Afternoon Tea At The Edensor Tea Cottage, Edensor
Published On Sunday 12 Mar 2023 by Sticky Beak
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Give us a round of applause, folks, we finally visited the Edensor Tea Cottage!!! Even more miraculous is the fact that we got a parking spot literally a 30 second walk away from it! We have wanted to come here for an absolute age, so were thrilled beyond belief as we stepped over the threshold and into possibly the quaintest venue in the ‘Shire. Not only is it mesmerizingly beautiful, it’s also award winning, having won ‘Best Cafe in Derbyshire 2022’ and being one of this years’ finalists – who knows, they could well win again this year!
In front of the chocolate-box pretty stone cottage is an area set with wooden picnic tables and bench seats (capacity of 64 people) and this was packed with walkers and their dogs -although pooches are welcome inside too, as are children of all ages. The Chatsworth Estate has always been popular for exploring and, because we were having a dry, relatively mild day, everyone was taking advantage of the conditions to get out-and-about, and what better place to stop and refuel than the Edensor Tea Cottage?
We were greeted with a massive smile at the counter and, when we said we’d got a table booked, were shown to our lovely table by the window. There was a high, wing-backed chair that I quickly bagged, sinking into its soft, comfortable seat and His Nibs sat in the mid-back wooden armchair opposite me. One of the cottage team explained the drinks format to us: you can have unlimited Yorkshire Teabag Tea or filter coffee, or a single pot of loose-leaf tea or a large cup of Barista Coffee for £19.95 per person, or there is a prosecco upgrade priced at £24.95 per person. I’m a proper tea-belly, so I opted for the unlimited bag tea and His Nibs followed suit and went for the filter coffee choice. If you try the loose leaf teas and are particularly smitten, they are available to buy and savour at home (as is local artisan Honey).
With drinks sorted, it was time to take in our surroundings better; one of my favourite things to do. Low ceilings and exposed wooden beams were, of course, evident – it is a cottage, after all! - and there’s no mistaking the rural setting thanks to colourful canvasses of Piggies, Coos, Cows, Sheep, and Deer (Chatsworth’s 35,000 acres are home to herds of Fallow- and Red- deer). Next to me, in the deep sill of the window, were models of a Mummy Duck and her two ducklings, adding to the already relaxed country feel to Edensor Tea Cottage. Stuart and Sarah love to support other local businesses and offer a range of pottery, puzzles and books from artisan producers for customers to buy.
The Chatsworth Estate is known for its understated elegance, and Stuart and Sarah (the Tea Cottage’s owners) have carried this through with the Duck Egg-cum-Eau de Nil shade that colours the walls (Green Blue by Farrow and Ball in case you’ve ever wondered, and the bar- and panel- colour is Inchyra Blue, also by Farrow and Ball), muted seat cushions and deep marine toned wool blankets casually draped over some chair backs. Our section of the venue seats about 14 people I would say, with about the same (maybe a couple more) on the other side of the cottage, and then there’s some steps down to another little room, making roughly 45 in total that can be accommodated inside.
Before long, our triple tiered Afternoon Tea stand was being gently set on the table, as well as a slate decorated with colourful salad that housed the Cheese Scones with Cream Cheese and Tomato Chutney. No-one can accuse Chef Stuart of not presenting his food beautifully!
As usual, we began our adventure with the selection of freshly prepared sandwiches, all of which were different: the Ham and Mustard minx was served as a miniature tortilla wrap cut in half, then there was Cucumber and Cream Cheese crustless white bread, Brie and Cranberry (again a crustless finger sandwich) on malted flake bread, and dinky Brioche rolls filled with Egg Mayonnaise and Spring onion. This tier was garnished with verdant Pea Shoots which, when we nibbled at them, had a wonderfully exuberant taste that bounced brightly on the taste buds.
The Man Bird and I both pounced on the Tortilla wrap filled with Ham, Spinach leaves and (we kept arguing over this: I said a fine textured Piccalilli, he reckoned a mild mustard) a warming, yellow coloured spread for a smidge of moisture in the mouth. Although sliced thinly, the Ham was incredibly flavoursome and was certainly coming through strongly on my palate; clearly, Ginger Butchers of Newclose Farm produce good meat! The warming condiment was imparting a superb warmth in our mouths, but not enough to drown out the Ham; rather, it provided the perfect partner.
Next up was the Cucumber and Cream Cheese morsel on impossibly soft, springy white bread that just melted in the mouth. Chef is clearly a feeder; I don’t think he could’ve crammed any more filling in, if he’d tried! Silky smooth cream cheese clung to the insides of our cheeks and then the cool slices of Cucumber cut through the richness, whilst adding a delicate crunch when we bit into it. This was the sandwich equivalent of your Parisienne Aunt; supremely elegant, classic and modishly aloof.
In contrast, the Brie and Cranberry on the (equally springy and soft) malted flake bread was comforting and easy-breezy with its combination of thick slices of mild, creamy Brie and chunky, colourful Cranberry Sauce that brought a fruity tang to the party. Both finger sandwiches were a good size and very generously filled.
Stuart was evidently channelling his inner artist; the golden tones of the buttery Brioche were echoed by the pieces of egg yolk that flecked through the otherwise pale Mayonnaise and egg white shreds. My palate was brought up sharply by something crunchy as I bit into it: fine slices of Spring Onion had been placed on top of the smooth egg and mayo, and they added both texture and taste with their distinct Allium tang. This was a classic sandwich pairing done with a twist; bravo, Chef.
