High Tea at the Devonshire Arms in Yorkshire

Regular readers of this blog, and those who spend any amount of time with me, will know that I eschew sugar wherever possible.  Now, did you spot that? The disclaimer I sneakily added in. Wherever possible. Because sometimes it just isn’t possible. It isn’t. Wine for example.  I take the lead from the ancient Greeks, the Italians, and sometimes, the French. Wine is life. Wine should be part of life. What is food without wine?  Ah, wine. But, I digress. Whilst I sometimes write about wine, this is not the subject of today’s blog. So what is, I hear you asking.

Over the years I have found myself looking for the perfect high tea.  I have written about the best high teas in Sydney.  And that blog will continue to be updated.  In the last week alone I have had high tea somewhere new in Sydney. But recently, I was on holiday, and decided to see what the UK had to offer.  Would I find the best high tea in the UK? Let’s just say, I wasn’t disappointed.

Once a seventeenth century inn, The Devonshire Arms Hotel and Spa in Bolton Abbey is a national treasure.  Nestled in the rolling hills and valleys of North Yorkshire, only an hours drive from my hometown of Halifax, high tea is served in the rather beautiful conservatory. Walking across the car park, with the crunch of gravel under your feet, as soon as you enter the hotel your nostrils are assailed with the unmistakable aroma of open fires.  For me, there is hardly a more evocative smell. Immediately conjuring up images of bitterly cold English evenings, curled up in front of a roaring fire, with a large glass of Cabernet Sauvignon, mesmerised by the flames. But again, I digress.

On a beautiful English summers day (honest), we found ourselves sat in the bright, spacious conservatory, looking out across the cricket oval. The distinctive sound of cork against willow told me that there was an innings in progress. I was brought back into the moment as we were presented with the menu for The Devonshire Arms Fizz Afternoon Tea and I was very impressed that the fizz being served was Laurent Perrier NV champagne. Already a step up from the sparkling white wines we are often served in Australia.

As the four of us sipped our champagne, catching up on family events over the last 2 years since our last visit to the UK, our high tea arrived. I couldn’t suppress a smile.  You know you are in England, when tradition is fused with fun. Not many high teas arrive with a great big hunk of sausage roll as one of your delicacies.  And what a splendid sausage roll it was. 

We each had a high tea with our mum, so I at least knew that I was in no danger of there being leftovers. The 3 tiers of the high tea, or 3 courses, were of such good proportion, that as we worked through them, I knew that nothing was going to waste.  Less is sometimes more, and the ratios were a master stroke. 

Now, time to talk about the cream for the scones.  I have been out of the UK for almost 8 years now, and may have become accustomed to the second rate cream we get served in Australia.  Rather bland. Rather tasteless. Akin to the canned cream kids have so much fun squirting in to their mouths. But readers, we are now in the UK, and the cream! What can I say?  Real, thick, irresistible, delectable, clotted cream. Cream so clotted that it was hard to get a spoon through. Cream so delicious that one could be tempted to pack up and relocate to North Yorkshire.

Let us not forget about the scones.  Perfection. Small. Served warm. Slight crunch on the outside, reminiscent of a rock cake, but oh so fluffy on the inside.  I won’t get into the debate here of whether the jam, or the cream goes on the scone first, happy that you leave me your thoughts on this very controversial topic in the comments.

If you still have room, and some of us did, I’m looking at you Mary, there is the third course.  The top level of the high tea tray.  Fancies that look too good to eat, but eat them we did.  By this time we had our tea, and coffee, and were loosening our belts, as we polished off each small cake, aware that the afternoon would be spent in a food coma.

In fact, the afternoon proved to be one of the highlights of the trip back to the UK.  Yorkshire is probably the best part of England (I could be slightly biased), and The Devonshire Arms is the quintessential Yorkshire venue.  If you are ever in the region, I can’t recommend the high tea enough. Treat yourself even more, and splash out on an overnight stay, I would certainly have loved to have done.

Next up on the high tea odyssey, The Pipe & Glass in South Dalton.  A slight spoiler alert, this was another one that also greatly impressed, and I will share the experience with you all very soon. Would it take the title of the best high tea in the UK?