An Afternoon Tea At Friends Cafe In Ashbourne
Published On Saturday 25 Feb 2023 by Sticky Beak
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Just after Christmas, His Nibs and I took some friends out for a walk around Chatsworth Estate and a recovery breakfast at The Old Smithy in Beeley village. We had such a superb time that I wrote a review and, soon afterwards, the owners of The Old Smithy’s sister venue, Friends Café in Ashbourne, kindly invited us along to try their Afternoon Tea.
When we rocked up in the picturesque town, there was no space in the marketplace, so we drove a bit further out and managed to grab a space in the car park opposite the park, just as someone was coming out! Clearly, half-term is when it’s all going on! It only took us about 5 minutes to walk back to the market square where Friends Café is located, and it’s a good job we’d booked a table because it was full to capacity…and apparently it’s always like this! I didn’t need to ask if Friends is child- and/or dog-friendly as I could see both were happily ensconced inside.
We’d been tucked away on one of the corner tables that flank the sides of the stairs, which gave us a fab view down the café as well as giving us a bit more space for all the scrumminess that was soon to be placed in front of us. The décor is a clever mix of countryside and modern, with animal prints (love the highland coo one) on the walls and antler lights illuminating the central area of the venue. Modern pendant lights are suspended above each of the peripheral tables and bright scatter cushions on the banquette seating are picked up by some of the free-standing chairs, coalescing the scheme nicely. The upper half of the walls are painted white, which really maximises the natural light flooding through the floor-to-ceiling windows. A moody, dark petrol blue coats the panelling on the lower half of the walls and is the shade used to upholster the long banquette seating on both sides of the café.
One of the team came to take our drinks orders (pot of tea for me and a black coffee for His Nibs) and one of her co-workers brought out the white, scallop-edged, three tier Afternoon Tea stand, placing it gently before us. We’ve had some amazing Afternoon Teas over our time doing the blog, but this was one of the prettiest – and one of the most-laden too! Cordoning off each of the four types of sandwich from its neighbour were piles of strikingly verdant baby Rocket leaves (from Fresh Choice produce) that had the most wonderfully vibrant, peppery note that was clean and crisp on the palate.
I’d spied the fat, crustless triangles of malted granary bread that were stuffed with gorgeously rose-pink slices of Salmon (supplied by A.L. Hulme Fishmongers) nestled between pale, smooth Cream Cheese, and wasted no time tucking into those minxes! The soft, springy fresh bread had a delightful nutty taste of its own that partnered the delicate Salmon really nicely, and then the tang of the cream cheese lifted the tone in my mouth. I couldn’t help but smile in happiness and a soft sigh of contentment escaped my lips; it may have been past the time to eat, but resisting the urge to just have a snack earlier was certainly the right decision as it made the flavours all the sharper to appreciate.
His Nibs had dived straight into the Gammon Ham (from local business Nigel’s Butchers) and fresh Tomato triangles, biting into the white bread (both breads are made by Bakewell Bakery) and savouring its soft pliability against his teeth. As myopic as he is, The Man could’ve seen the thick slices of rich tasting Gammon Ham without his glasses on: they really were that generous! A smidge of juice escaped from the sweet, plump Tomato and he wiped it away from the corner of his lips, ushering it back into his eager mouth where it could waltz elegantly with the Ham. This is a classic pairing of meat and salad vegetable, and one that the kitchen team at Friends Café by Delish Dishes in Ashbourne do very well.
Another classic element of Afternoon Teas up and down the country is the humble Egg Mayonnaise morsel. When done well it is applause-worthy, but if drowned in too much Mayo it takes on a sad, soggy, bland mush that can sink even the springiest of fresh bread. Praise-be that we were presented with a perfectly balanced beauty! The creaminess of the Mayonnaise added a delicate ‘wetness’ that respected the inherent richness of the eggs’ yolks (Alkmonton Dairy supplies the eggs, milk and cream to Friends), allowing it to be detected by our palates, and the seasoning was also spot-on.
The final sandwich to be pounced on was the Brie and Cranberry one, snuggly encased by more of the gorgeously moreish granary bread that I was totally smitten by. As with its other three peers, this temptation was very generous; thick slices of creamy Brie were accompanied by the eye-catching jewel colour of the tart-yet-sweet, chunky Cranberry sauce whose brighter taste seemed to enhance the creamy cheese when eaten together. Another classic pairing that had been very well executed in the Friends Café kitchen.
With the bottom tier clear, our gazes lifted to the middle tier, where a pair of Fruit Scones, heart-shaped pots of Clotted Cream and individual pots of Strawberry Jam beckoned. For an instant we were tempted to buck our usual habit and cut into these treasures, but we resisted and looked up to the top tier and its plethora of sweet treats instead. Faced with a quartet of impossibly beautiful choices, we did question why we hadn’t gone for the single option of the Scones, kicking ourselves for complicating things!
