Places To Eat: 10 purveyors of afternoon tea

AFTERNOON TEA

April 21 is National Tea Day. Did you know that, collectively, Brits consume more than 60 billion cups of char a year? That’s more than 165 million cups a day. What better accompaniment than an afternoon tea? According to the BBC, searches for cream teas are up 750%. Here are some of our favourites, and remember: it’s jam first! #nationalteaday

This farmhouse was first documented in 1296, when it was attached to the monks of the order of St John of Bridgewater. Legend has it that a secret underground passage connects the house to the cliffs and may have been used by smugglers! The family-run business was first established in 1952, with Jill Savage at the helm for the past 30 years, using locally sourced ingredients to produce delicious home-cooked food, often to family recipes. As well as Cornish grown tea from Tregothnan, The Rectory stocks special blends from Tugboat Tea of Truro. Recommended by Coeliac UK. www.rectory-tearooms.co.uk

St Moritz Hotel

Afternoon tea at St Moritz, near Rock, comes with a choice of tea or coffee and a glass of prosecco each (£30pp) - make it extra special by adding a glass of Veuve Clicquot Champagne (£35pp). The limited-edition Queen's Platinum Jubilee Afternoon Tea features a selection of the Queen’s favourite sweet treats: savarin, Battenberg, fondant fancies topped with edible silver leaf and choux buns. Add finger sandwiches and warm scones topped with strawberry jam and Cornish clotted cream, and you will leave feeling royally full. Served from 12.30pm to 4pm. www.stmoritzhotel.co.uk

Trevallicks, Pensilva

This charming café, close to Caradon Hill on the southern fringes of Bodmin Moor, celebrates its 10th anniversary in June. It is run by five sisters - Hanna, Amy, Emily, Olivia and Niamh – who have sourced and tasted everything for sale here. Choose from three types of afternoon tea, all including a selection of delicious finger sandwiches, home-baked scones and cakes presented on a three-tier Cornish slate stand. Standard afternoon tea comes with a pot of Cornish-grown Tregothnan tea; add champagne for that extra-special occasion, or splash out on the gin taster afternoon tea, served with four Cornish gins. Gluten-free options available on request. trevallicks.com

Fowey Hall

Fowey Hall has announced a very special partnership with The Roald Dahl Story Company from April 26. The Matilda Afternoon Tea includes adult and children’s menus lovingly crafted to celebrate the story’s iconic food moments, with treats including the Crunchem Hall sandwich selection, Lavender’s macarons, Newt Juice and, of course, Bruce Bogtrotter’s chocolate cake. Adult menu £35, children’s menu £15. www.foweyhallhotel.co.uk

The Alverton, Truro

Take afternoon tea in style at The Alverton. With views across the manicured gardens, graze on delightful finger sandwiches, home-baked scones with lashings of Cornish clotted cream and jam, and cute little cakes. The menu changes with the seasons: in the summer, enjoy high tea on the sun-drenched terrace with refreshingly fruity flavours, or cosy up by the roaring fire in winter for a festive twist on this wonderfully British pastime. Monday to Saturday from 12pm until 5pm, Sundays 3pm to 5pm. www.thealverton.co.uk

Miss V’s, St Just-in-Roseland Church

Tucked away in the sub-tropical creekside gardens of the most beautiful church in Cornwall – nay, the world – Miss V’s is a vintage tea experience harking back to the days of chintzy china and proper tablecloths. Alternatively, visit the new bakery in Bodmin’s Honey Street. Both serve a Cornish cream tea with a big scone, a serving of Boddington’s jam and a pot of Cornish Tea. (Or go for a full Cornish breakfast, or thunder and lightning on toast!). www.missvs.co.uk

Greenbank Hotel, Falmouth

Afternoon tea at The Greenbank is an occasion to be savoured. Elegant finger sandwiches, miniature desserts and cakes, Cornish scones with jam and clotted cream with a pot of loose-leaf Cornish tea – all overlooking Falmouth harbour. Add a G&T per person for a gin-tastic twist – or go the whole hog and order the Bottomless afternoon tea for two, sipping prosecco by the bobbing boats while tucking into three tiers of tasty treats. Divine! www.greenbank-hotel.co.uk

Café Mylor

Enjoy sweet treats with sterling views of yachts moored at the floating pontoons of Mylor Yacht harbour, against the waters of Carrick Roads. Order a pot of St Piran’s Tea, a flavoursome brew grown in the highlands of Kenya before being carefully blended to complement Cornwall’s soft drinking water. If you need to walk it off afterwards, the pretty village of Flushing is a short scenic walk around Trefusis point, from where you can take the pedestrian ferry to Falmouth. www.cafemylor.com

Rosemergy Tea Rooms, Zennor

What could be more appealing than a traditional farmhouse Cornish cream tea in Cornwall’s wildest, furthest-flung corner? In Zennor, the traffic jams moo. With stunning sea views over the Atlantic Ocean in one direction and the Penwith moors in the other, Rosemergy ‘s family-run tea garden is a hidden gem offering Aga-baked cakes and scones. It’s a popular resting point for dog walkers, hikers, climbers and cyclists; call ahead to check opening times. www.rosemergy.com

Hellys, Helston and Penzance

This family-run business launched its original tearoom in Helston’s Meneage Street in 2015, and branched out with a deli in Penzance in 2017. Both serve a Cornish cream tea - home-made fruit or plain scone with clotted cream, strawberry jam and a pot of English Breakfast tea – which can be upgraded for a small charge to a different tea (or coffee) of your choice. Among those on offer are teas and herbal infusions (including Nettle & Rose) by Newquay blenders Westcountry Tea. www.hellys.co.uk

springtidectown

Springtide, Charlestown is a new fish and seafood restaurant, located in Charlestown overlooking the beautiful UNESCO world heritage harbour (and just next door to The Longstore, Charlestown). Offering a tasty menu of straight-from-the-boat Cornish seafood, with a Mediterranean twist. Expect a friendly and fun atmosphere, with outside dining and views over the harbour - a perfect lunch or dinner spot for the whole family.