Please sir, may I have one more cream tea in the English countryside?
Our experience
“I remember every stone, every tree, the scent of heather… Even when the thunder growled in the distance, and the wind swept up the valley in fitful gusts, oh, it was beautiful, home sweet home.” (Beatrix Potter).
Having been raised on tales of Peter Rabbit, Flopsy, Mopsy and Cotton Tail during our childhood, visiting the Lake District in the northern outreaches of England has long featured on our travel wish-list. And finally, on what must have been more than a dozen trips to the U.K., these Dessert Correspondents made it there.
We day-tripped up from London, embarking on a scenic, albeit long train ride, sinuously puffing its way across the sparkling green, gently undulating countryside for which the English are famous. Arriving at Lake Windermere, we toured around the medieval village of Hawkshead spotting ancient pubs wafting with the malty tones of long-spilled beer, peeped into the ivy-covered, candle-lit Hill Top manor surrounded by the organized wilderness typical of English cottage gardens, picnicked at Tarn Hows while serenaded by cool winds and the grey threat of rain clouds, and later cruised Lake Winderemere itself bathed in soft sunlight filtering across the top of the surrounding mountains.
And after a day of feeling very much like herded cattle, we stopped for just a little moment at Lindeth Howe Country Hotel. We slowly opened the afternoon tea dessert menu, and there it was, staring at us. Beckoning us to be eaten. Welcome. Cream tea. Just like how we experienced some years ago while visiting the Cotswolds. Freshly-baked scones. Luscious cream. Vibrantly-flavoured strawberry jam. Delicate teacups of soothing tea. A perfect (and safer) alternative to taking a carrot from Mr. McGregor’s vegetable garden like our childhood storybook friends, and truly, an antidote to the never-ending buzz that make the megapolis of London.
Dessert adventure checklist
- ☑ Dessert destination: Lindeth Howe Hotel, Lindeth Drive, Longtail Hill, Bowness-on-Windermere, Cumbria , LA23 3JF, United Kingdom.
- ☑ Budget: $$.
- ☑ Sweet irresistible: Afternoon tea.
- ☑ Must-eat: Cream tea.
- ☑ The short and sweet story: Please sir, may I have one more cream tea in the English countryside?
Dessert Correspondents 