What’s better than celebrating your wedding anniversary once? Yup, that’s right, celebrating it twice! The 40th anniversary of Denby Pottery Village being open happened to coincide with mine and The Mans’ wedding anniversary and, when we arrived to help them celebrate, the team had a little surprise in the shape of mugs and vouchers for us to redeem at our leisure. How kind is that?!
Fast forward a couple of months (life has been rather hectic, what with one thing or another!) and we finally caught our breath and returned to the super-welcoming space that is Bourne’s Coffee Shop and Bistro. The Pottery Village was bedecked in its festive finery, with large wreaths adorning the doors and windows of all the outlets; you can make your own wreaths on the first weekend in December 2023, and also on the weekend after. Head over to the website www.denbypottery.com to book your spot…you get refreshment included in the price of £45pp as well.
Anyhow, my tummy was reminding me that I hadn’t had anything to eat at approaching 2pm, so we scurried over to Bourne’s and went up to the cake-laden counter to say that we’d got an Afternoon Tea booked. One of the lovely team showed us where our table was (tucked in a corner, and decorated beautifully with fairy lights and paper snowflakes) and gave us a couple of minutes to settle in. The first decision we had to make was which of the tempting cakes we wanted to have: sumptuous Victoria Sponge, Lemon and Poppy Seed Cake or Chocolate Cake; both of us opted to have the Lemon and Poppy Seed morsel, and it was beautifully light in the mouth with a bright citrus flavour – yummy!
We had four different sandwiches to savour: Farmhouse Ham and Mustard, Cheese and Tomato, Tuna and Cucumber and Egg Mayo; some on white bread, some on wholemeal. The team at Bourne’s Coffee Shop and Bistro certainly don’t skimp on the fillings – every precise triangle was bursting at the seams, and they were all wonderfully flavoursome. Nestled among the sandwiches was a generous pile of Root Vegetable Crisps, that were lovely autumnal colours as well as being tasty!
On the top, third tier of the Afternoon Tea stand - as well as our chosen cake - were miniature Macarons and fresh, whole Strawberries. Small presentational details can often make the difference between a good Afternoon Tea and a great one, something that the team here clearly understand. His Nibs loves fresh Strawberries, so he wasted no time at all in popping one after the other in his greedy mush! I smiled happily when I bit into the light, crisp shell of the Macaron and then encountered the soft, chewy centre – total perfection.
You can’t have an Afternoon Tea without a good Scone, and over the years His Nibs and I have had some belters; nothing has been as big as the whoppers served at Bourne’s though! Plump, juicy fruit was peeking out of the Scone’s surface and, when we cut them into half, even more was nestled in the pale cream mixture. Individual pots of Rodda’s Clotted Cream, Kerry Gold Butter and jars of Strawberry Jam were also with the sweet treats, and The Man and I were soon opening them and slathering their contents on each Scone half.
Throughout our feasting, the team members ensured that our cups of Tea and Coffee didn’t run dry and checked that we were enjoying ourselves; we certainly were!! Before we knew it, a couple of hours had nearly sailed by! Thanking the super-friendly staff, we wandered back out into the Pottery Village and out into the ample car park where the faithful jalopy was waiting. Driving home, we couldn’t shut up about what a fab time we’d had, again, at the Denby Pottery Village in Bourne’s Coffee Shop and Bistro. If you want to experience this fabulous Afternoon Tea for yourself, it’s priced at £15.95 per person and kids can even indulge; their version is priced at £10.95 and is slightly different than the adult one. To discover more, and to book online, visit the website mentioned
