I took my mum there for a special 80th birthday afternoon tea, and it did not disappoint. The tea room was so spacious. Everything was presented so elegantly and the staff could not do enough to help. Especially Becky . The whole experience was a delight, and I definitely would recommend it to anyone. We were even given a box so we could take what we could not manage to eat home with us.
Thank you Wedgwood and all your lovely staff. The museum is also a worth looking around in. It is on the same level and free.
We pre-booked the Classic Afternoon Tea (£37.50pp) over the phone after confirming they could cater for allergies and halal requirements. On arrival, we were shown to the back of the restaurant; while the wallpaper was contemporary, the blue chairs were unfortunately splotched, and we were seated right next to another couple despite the section being two-thirds empty.
We spent the first fifteen minutes waiting for a waiter to acknowledge us so we could re-verify our dietary needs. When the teas finally arrived, the Ceylon UVA was lukewarm and unusually weak. I’d have switched to the Dung Ting Oolong if the waiter hadn't taken so long to return, but the Wedgwood Original was a perfect, strong black tea that worked well for cleansing the palate between bites.
The wait for the food was also long; we were already pouring our second cup by the time the three-tier stand was brought over. The items were quite cramped on the plates, and the waiter didn't explain what anything was.
The egg and cress mini-roll brioche was nice but the beetroot, feta, and red pepper mini-brioche bite mostly just tasted of feta. The oyster mushroom, stilton and courgette mini-lattice bite was the tastiest of the savouries. The coronation chicken on malted farmhouse was generous but ruined by sweetness. The cream cheese and cucumber on white farmhouse was unpleasantly soft.
We paused to ask for a second tea, but again the wait was long, and I had to specifically ask for a fresh cup with each order as one wasn't automatically provided. We then moved on to the scones, which were the highlight - served warm and much more substantial than the sandwiches. The lemon and golden raisin version only needed clotted cream, whereas the classic scone needed both cream and preserve. The strawberry preserve was extremely sugary, but the blackcurrant was less so and had a nice tang, so I opted for that in small amounts.
My wife had requested the Mountain Pearls Oolong, which was elegant on its own but didn’t pair well with the scones. I had finished both scones by the time my Maharajah Darjeeling arrived, though the Wedgwood Original did help cut through the butteriness in the meantime. The Darjeeling itself had an intense flavour that complemented the desserts.
The sweets were a bit of a let-down; the strawberry Eton Mess looked like very little thought had gone into it, and the white chocolate, lemon and blueberry macaron was just “sweet on sweet”. The toffee and orange gateau had stale sponge layers with even thicker orange cream and a spiced flavour that reminded me of fruitcake. The chocolate and caramel tart was the nicest of the bunch, even though it had that same hit of spice.
The Rose Congou was fragrant but, again, arrived late once the desserts were already gone. A cappuccino ended up being the best palate cleanser for all that sweetness.
Service was so slow that we became quite lethargic just waiting to leave. We eventually flagged down a different waitress for the bill and declined the service charge. She explained they were short-staffed and a bus-load of customers had arrived making them quite stretched, but it raises the question of why a pre-booking system doesn’t limit covers to what the staff can actually handle. It’s a shame, as the tea quality is good, but the poor pacing and lack of attention made it an exhausting experience.
Food 2/5 | Service 1/5 | Atmosphere 2/5
2
We booked a table for 10 people to celebrate 2 birthday members. This isy third visit to Wedgewood for afternoon tea. It is with disappointment that I was not impressed with the contents of the food. There were not enough savoury items, mostly cakes which were too sweet. The staff did not explain what was in the sandwiches etc nor explain that the cappuccino and decaf breakfast yes was not included in the price of the classic afternoon tea.
The service was terrible! On previous visits staff were on the ball, asking if we would like more teas etc and clearing all the empty cups and empty tea pots. On this occasion, we only had 2 drinks each during the course of the session and we hardly had any room on the table as staff did not clear all our empty crockery.
The booking was for 2 birthday celebrations and it's a shame that it was a big disappointment. Unfortunately I do not consider it was value for money and I feel that I will take my custom elsewhere in the future. We were neglected.
5
Service was a little slow, confusion over food requests, table wasn't cleared in between additional drinks, but lovely overall. Nice atmosphere and nice food options. Will be returning.
4
Very good afternoon tea here. The food was delicious. Would have been 5 stars if there were more sandwiches and less cake.
