A TEA party is in full swing at a Northwich establishment which has been named the UK’s best place for afternoon tea.

The Tea Guild, supported by the Tea Council, has awarded the prestigious and hard-fought Top Tea Place Award 2013 to Davenports Tea Room, in Bartington.

Presenting the award, Bill Gorman, head of the UK Tea Council, said: “Davenports has been in the Tea Guild for three years and has had a meteoric rise.

“I’m not sure whether winning the Top Tea Place award is a blessing or a curse but if you want afternoon tea here within the next six months you had better start reserving now.

“This is the tea world equivalent of the Oscars.”

Success began to brew when Belinda and Ian Davenport quietly set up the tea room at the family farm, florists and farm shop in 2007.

It was an instant hit with customers and the couple found themselves quickly expanding, adding extra rooms and a tea garden and developing an Alice in Wonderland theme, inspired by author Lewis Carroll’s birthplace a mere two miles away.

Joining the Tea Guild itself, the first step towards being named Top Tea Place, is not a piece of cake for establishments as they undergo rigorous assessment by mystery customers who assess everything from knowledge of tea blends, serving temperature of tea and the standard of scones and other food to décor, hygiene and toilets.

Members of the guild are then entered into the annual awards, complete with more secret assesments.

Belinda said: “I thought winning this award would be a long way off, this was a dream.

“It wasn’t something we focussed totally on, we focussed on the business and the detail, but thought it would have been nice if we could win it.

“So many great places have won this, I feel so honoured.”

Weaver Vale MP Graham Evans congratulated the Davenports team as he raised a teacup in their honour.

“This is one of the best examples of hard work and entrepreneurship,” he said.

“When you’re passionate about something it shows how successful you can be and we need more people like Belinda and Ian Davenport.

“They’ve really made this happen.”

 

The Tea Guild

THE guild was set up in 1985 as part of the UK Tea Council.

While the council deals with scientific, health and quality issues for producers and consumers, the Tea Guild specialises in tea rooms, cafes, restaurants and hotels.

Irene Gorman, head of the Tea Guild, said: “I and the guild are at the lovely end of the Tea Council – the social end, the serving of tea outside the home.

“The UK Tea Council wanted to promote the people serving tea outside the house and the guild has grown and grown – but we are very selective in our membership.”

Establishments apply to be a member of the guild and are then assessed by a mystery customer.

These inspectors look at 16 different categories of standards, including hygiene and cleanliness, décor, staff attitude, food, value for money, how the tea is brewed and served and staff knowledge of their teas.

Irene said: “In order for Davenports to win Top Tea Place they scored nearly perfect marks on everything.

“My inspectors found Davenports so very special.

“It says ‘eat me’ and the teas say ‘drink me’.

“Belinda is so enthusiastic in the way she serves people, bubbling over with enthusiasm for the teas and wanting to tell people about the tea she has.”

She added: “Afternoon tea isn’t that difficult to make, but it has to be served appropriately.”

 

The perfect tea and scone?

FOR those of us that get hung up on the etiquette of pouring tea and how best to adorn a scone with cream and jam, afternoon tea guru Irene Gorman has important advice.

“You just have to do what you want to do,” she said.

“Personally I put cream on a scone first because I find it easier, I use it like butter, and I prefer to add milk to my tea afterwards.

“A lot of people talk about how you should do it but the trick with afternoon tea is that you do it to enjoy it – you can’t do it wrong.”