Where to find the best afternoon tea in Bath
With its Georgian dining rooms, Jane Austen haunts and food-forward boutique hotels, Bath is a splendid place to indulge in the great British tradition of afternoon tea.
The clink of spoon against china, the sound of tea being poured, perhaps the murmur of scandal — the concept of afternoon tea is representative of, for many, peak Britishness. And the practice feels like it’s found a natural home in Bath, the city of Jane Austen, an author whose plot lines are often played out over a steaming cup and saucer. Its origins, however, are thought to lie with the grumbling stomach of the seventh Duchess of Bedford. To bridge the hunger gap between lunch and dinner, the Duchess requested a mid-afternoon snack of bread, butter and cake. This habit of the Duchess — a lady-in-waiting to Queen Victoria — soon became royal tradition, then spread across the country.
Central to the concept is a cake stand with layers holding dainty finger sandwiches, scones with jam and clotted cream with a flourish of petit fours at its summit. Among Bath’s purveyors of afternoon tea, refills on sandwiches and bottomless hot drinks are often included in the price. For an added stipend, most offer the opportunity to fortify proceedings with a glass (or bottle) of sparkling wine.
We select Bath’s best venues for a spot of afternoon tea, from Regency parlours and a former Bath Spa pump room to a sun-trap Victorian garden and a heritage hotel set in a Georgian terrace.
The Bird, Bath
Afternoon tea at this chic boutique hotel, set in a Victorian mansion on the edge of central Bath, is served in its Plate at The Bird restaurant or on its suntrap terrace and delivers tradition and inventiveness in equal measure. In a nod to the name of the establishment, the dainty fare arrives at the table in a tiered, open-fronted bird cage. The sandwich level includes smoked salmon and zingy harissa chicken alongside focaccia fingers of whipped feta and hot honey, while the interior of the beetroot-filled choux pastry is a vivid colour match for The Bird’s vivacious, avian-themed decor. Full-size scones come with deliciously dense clotted cream, while the desserts are imaginative and on trend, with a Dubai pistachio delice and mousse-textured replica fruit among them. Teas from Camellia's Tea House help lubricate the larynx and keep the gossip flowing. £40 per person, including sandwiches, scones, petit fours and tea.
The Bath Priory
Exuding all the elegance of a Jane Austen film adaptation, The Bath Priory is a luxury hotel set in an ivy-clad 19th century mansion. It’s possible to take tea within the sumptuous art-clad lounge, however the terrace, offering views over the croquet lawn, is so genteel that proceedings come with the anticipation of Mr Darcy striding across the turf. There are familiar fillings for the sandwiches (smoked salmon, egg salad), while the excellent kids’ menu serves up crowd-pleasers like Wilshire ham, cheese, peanut butter and jam. The outstanding scones (one cheese, one plain) arrive separately.
In honour of the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth this year, an additional savoury element elevates the concept with mouth-wateringly executed sausage rolls and sundried tomato quiche tarts. Meanwhile, the rather grand petit fours — including lavender shortbread biscuits with lemon curd — aim to resurrect the flavour combos of Georgian Bath. It’s possible to have afternoon tea packed up in a hamper so you can remain close to your cakes while lounging in the serene four-acre garden. £50 per person, including sandwiches, scones, savoury treats, petit fours and hot drinks.
The Royal Crescent Hotel & Spa
The ambiance for afternoon tea at the Royal Crescent Hotel & Spa builds while walking the flagstones of the crescent from which this landmark takes its name — the most illustrious of Bath’s curved Georgian terraces. In fine weather, you can take afternoon tea amid the sunlit lavender of the hotel’s one-acre landscaped garden. Attentive waiters in velvet waistcoats deliver silver pots steeping vegan Hoogly Tea. Sensitive to its heritage, the hotel keeps the sandwich fillings familiar (smoked salmon, Wiltshire ham), while the vegetarian option offers more modern flavour combinations (as well as the archetypal cucumber option). Sugar-studded Bath buns (with a sugar cube melted within, as per cooking tradition) arrive with the scones. £49 per person, including sandwiches, scones, Bath buns, petit fours and hot drinks.
Robun
A stylish Japanese yakiniku charcoal grill restaurant located close to central Milsom Street, Robun offers an Eastern twist on afternoon tea. Here, the cake stand is replaced with a beautiful wooden box of treats, crowned with the usual top layer of desserts, including a silky chocolate mousse cake that comes with a segment of desiccated blood orange arranged on top like a geisha fan, and a pair of squidgy apple gyozas. Ceramic dishes in the cubbyholes below cradle immaculate bao buns, salmon sashimi, vegetable tempura futomaki and more, while the tea selection perfumes the table with lemongrass, mint and rose blossom (English breakfast tea is also available). In place of bubbly, order a flight of sake. £28 per person including miso soup, salmon sashimi, futomaki, yellowtail aburi nigiri, bao buns, chicken karaage, tea and dessert cakes.
The Pump Room
Featured in two of Jane Austen’s novels, The Pump Room — with its ball-room dimensions, immense chandelier and dinner-jacket-clad pianist — feels purpose-built for afternoon tea. It’s possible to generate a whiff of scandal by bolting on a decadent starter of caviar. To commemorate the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth this year, this former spa room, where Regency-era visitors once took curative waters, has dialled its strictly traditional tea into heritage flavours with a modern flair. Bulging cucumber, mint and labneh finger sandwiches sit alongside crisply baked pea and parmesan croustades. Teas from Gillards of Bath are delivered to the white-linen tablecloths with a sand timer to guarantee the ideal steep. The dainty homemade scones are as refined as the service, and diminutive enough to ensure there’s still space left for the quartet of summery patisserie, garnished with Jane Austen chocolate cameos. For a digestif, take a free glass of mineral-rich spa water. £44.50 per person, including sandwiches, scones, petit fours and hot drinks.
