Explore with Fran

Surprised, one morning, I was told to pack a bag, we were off for a night away.  How exciting. A staycation on our vacation. Coming to the end of a packed visit to the UK, catching up with family and friends, we hadn’t had that much time together.  Slightly frazzled from trying to cram in 2 years of life updates in under 2 weeks, we needed some time out. Enter the “date day”. So, finding solace in our silence, we found ourselves driving east, along the M62, the main artery that crosses from the historic dock city of Liverpool, ending in a slightly less historic city of Hull.  Our destination was somewhat more quaint than Hull, in my humble opinion (nothing against Hull if we have any readers from there. I loved the Housemartins, if that helps.) We were headed to the country. We were slowing things down a little. We were headed for South Dalton, near Beverley. Our search for the best high tea continues.

A former coaching inn on the majestic Dalton Estate, since 2006 The Pipe and Glass has been run as a pub by James and Kate Mackenzie.  And run to great acclaim, achieving a Michelin star in 2010 for the excellent restaurant (we had dinner that evening). There are also five boutique suites to make a night of a perfect day. 

Living in Sydney, I yearn for the great British pub. And the Great British Pub at Pipe and Glass is up there with the best of them.  Low ceilings. An open fire, the aroma of which hits your nostrils long before you see it. Add a wide selection of hand-pulled ales. A snug. Which self respecting pub hasn’t got a snug?  And of course, great British food. Sitting in the bar, with my pint of Black Sheep, a rarity in my adopted home town of Sydney, I was excitedly anticipating the food were here for this afternoon. You may have read that I like a good high tea. In fact, I like all high teas (almost all…a recent weekend in Sydney was a disappointment but that is for another day), but I really, really like a good high tea.

My ongoing search for Sydney’s best high tea is well documented.  And will continue. But the search recently moved to England, with the first cab off the rank being high tea at The Devonshire Arms.  A high tea that I would highly recommend. Now it was time to sample the best that the Pipe and Glass had to offer.

Driving through the verdant, bucolic countryside in and around Beverley, through to the quaint village of South Dalton, my mouth was watering in anticipation.  On arrival in South Dalton we were greeted with a sight that to me is quintessential England. White cottages lining the streets. All the cottages perfectly maintained. One of them occupying the old post office, with the original GR red post box still in situ.  With the reign of King George being over since 1952 you are more likely to see postboxes bearing the insignia of his daughter, the Queen of England, ER (Elizabeth Regina).  Green gardens, perfectly mowed lawns, stripes even my brother in law would be proud of, and pathways in full bloom with the early summer flowers.  The smell of freshly cut grass taking me back to childhood games of football in the local park.

Taking our seats in the bar, in the bay window, we were soon sipping a glass of Gardet champagne, signifying the start of our “Pipe and Glass Afternoon Tea”.  As we raised a glass, anticipating what lay ahead, we were soon presented with our range of rather excellent sandwiches. The quality of sandwiches with the high teas we have had in the UK really are a joy to behold.  Today we had a selection of three. Mature cheddar, smoked salmon, and ham. Often described as having eyes bigger than my belly, which gets less likely with every passing year and new notch required on the belt, it always helps that the sandwiches are small.  Each mouthful, each morsel is enjoyed, and treasured. Leaving you wanting more. Delicious.

The “more” is what follows.  The second tier of the high tea tower. For some the piece de resistance.  The scones. When writing about the Devonshire High Tea, I may have got carried away with my description of the clotted cream.  Whilst it may have been the most delightful thing I had ever tasted, at that point, enter the clotted cream at Pipe and Glass. Oh man.  Oh. Oh oh. And the scones? I could live on them. They were that good. Serving scones warm always helps, and as I slowly nibbled (yeah, right!) my scone I felt I was in a very happy place.

I could have stopped there.  Stopped there and been a happy man.  However, duty called. I still had to eat the top tier.  No, I HAD to. The selection of cakes, delicacies, and nibbles. Whether I had room or not was a moot point.  I had some research to do. These blogs don’t write themselves.

After all that food and champagne, I was ready for a nap.  Lucky for us, we had elected to stay the night so we were able to repair to our cottage, Sage.  An old barn, converted into luxury accommodation, the cottage was everything you would expect from luxury, boutique accommodation.  The decor was delightful and the bed large and welcoming. I took full advantage.

As I’ve said, the Pipe and Glass is also home to a Michelin starred restaurant, and we were booked in for dinner.  Yes, more research. More food. Thankfully, it was a late booking, so I had slept off some of the afternoon’s excesses by the time we sat down in the spacious, but still intimate restaurant. The food lived up to expectation, with the fish pie described as “quite possibly the best ever had”. High praise indeed. An excellent sardine dish opened my evening, and a traditional “bubble and squeak” followed. All excellently complemented by a bottle of New Zealand Pinot Gris. If we lived a little closer, not on the other side of the world, I could see the Pipe and Glass becoming a regular spot for dinner.

The cottages we stayed in each had a private courtyard, and this is where we decided to have our breakfast.  You may sense I like food. You would be right. And one of the joys of staying in a historic British hotel is the proper English breakfast you get.  What, you ask, is a proper English breakfast. Well, ladies and gentlemen, it is a breakfast that includes a thick pork sausage, a slice of fried bread, and a hunk of black pudding.  Everything else is incidental, but greatly welcomed, such as bacon, beans, and a sunny side up fried egg. That, my friends, is a proper “full english”. I don’t want to be unfair to the bacon, or the bloody good black pudding, but “James Whites” pork sausages are the kind of sausage that could see a man pack up all his worldly possessions and head on a slow boat home from Sydney.

Very full, and very happy, it was time to leave this slice of paradise.  Staying overnight allows for rest and relaxation, but it never quite feels like long enough.  Maybe that is the secret. You are always leaving when you wish you were staying. So the memories you take away are ones of longing.  The Pipe and Glass is so well run, that you can’t but wish you were brave enough to undertake that tree change you have been promising yourself for many years now.  Move to the country. Perhaps do something in hospitality (due to your love of people!), such as a boutique bed and breakfast, or maybe that small wine bar you keep talking about. Give people the kind of experience, and memories you have just had.

Who knows, one day maybe? Until then, I’m off to look for my next high tea.

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?