If you're feeling the same don't despair as I have something that just might cheer you up.
Have you ever wished you lived in the good old days back when it was acceptable to spend afternoons leisurely drinking tea and gorging on scones heaped with jam and cream? Yep, me too.
Yesterday evening I got to play pretend for a while as I headed out to Biddy's Tearoom in Norwich for an afternoon tea party. It was actually late evening and not the afternoon, but let's not break the illusion.
Doesn't it look warm and inviting?
We probably could have flown their with our umbrellas Mary Poppins style, but instead we decided to take the car, which proved to be a good decision as even the quick walk from car park to café left us with frostbitten fingers and windswept hair. After recomposing ourselves (we were going to a sophisticated tea party after all so elegance was a must) we descended on Biddy's.
Biddy's is a vintage tearoom hidden away in one of the winding 'lanes' of Norwich city centre. The teahouse is a popular destination for tea-loving locals and tourists, which often makes finding a table tricky. Luckily we pre-planned and booked the whole café out after hours to accommodate thirty of us.
For £10.95 (well worth it I assure you) we enjoyed a three course afternoon tea menu with our very own tea lady Pip. We were even given a bell to ring (Downton Abbey-esque), upon which Pip would magically appear and provide us with more tea.
After taking off our various layers we began with a fruit punch to warm us up. I'm not really sure what was in it but it tasted Pimms-like, just without the alcohol. In any case it was lovely and refreshing; the fresh fruit and mint floating on top left me dreaming of summer months...sadly the rain battering at the tearoom windows quickly reminded me that we are still very much in the midst of winter here in England.
Next to tackle the main item: the tea. We know Britain is a tea-obsessed nation (did you know Brits drink 165 million cups a day according to the UK Tea Council?!) and Biddy's certainly is a testament to this fact, having a menu of teas that spans nearly five pages. You can choose anything from strawberry and kiwi to a plain old no flounce 'Builders' tea. I went for 'Lady in Waiting', which was a traditional afternoon tea infused with a citrusy twist.
As all of us ordered a different type, served directly to our tiny table in beautiful ornate vintage tea pots. As a result we found ourselves playing that well known game of how many teapots you can fit on one table. Try it, you might be surprised.
Ravenous by this point the next item on our menu was finger sandwiches.
Fillings included cucumber and cream cheese, coronation chicken, Norfolk ham with brie, tuna and sweetcorn and my personal favourite Egg mayo with cress and mustard, the mustard adding an interesting kick to your traditional egg sandwich.
In between courses I had a snoop around the place which has a traditional English teashop feel, decorated with handmade crochet table covers and bunting hung from the beams.
Upstairs has more of a café feel with tables and chairs, whilst downstairs there is a cake counter and sofas to lounge around on and do some light reading whilst enjoying your daily brew.
With low ceilings and china teapots dotted everywhere this is not the place to bring the more clumsily inclined amongst us! You really feel like you're in a doll's house, especially as you are forced to duck your head when making your way up the narrow wooden winding staircase that leads to the second floor.
Filled up on savory it was now time for my favourite part. Freshly baked scones. They had a selection of sweet and savory on offer; I went for a sweet cinnamon one dotted with raisins, with dollops of freshly whipped cream, blueberries, and homemade jam.
If you weren't already feeling slightly green by this point there was just room for a cupcake. The varieties included Eaton Mess, Pink Lemonade and Chocolate Chip. I chose a Pistachio number with swirling rose water icing on top.
All the cakes at Biddy's are handmade on the day and downstairs they even have a shop selling antique china and collectables for the real tea fanatics.
The tearoom hosts regular events including a 'Bitch and Stitch' evening, which, you guessed it, involves knitting and chatting, with some cake eating added in for good measure. They also hold a Bake Off event where you don't even need to make a cake to be part of the fun; instead, you can pay £5 to sample the cakes everyone else has made...sounds too good to be true right?
We left completely stuffed (just have a look at the demolished table), ready to face the outside elements.
Tea for two if you please
For more info or to book your own private party go to http://www.biddystearoom.com/apps/blog/
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