The Bridge
House Hotel
www.bridge-house.co.uk/dorsetafternoon-teas.asp
01308 862200
Bridge House Hotel & Restaurant,
3 Prout Bridge, Beaminster,
Dorset, DT8 3AY
With Head Chef Geraldine Gay
a specialist Patisserie Chef, The
Bridge House is able to push
the boundaries of what a Cream
Tea should be. The Classic
version comes with homemade
scones, clotted cream and
homemade strawberry jam, while
the Celebratory Afternoon is an
event in itself: stately tiers of finger
sandwiches, scones, eclairs,
decorated cakes to order and a
glass of Prosecco, or local bubbly
from the nearby Furleigh Estate.
The building itself dates from the
13th Century, meaning you can
enjoy a classic Dorset tea in a
traditional country house.
Best For: Cream tea with a lateafternoon loosener, courtesy of Jo
and Mark Donovan’s expert wine
selection.
Worth Matravers
Tea & Supper
Room
Moreton
Team Room
Nestling in the Purbecks not far
from Swanage, Worth Matravers
is walking country. What better
way, then, to finish a leisurely slog
along the coast than a caloriepacked cream tea at the Worth
Matravers Tea & Supper Room?
Try a Traditional Dorset Cream tea
with two scones, jam or honey, and
Blackmore Vale clotted cream, or
venture farther afield by adding a
glass of Kir Royale or going for a
Glorious Afternoon Tea, complete
with salmon and vodka cream
dressing, homemade petit fours,
biscotti and brownies. Wherever
you’ve come from, you’ll end up
feeling local.
Three consecutive Taste of
Dorset Awards, and the need
to book at weekends, confirm
that an afternoon spent around
Dorchester isn’t complete until
you’ve taken tea at Moreton Tea
Rooms. In its simplest incarnation,
the tea comes as a fruit scone,
clotted cream, jam and tea, but
there’s scope to mix it up with
a cheese, ginger and treacle
or cream cheese and chutney
scone. The village itself is on the
River Frome, in vintage Hardy
country, but the tea rooms run by
Gordon and Kate Sutherland are
making their own history. As in
150 scones a day baked during
summer months and a Taste
of Dorset Best Tearoom award
already on the mantelpiece.
www.worthmatraverstearoom.co.uk
01929 439368
Worth Matravers, Swanage,
Dorset, BH19 3LQ
Best For: A quirky, vintage-style
tea served in an eccentric array of
china, with top-ups for the pot on
request.
www.moretontearooms.co.uk
01929 463647
Moreton Tea Rooms, The Old
School, Moreton, Dorchester,
Dorset, DT2 8RH
Best For: Soak up the available
afternoon sun in the courtyard
garden then work off the calories
afterwards with a stroll to the
nearby ford.
www.menu-dorset.co.uk
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