The humble cream tea is oft-overlooked in favour of its showier cousins, the afternoon or high tea, but there’s much to love in this classic combo of tea, scone, jam and cream. Charlotte Griffiths rounds up five splendid spots where you can indulge in this quintessentially British experience. So the only question left to ask is: jam or cream first?
Best for a cream tea with friends: Tom’s Cakes
Situated up on the town-end of Mill Road, Tom’s Cakes serves up home-made sandwiches, paninis, cakes galore and – crucially – scones with jam and cream to hungry visitors enjoying this vibrant quarter of our city. The rest of Tom’s sweet bakes change with the seasons, but their take on a classic cream tea sticks around throughout the year, though is only freshly-made on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
A sultana-speckled scone arrives pre-stuffed, burger style, with a thick layer of jam and cream (on our visit it was jam-first, if you’re interested, though it does quite literally depend on your point of view) and is accompanied by a pleasingly chunky teacup and pot, filled to the brim with Earl Grey. The café is cheerful and bustling, and the long skinny garden to the rear looks like it’s another splendid spot to hide away in when the weather’s slightly more clement.
Best for watching the world go by: Fitzbillies
Though obviously more well-known for that other fruit-dotted sweet bake, I had it on good authority that Fitzbillies’ scones were as superlative as their famous syrup-drenched spirals of dough, so made a beeline for the original branch to put their cream tea to the test. We nabbed the window seat in the coffee bar (best light in the building, #InstaCamb fans) and tucked in: the scone was indeed excellent, with a pleasingly cragged exterior that was easily re-plastered with the generous curl of clotted cream and well-balanced raspberry jam.
No pot of tea on our visit, but the cupful was very welcome indeed for washing down mouthfuls of sugar-smothered scone. We ate, spent a while gazing out the window at cyclists and tourists attempting to navigate the Silver Street junction, then relinquished our spot to the next set of Fitzbillies fans.
Best for time travellers: Carriages of Cambridge
Out in Fen Drayton you’ll find Bannold, leading supplier of stone and landscaping materials – but within Bannold itself, somewhat bizarrely, is quite possibly one of the finest tearooms in the county. Carriages only opened in February this year, but is fast winning rave reviews from Cambridgeshire’s foodie community – so we couldn’t resist a visit, even if it did mean battling through the A14’s seemingly-endless roadworks to do so.
Once the friendly staff have filtered you off from those visiting to peruse the display gardens, you’re escorted to the rear of the plot where – and I can’t quite believe I’m writing this – owner Michael Attle has lovingly recreated a 1920’s railway station complete with waiting room, signals, telephone booth – and three exquisitely refurbished Pullman-style carriages, decked out as tearooms. And my goodness, it is splendid. My fellow foodie adventurer and I couldn’t stop smiling throughout our visit, and immediately started planning multiple return trips.
Thankfully their cream tea lived up to the high expectations set by its surroundings: a neat pot of cream, splendidly sticky but not overly sweet jam, plus two fresh, just-the-right-amount-of-crumbly scones. The accompanying tea was good and strong, and the delicate china would please even the most discerning brew-lover. As walk-ins we were sat in the carriage with conventional tables and chairs – still hugely comfortable – but booking ahead gets you access to those boasting armchairs galore and even private first-class-style booths (for an additional supplement).
carriagesofcambridge.co.uk
instagram.com/carriagescambs
Best for an old-school tearoom experience: Harriets
Hidden away on Green Street, Harriets opened in 2012 to delight Cambridge with a quintessentially British tea experience. Their cream tea is neat and precise: two scones, two small jars containing clotted cream and strawberry jam, plus a teapot of any of their loose leaf teas.
Service is cheerful and efficient, and although Harriets’ pianist wasn’t in session when we visited, the atmosphere was extremely soothing, despite every table being filled. We even lost mobile reception towards the rear of the tearoom, making it an ideal place to hide out while your other half indulges in retail therapy.
Best for a blissful summer afternoon: Orchard Tea Rooms, Grantchester
I was told by multiple sources that under no circumstances would a list of cream teas in Cambridge be complete without this esteemed establishment, but I’ll admit that the research trip marked my first-ever visit to the hallowed spot.
Gosh, it’s lovely over there in Grantchester. I visited on a blustery day so the orchard wasn’t too busy, and easily nabbed a seat under the trees, though the pavilion itself was ram-jammed with visitors and tourists.
Uniquely amongst the cream-tea purveyors listed here, the Orchard’s offering is a “pick your own” affair, allowing you to select the plumpest-looking scone before sliding your tray along to collect the tea component from the hugely cheerful staff.
Yes, the cream is Roddas, and the jams are Tiptree, but both of these are reliably tasty (plus you’re allowed to choose your own jam: raspberry for me) which means that the whole experience borders on blissful. A creaky deckchair under blossom-heavy boughs, in a patch of warm spring sun, with a pot of tea and a scone topped with jam and cream? So that’s why they write poetry about this place.
