TIPTREE TEA ROOM CHALLENGE 2021

This post may contain affiliate links

Tiptree Tea Room Tour was a little challenge during spring/summer/autumn of 2021. I roped my best friend, mum, dad and friends into this.

Cressing Temple Barns

‘The Barns’ at Cressing Temple is a bright and vibrant tea room, offering a wide range of homemade meals with fresh and local ingredients. After indulging in a delicious ‘Tiptree’ cream tea, visitors can make their way around the fascinating and outstanding 13th century barns and admire the Tudor herb garden. Cressing Temple barns is best-known as a captivating medieval moated farmstead located between Witham and Braintree. Matilda Boulogne, wife of King Stephen, founded the manor of Cressing in 1137 and granted this to the mysterious Knights Templar. Within the estate visitors can find the huge Grade I listed Barley Barn, built by the Knights Templar in circa 1206AD. It is said to be the oldest recorded timber-framed barn in the world and next door stands the equally impressive Wheat Barn, built in around 1280AD. Visitors can find one of the best examples of how a Tudor garden would have looked. The garden offers a tranquil atmosphere and a chance to see and learn about the massive variety of current and historic herbs. There has been mention of many ‘ghostly encounters’ in and around Cressing Temple in the last few decades. One of the most recent is believed to be ‘a phantom knight’, local legend says that he is buried somewhere on the Cressing Temple estate. In 2009, there was an eerie photograph taken by a fisherman in the middle of the night at a lake near Cressing Temple: the lakeside ghostly mist looks spookily like the apparition of a ghostly knight on horseback.

The Lock

Imagine sitting outdoors by the river on a glorious Sunday morning, looking across to Northey Island, the place where in 991, Byrhtnoth and his men bravely defended their land against 4,000 Vikings. Bright and airy, The Lock is THE place to eat on the waterfront at Heybridge Basin. Indoors or out, it offers outstanding Blackwater estuary views. This former ship’s chandlers and café serves traditional café-style breakfasts, home-made lunches and ‘Tiptree’ cream teas. Enthusiastic staff take full advantage of fresh local produce: hand-made local cakes, fresh salads, jacket potatoes and ‘Tiptree’ preserves with home-made scones. A list of daily specials and the traditional menu provides a range of refreshments throughout the day. There’s something at Heybridge Basin to suit most tastes. The Basin is where the Chelmer & Blackwater canal meets the tidal Blackwater estuary, and the fresh water merges with salt water. This Essex riverside village retains much of the character of a bygone age and it’s a wonderful place to unwind. In the winter enjoy the solitude, in spring watch as hardy walkers, avid birdwatchers and the first of the boat owners venture forth. During the summer the Basin is alive with action and from daybreak to dusk it’s a great place to sit and watch riverside life. Others say autumn is the best time to enjoy the views across the river to Northey and Osea Islands.

Tiptree At Bond Street

Tiptree at Bond Street is their newest venue, which comprises of a traditional Tiptree tea room, a café patisserie and shop. The tea room offers traditional table service in comfortable surroundings, this will be open from 9 a.m. (10 a.m. on Sunday’s) for coffee and breakfast, followed by light lunches and cream teas available seven days a week. For those short of time the café patisserie can offer a simple coffee and delicious pastry from our wide range of sweet treats made by our expert bakers at Tiptree Patisserie. Finally, the shop features an extensive range of Tiptree products, including jams and marmalades, fruit gin liqueurs and our luxury gift range. This is found in the bigger tea rooms.

Tiptree At Southwold

Tiptree Tea Room at Southwold is the first outside of Essex, in the stunning coastal town of Southwold, Suffolk. The location comprises of a traditional Tiptree tea room and shop. The tea room offers traditional table service in comfortable surroundings, we are open from 9 a.m until 5 p.m every day and serve breakfast, followed by light lunches and cream teas, available seven days a week. Not got to this one yet.

