| Archive for Downsizer For an ethical approach to consumption |
| Chez |
Fantasy Tea Shop?No, not THAT kind of fantasy ... Apart from your basic entry-level fantastic tea, coffee and cakes, what other things would your ideal tea shop have? |
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| cab |
Doilies. Very important in a good tea shop. | ||||||
| Chez |
Washable? Or paper?  .
Things like - would selling preserves over the counter be good? Organic food only? A second-hand books section where people could pick a book to read with their tea and then buy it for a quid as they left if they wanted to? |
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| Grimnir |
REAL cream teas, not the crappy ones we get around here | ||||||
| Fee |
Good shortbread. | ||||||
| Bernie66 |
Decent brochures to browse, a fanatsic view, friendly welcoming staff. | ||||||
| Nick |
Three old men sliding past in a bath tub, going Ecky thump. | ||||||
| Slim |
newspapers, big interesting books with beautiful pictures, art on the walls that gets changed regularly (a great way to display local artists).
A cafe in my home town used to do open mic nights regularly. A wonderful creative outlet for high-schoolers, and a good place for them to hang out. It would be nice if they were still happening, and if there were nights for the "grown-ups" open-mics |
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| Chez |
Pardon? |
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| mochyn |
Locally produced stuff.
And may I throw lardy cake into the mix? |
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| Nick |
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| Grimnir |
Oooooh, proper bread and butter pudding! | ||||||
| Chez |
Ah. That was actually the first thing that sprang to mind, but I didn't want to jump to conclusions 
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| Fee |
That's a really nice idea, I like it. |
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| Grimnir |
First thing I thought of was The Goodies (Ecky thump) |
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| Chez |
Hmmm. That all sounds good.
Local stuff I think goes without saying. I think - 'do a relatively small number of food lines, but whatever you do, do it fantastically' is the way forward? |
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| LynneA |
A new one has just opened up on the green - will have to check it out.
As to essential requirements - it must do Bakewell Tarts. I've always fancied opening one near an estate agents and calling it The Proper Tea Shop. |
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| Mrs Fiddlesticks |
seasonal delights so mince pies and tea for Christmas, pink iced heart shaped shortbread for Valentines. That sort of thing.
Proper service, at the table ( none of this self service nonsense) with cake stands. Remember having tea at a village event as a child and one could buy a whole victoria sponge and pot of tea for 4 people. You paid for the whole cake and sliced it as you wished. Lovely! Magazines, perhaps a small basket of toys for the smalls. And a real important policy of welcoming bfing mums ( I have often felt there should be a scheme that places could subscribe to with a sticker at the door which said Breastfeeding Mums Welcomed!) |
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| JB |
Nobody would pay for anything  (sorry, someone had to say it)
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| otatop |
egg and cress sandwiches. | ||||||
| Mrs Fiddlesticks |
ooh yes - crusts cut off of course. Fondant Fancies anyone? |
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| judith |
Re: Fantasy Tea Shop?
ISTR that Pookie's imaginary teashop was that kind of place.
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| Jamanda |
Are you considering a career move here Chez? Proper teapots, that don't dribble. And a plentiful supply of milk so you don't run out before the tea runs out. And if you get something with butter, a good pat on the side of the plate not one of those inadequate little foil wrapped things. |
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| Barefoot Andrew |
I'm not sure I want toys for my pants in a civilised tea shop
No-one's quite mentioned iced buns yet, although fondant fancies do sound quite horrible. Coffee and walnut cake must be on the menu, or else I'm not coming. A. |
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| marigold |
Buttered toast (fabulous home-made bread, of course, white or brown), crumpets, toasted teacakes.
