It must be said that one of my all-time favourite dining experiences is having Afternoon Tea; the sense of ritual, the refined presentation, the overwhelming British-ness of the whole thing has always appealed to me. Furthermore, I am an absolute cake fiend, so anything involving cake causes great excitement.
That being said, I'd quite like to write a series of posts about the various Afternoon Teas I find myself having too often!
First up is Pettigrew Tearooms! I feel this location needs little in the way of introduction - at least for any Cardiffian who knows their way around a pot of loose leaf. For the benefit of everyone else, suffice it to say that Pettigrew is somewhat of an institution.
In the grounds of Cardiff Castle and bordering Bute park, Pettigrew is a beautiful little Cafe in a stunning location.
The interior is of the the 'Grandma's front-room' aesthetic, in an authentic rather than kitsch way. In fact, my saucer was of the exact same Royal Doulton China that my own Grandmother uses! I can definitely see why this place is so popular with tourists; for its pure Britishness.
The Afternoon Tea is priced at £14.95 for one, or £26.95 for two sharing.
I'd say this is about average for an Afternoon Tea in Cardiff, and bearing in mind you will be so full that you won't want any dinner, it's great value.
Pettigrew will surely appeal to the tea fanatic among us. Fear no paltry bag of Twinings to accompany the food - instead their huge range of high-quality loose leaf teas take centre-stage, and put the TEA firmly back into Afternoon Tea.
The choice doesn't end there, you also select the sandwich fillings you would like - avoiding any nasty horseradish surprises in my case - and pick between a plain or fruity scone.
Oh, and did I mention they do an ENTIRELY GLUTEN FREE option!
I chose this, being as I try to eliminate gluten from my diet for health reasons, along with an Assam Tea (a strong black blend known for its slightly malty taste).
Our sandwiches (Ham and Mustard, Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese, and Egg Mayonnaise) were delicious. However watch out for the mustard, it's got a bloody kick to it!!
The only downside is that you get three of each sandwich filling, which according to my terrible maths is not divisible by two. Meaning, you either have to split the third of each, or decide which of you deserves more!
The scones were a generous size, and served warm with loovely clotted cream and strawberry jam. You'd never tell they were Gluten Free, either!
After you are finished with the sandwiches and scones, you pick a slice of cake from their mouthwatering display. Despite already feeling satisfied, I chose the GF Coconut and Raspberry.
Coconut is probably my favourite flavour, so needless to say I totally loved this cake, and even writing about it now is making me want to visit Pettigrew for another slice. Moist, rich, and generously filled; I couldn't have imagined a nicer cake.
I feel a special mention of the staff is certainly called for. Despite visiting on a busy Sunday without even booking, we were well looked-after by the staff. In particular, an American exchange student I can't remember the name of was a total delight. If the food wasn't enough alone, I'd say that the service makes Pettigrew a stand-out choice.
All in all, Pettigrew Tearoom offers a lovely, personalised Afternoon Tea experience that will leave you wanting more (albeit after the painful fullness subsides).
Head to http://www.pettigrew-tearooms.com/ for more details.