Tiptree At The View

The View River Café has a breath-taking outlook. Taking advantage of its elevated location on the Blackwater Estuary, it has simply the most beautiful view in Essex. This River Café offers a smaller menu than our other traditional tea rooms but you can find a selection of popular food choices from the special ‘Tiptree’ cream teas, hot and cold snacks, ‘Tiptree’ patisserie cakes and hot and cold beverages – available to eat in or take away.  It’s a simple short stroll from the carpark (limited spaces) at Osea Leisure Park to the seawall where the View River Café is situated. With its large decked area and bifold windows you can sit back and gaze across to Northey Island. The relaxing yet contemporary ambiance and décor reflects the beautiful outlook of the river and the miles of countryside beyond. This is the smallest one I have visited. I went with my dad in the summer.

Tiptree At Barleylands

The Tiptree tea room and cafe at Barleylands Craft and Farm Park are the perfect places for a family lunch out or a catch up with friends. After treating yourself to a traditional full English breakfast in the ‘Tiptree’ tea room, visitors can make their way around over 50 craft shops or pay a visit to the fantastic farm park. The stylish, table service tea room offers the traditional ‘Tiptree’ menu which has a wide range of sandwiches, jacket potatoes, cooked lunches and tempting cakes from our very own ‘Tiptree’ Patisserie. Right next door you can find the child-friendly cafe which offers a quick self-service menu and space for visitors to meet their friends and family. Not go to this one either.

The Courtyard

The Courtyard is a bright and airy tea room in Rose and Crown Walk just off the main square in Saffron Walden. Customers enjoy the welcoming atmosphere of this traditional tea room or on warmer days perhaps, sit outdoors in the sun-trap courtyard. The Courtyard offers full breakfast, a range of light lunches and very special Little Scarlet cream teas. The daily ‘specials’ menu offers regular favourites such as ham, egg and special chunky chips as well as a great range of handmade dishes, gluten-free and vegetarian too. Saffron Walden is one of those towns with a past, a place to wander the streets and byways and reflect on its history.

The Lordship

The Lordship offers home-made cakes, freshly made lunches and a substantial ‘specials’ menu, created from fresh and appealing ingredients. On warm summer days the patio is the perfect place to relax and unwind. The tea room and shop now stand on the site of a cattle shed and milking parlour. The tea room is in the grounds of Writtle Agricultural College, established in 1893 and now simply Writtle College, part of Essex University. The building was restored and became a ‘Tiptree’ tea room in 2011. Not got to this one either.

The Essex Rose Tea House

The 16th Century Essex Rose Tea House is open seven days a week, every week of the year except over the Christmas period. Traditional table service, historic quiet and comfortable surroundings and good value home-made food. The Essex Rose Tea House is around five hundred years old, listed and mentioned frequently in historic surveys and reports, The Essex Rose at Dedham is a fine timber-framed building looking out across Royal Square and towards the church. The church itself is interesting and rather grand. Sometimes it has an original Constable on display, straight ahead of you as you enter the building. The Essex Rose has served many diverse purposes over the centuries but it first found fame as a tea house more than half a century ago when Miss Loe began to cater for the tourists that were flocking to the area. The most unique tea room out of all of them.

The Secret Garden

The Tiptree tea room and visitor centre is open seven days a week, closing only for the Christmas break. The tea room offers traditional table service in comfortable surroundings. There’s top quality food with a wide range of ‘Tiptree’ products. Wherever possible, we source our ingredients from local suppliers and we prepare and cook the food on the premises. During the summer months, you are welcome to eat outside on the terrace. It’s a regular sun trap and is the perfect place from which to watch the comings and goings of the factory and the visitor centre. The tea room serves a range of cooked lunches, sandwiches, hot and cold snacks, and home-baked cakes. Hoping to visit next year.

Tiptree Double Decker Cocktails & Cream Tea Bus

Our new Tiptree Bus travels all around the UK serving Tiptree Cream Teas and Cocktails. Our 1967 Routemaster has been expertly converted with a stylish upper deck with seating and a rather clever hydraulic roof, making it the perfect spot to enjoy a Tiptree tipple.

tiptree

I am so lucky to have gone to half of then. Especially as this was during the 2021 pandemic and I am clinically extremely vulnerable. I would go to any if I was invited. There is a few that are close to my home and family and friends.

(Visited 182 times, 3 visits today)

No Comments

Leave a Reply