With the savoury tier polished off, we had a bit of a dilemma: did we begin our sweet journey with the Fruit Scone or continue with the Cheese Scone? We finally decided to keep the savoury faith and cut into the wonderfully deep, Cheddar-pimped Cheese Scones that were filled with Cream Cheese and a deep rose-hued Tomato Chutney. The Scone itself had a superb texture, enhanced by the rich notes of Cheddar cheese within it; not too crumbly when cut into, but not dense or clarty either. Both of us remarked on how marvellously the zing of the Tomato Chutney cut through the indulgence and richness of the velvety Cream Cheese, and I liked the light chunkiness of the Chutney, too.
Now it really was time to get the sweet party started… except we couldn’t decide whether to do our usual thing and start with the Fruit Scone, or go for the homemade sweet treats, seeing as we’d just had a Scone! A quick round or two of ‘Ip, Dip, Sky Blue’ sorted out the dilemma: Fruit Scone with homemade Wild Berry Compote and Clotted Cream it was.
Just like its savoury cousin, the Fruit Scone had a superb texture to it and was more than ample in size. I have a friend who is a self-confessed Scone-a-holic and she was very impressed when I sent her a picture of said morsel. When cut into, there was plenty of juicy fruit in evidence which, I know should be a given, but you’d be surprised how many fruit scones there are out in the world that are woefully lacking in this department! After carefully layering the homemade Wild Berry Compote (which is available to buy as well) and Clotted Cream on each half of my scone, it was time to take the first bite and, ooh, my face scrunched as the joyously tart, sharp taste of the berries hit my palate. Confident, bold and brazen – this compote knew its mission (entice the taste buds) and went in for the bulls’ eye: job, done! There is Strawberry Jam available too, if you don’t fancy the Wild Berry Compote. Bringing things back down to earth was the calming silkiness of the Clotted Cream, and harmony was restored in my mouth once again.
Our senses needed a little respite from the delicious onslaught of arousal that they’d had so far, a task that the wonderfully buttery round of Shortbread was more than up to, as its million crumbs melted comfortingly on our tongues. One of Stuart and Sarah marvellous team had kept checking we were enjoying ourselves and at this point came to refresh our drinks; it’s thirsty work indulging in scrumptiousness, you know!
Attacking the top tier of the Afternoon Tea stand in earnest, we popped the absolutely stunning looking, individual Cherry Bakewell Cheesecakes onto our tea plates and took a moment to appreciate their beauty before cutting into them with our dessert forks. The butter-rich bases were pleasantly easy to cut into, so no clattering of forks onto plates as brute force is needed here, thank you very much! An intense Raspberry gel woke up our taste buds again, before the quietening influence of the creamy, Vanilla ‘body’ crept in to bring balance to this temptation. Crunchy flakes of toasted Almonds brought the iconic ‘Frangipane’ taste to this dessert (obviously not the texture of Frangipane that you get in an actual Bakewell tart), and then a whole Glace Cherry and Mint Leaves added the final flourish.
Stuart’s Lemon Tart and Rocky Road should both be made ‘wonders of the culinary world’ or national treasures, at the very least! I really can’t praise the pastry case of the individual Lemon Tarts enough: they were perfectly crumbly, with no hint of moisture anywhere – but not dry either; just utterly sublime. The citrus filling was crisp, clean and zingy; razor-sharp on the palate, without being harsh in any way, and it took me away to the groves of Sicily and sunny days. Infinitesimal pieces of Raspberry added to the bold flavour profile of this beauty, with slices of fresh Strawberry continuing the fruit-theme and tiny fresh Mint leaves providing a pretty, colour-contrasting garnish.
You’d think that we have reached peak yumminess, wouldn’t you; I mean, where else is there to go from here? Rocky Road, that’s where. There’s Rocky Road, and then there’s Edensor Tea Cottage’s Rocky Road! I kid you not, this blows all other ones out.of.the.water….and then some! Nestled in the most ridiculously sumptuous chocolate cloak were pieces of sweet Glace Cherries, biscuit chunks, and pink and white mini-Marshmallows that all provided THE perfect composition of softness and crunch. The slab of mesmerising deliciousness was melting seductively from the warmth of our fingers and we both licked them furiously so as not to waste a single bit, it was seriously, seriously good.
There was a point where I thought we were going to have to admit defeat and bring something home to have for supper, but we dedicated ourselves to the task over a couple of hours. I swear we were bewitched by the quality of these morsels because we just couldn’t bear the thought of leaving any of them behind, even if it was to have them later! I am just going to say that we didn’t have anything else to eat that day though, even gluttons have their limits!
Having wiped our mouths clean, we sat back and sighed, desperately wishing that we’d worn elasticated garments; fixed waistbands are not your friends when indulging in Afternoon Tea at Edensor Tea cottage, that’s all I’m saying on the matter! We bade the team farewell and rolled our way back to the jalopy, groaning as we did so and (probably not so shamefully, if I’m being perfectly honest) acknowledging that we had just been a pair of out-and-out piggies! Happy piggies though.
Covered up when we visited (but open from Spring onwards) there is the ‘Cream Tea Box’, a converted horsebox that serves specialty Scones and hot drinks for those that just want a quick ‘pit stop’ and a minimal wait…if the Cream Tea Box is anything like the Tea Cottage, then it’ll be decorated beautifully and well worth a visit!
Heartfelt thanks to Sarah and Stuart for inviting us to sample your amazing Afternoon Tea; we’re just happy that we finally made it to you! Hot Wings totally awarded to this unique venue. To book a table (and believe me, you need to book, but the Afternoon Tea requires 24 hours’ notice anyway) you can phone 01246 582315 or email enquiries.edensorteacottage@w3z.co.uk. Edensor Tea Cottage is open Monday-Friday 9.30am-4.30pm and Saturday-Sunday 9am-5pm.
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