It was me who broke the impasse (quelle surprise!), reaching for the large Chocolate-coated fresh Strawberry and biting enthusiastically into it. His Nibs wasn’t going to be left behind and swiftly picked up the Strawberry his side of the stand, though he was a bit more forceful in his bite and got chastised with a squirt of fruit juice dripping onto his chin! Honestly, I can’t take him anywhere…. The layer of chocolate was so thick that you could hear the crack as we bit into it, and the difference in flavours were starkly apparent on our palates – in a good way, though.
A pair of individual rounds of Bailey’s Cheesecakes were next to be popped onto our plates and we picked up our patisserie forks in readiness to reveal its secrets! The base cut easily with the flat edge of the pastry fork, its buttery taste delighting our taste buds before being ushered aside by the nutty, gently textural body of the cheesecake, whose indulgent richness and hint of Bailey’s liqueur would win anybody over. For even more luxury, there was a layer of impossibly dinky, cute Chocolate curls and they crunched in our mouths as we bit into them, appreciating the textural element they brought to this magnificent dessert.
Normally, Coffee and Walnut Cake wouldn’t be my usual ‘go-to’ on a cake counter but, having sampled the one made at Friends Café by Delish Dishes, I was a swift convert to its charms! The sponge itself was beautifully aerated, punctuated by tiny pieces of Walnut that added a depth to the taste profile and complimented the coffee hint within the sponge mixture. It was the topping, though, that got the gold medal from me; intensely aromatic coffee cream swirls had our palates swooning with their unmistakeable flavour – you could tell that top quality coffee had been used. Larger pieces of Walnut decorated each swirl, bringing more crunch and a rich earthiness that off-sets the caffeine notes perfectly.
Bringing a lighter, flirtier tone to the Afternoon Tea was the beautifully presented, sunny-toned Lemon Posset, housed in a China teacup and topped with a fresh Raspberry and a circle of dark purple Blueberries. There was no mistaking the clear, sharp citrus taste of the Lemon in this marvellous dessert, even with the addition of cream and sugar in its making; and I did applaud Chef’s skill in getting the balance just right, because it’s so easy to over-sweeten this dish. The inclusion of fresh Raspberries and Blueberries further enhanced the lighter character of this dessert morsel.
All that remained were the Rubenesque Fruit scones, lazing seductively on the tea stand in anticipation of their moment in the gastro spotlight. Plump fruit studded the scones’ voluptuous bodies and, as we punctured them, we could see just how much fruit was in them – yummy! Scone lovers will flock to Friends Café to try these beauties, and so they should, they are super-scrummy. These butter laden gems were sublime: perfect texture, perfectly fruited and certainly (more than) perfect sized; what’s not to lose your head over?!
I emptied the heart shaped bowl of its rich Clotted Cream contents and began spreading it over the Scone halves, only to be interrupted by a ‘tut’ from beside me! His Nibs had opened one of the jam pots and expanded the centrally placed blob of red out to the periphery of his scone, so I gave him a ‘tut’ back! Usually we do play nicely, but this is one of those debates that seems to ignite our passion – both of us convinced that our way is the ‘right’ way. I don’t suppose it really matters because, as long as you’ve got both elements on your scone then you’re good to go as they say. I do stand by the fact (i.e., my opinion!) that having jam on top looks a lot prettier though!
Anyway, both of us polished off the scones and their toppings, so that was the last of our Afternoon Teas. Throughout our feasting, several members of the team had come to check that we were enjoying our experience and our drinks had been topped up at appropriate times. A large jug of iced water also came for us to clean our palates between the savoury and sweet tiers; clearly, they had been keeping a discreet eye on our progress! Now that’s what you call customer care, no?
As far as I could see, we had been the only ones immersing ourselves in this iconic meal, but we were booked in at 3pm, which is perhaps a little late for some? Around me folks were tucking into all manner of mouth-watering dishes, including the Miner’s Stack (big breakfast), Friendly open Fillet of Beef Sandwich, Smoked Haddock Fishcake, and the Garlic Mushrooms on Toast (which had me drooling!). Even if you don’t have the Afternoon Tea, there’s plenty of choice on the menu at Friends Café, I’m sure you’ll agree!
You do need to pre-book the Afternoon Tea, which is priced at £19.99 per person. I should just mention that Friends Café in Ashbourne is licensed for alcohol, so you can enjoy a tipple or two with your Afternoon Tea as well.
Hot Wings happily awarded to this wonderful venue, and many, many thanks for the kind invitation to visit you – not only did we get to see your super team and eat your delicious food, we got to see where the amazing cakes came from that we’d had at The Old Smithy in Beeley on the Chatsworth Estate.
Opening times are 9.30am on weekdays until 4pm om Monday, and 3.30pm Tuesday-Friday. Saturday 9am-4.30pm, and Sunday 9am-4pm.To book your table, give the team a call on 01335 343823 or visit the website www.friendscafeashbourne.co.uk for more details.
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