just the other side of the current route of the A1.
The Haycock Manor Hotel has been an inn of some sort for, at least, five hundred years. It is an old coaching inn, with many interesting buildings.
Options Available – There were no options for this Afternoon Tea.
Contents (per person) – Six rectangular sandwiches (smoked salmon with cream cheese, egg mayonnaise with truffle (three between the two of us), cucumber and sour cream (three between the two of us), cheese with a bloody Mary salsa (two each)) plus a piece of Coronation chicken terrine. A medium sized plain scone and a medium sized fruit scone. A glass dish containing strawberry jam and a glass dish of clotted cream. A Pimms macaroon, a salted caramel and chocolate opera cake, a strawberry tart and a raspberry and peach mousse. A pot of tea.
Comments – When we entered the room, there was one couple already in there, sitting by the window. Slightly oddly, we were then given a table in a corner, near the back of the room. As there were windows on two sides of the room, it would have been nicer to have been nearer one.
The table was laid with matching white plate and cups and saucers, along with a linen napkin. There was also a glass for water, and two sets of full-sized knife and fork each. The knifes and forks had all been laid the for left handed people!
We were asked for our drinks order, and whether we wanted a jug of water for the table. We asked for a pot of English Breakfast tea, plus the offered water.
The water arrived reasonably quickly. Then we watched as the other couple were served with their Afternoon Tea. Then we waited a bit longer. Then, finally, the tea arrived in a nice, round, stainless steel teapot, with a matching milk jug.
The tea was just about the right strength for us. However, it very quickly became far too strong. We asked for the pot to be topped up with just hot water. This brought it back to the right strength.
We were later offered another refill. I had had enough tea by then, but my companion asked for a cup of coffee instead. He said the coffee was very good.
The Afternoon Tea arrived on a fancy wooden cake stand that resembled shelves.
The savoury items arrived separately on a large round plate, afterwards. Everything was very nicely presented, and looked delicious!
The sandwiches were all a little bit different to the usual offerings. For instance, the bloody Mary salsa with the cheese. They were all very well filled, fresh and very good. Though I found the cucumber sandwiches to be a little salty.
There was also a piece of coronation chicken terrine on a bit of crisp bread. This was not large, but was very tasty, and a little bit unusual.
The scones had been warmed up and were wrapped in a napkin. They were both of a medium size, were fresh, and tasty.
The jam was the hotel’s own strawberry preserve. It was a good consistency, there was plenty of it and it was delicious. The clotted cream, however, was very stiff and was extremely hard to spread on the scones. Also, there wasn’t very much there! In the end, we asked for some more. This lot was much smoother and there was a lot more of it!
Again, the cakes were all interesting, and a bit different. They were all yummy and fresh.
I enjoyed all of them.
However, my companion was not too keen on the layer of Pimms jelly in the middle of the macaroon.
My favourite was the peach and raspberry mousse, which was particularly delicious.
Service was friendly, but was slow and sparce. Had to actually go out into the kitchen to find someone when we wanted to ask for some more clotted cream. I appreciate that there were only the two tables in use for most of the time, but it would have been nice to see the staff every now and then.
However, overall, this was a very good Afternoon Tea, which we very much enjoyed. The hotel was lovely, and was beautifully decorated, and the seats were comfortable. We had a lovely time. Our only comment would be that the staff could have been a little more attentive.
| Savoury | 2.0 |
| Scone | 1.5 |
| Jam | 2.0 |
| Cream | 2.0 |
| Cake (variety) | 2.0 |
| Cake (quality) | 2.0 |
| Tea | 1.5 |
| Presentation | 2.0 |
| Service | 1.0 |
| Value | 2.0 |
| Total | 18.0 |
All opinions expressed in this review are my own. The photographs are all my own.
I remain completely anonymous and always pay for my Afternoon Teas. They are never gifted to me by the businesses reviewed.
I am the legal copyright holder of the content and images on this blog.
Sarnies Scones and Cakes 