Gentleman's relish. Fabulous fruit cake. Cucumber sandwiches. High tea food - scrambled or poached egg on toast, welsh rarebit, sardines on toast, tomatoes on toast, anchovy toast. Boiled eggs with bread and butter or toast (as preferred). NO margarine on the premises!! Or tea-bags. |
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| Mrs Fiddlesticks |
 you've never tried to have a quiet cup of tea with a toddler in tow have you?
what about date and walnut? |
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| Chez |
Pookie and I are kicking some ideas around. Very tentatively. |
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| sally_in_wales |
An option for any children to have their drink served in a proper childs china tea service or equivalent 
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| wellington womble |
REAL cake - none of this narsty shop bought stuff with cheap cream substitute and too much sugar in. Fairtrade options, somewhere nice to sit - either squashy sofas, or nice architecture. Lemon drizzle cake. Books - lots and lots of books. And supper dishes/light bites (some called it high tea food?) smoked mackeral pate, liver pate, eggs florentine. All the things I really like, but himself won't eat, cos it's not 'man-food' Good lemon drizzle and earl grey, and squishy chocolate brownies or tiffin, and I may well come and spend the day there! | ||||||
| ros |
newish local tea/coffee place here displays a small amount of reasonably priced mainly local craftwork.
and it does huge almond macaroons
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| Jonnyboy |
home made madeira cake, with butter on it. | ||||||
| wellington womble |
Best place round here is part of a church in the town centre (hence lovely architecture - beautiful place to sit) lots of fairtrade stuff and homemade cake - they do soup and stuff too, but I don't often go there - I should really (and they did heart shaped biscutis for valentines day, and you get a little square of green and blacks with your coffee. I must pop back there, I don't really have a tea shop sort of lifestyle - if only!) | ||||||
| jamsam |
ooo..i have to post a list..please feel free to consider me a bit of a a fanatic and dismiss anything i might come up with!!
teapots china cups/mugs milkshakes or fruit squash's for the kids coke floats the occasional summer drink ( jug of pimms if you have a patio or eldeberry cordial) salads with a nice bit of home made bread parkin hot chocolate in a large mug freash jug of water and a glass for each table ( essential if the cake is too sticky or the tea too hot) paper table cloth and pot of crayons for the kids (makes for a great way to get them to sit still) decent teas not to much coffee... i cant think of anything else... |
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| Jamanda |
And an option for small portions for little children and older people - we have two excellent tea shops (one calls its self a coffee shop, and the other a cafe, but they fulfill the same function), but they do tend to do enormous portions. |
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| Mrs Fiddlesticks |
I love almond macaroons but no one does them with the rice paper still on the bottom which I really like. |
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| ros |
ooo they do ( even Sainsbury's does here  )
I just can't make them and get them right and they are just sooooooooo yummy
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| Mrs Fiddlesticks |
That's, a very good point. My Mum would really prefer the kids menu portion wise, when it comes to eating out but of course she'd like something nicer than what is normally passed off as the kids options. So I'd say that there should be smaller portions avaliable but a 'kids' menu should have imaginative things on it not just fish fingers!! (actually there use to be a fab cafe in Tenby that did great things on the kids menu like a bowl of veggies with gravy or a bowl of custard) |
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| woodsprite |
A close friend of mine opened his own tea rooms a couple of years ago and I was fortunate to be involved in the 'consultation' period before he got started. The tea rooms are in the grounds of Ludlow castle, just beautiful and he has a small kitchen garden where he grows some of the salad/veg and fruit that he uses in his sandwiches and cake. His lavender shortbread and pottage with home made bread are my favourites on the menu. He serves about 7 different types of tea, all loose leaf and mint tea made fresh from the garden.
Its lovely.
http://www.ludlowcastle-restaurant.com/ |
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| Quail By Mail |
:: No dollies
:: Do not laminate the menu :: Do not serve yesterday's scones :: Serve your own jam :: Serve decent coffee |
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| Kinnopio |
Lemon meringue pie which actually tastes lemony! | ||||||
| Gervase |
The finest wines known to man. Oh, and a juke box. 
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| Nanny |
don't think anybody has mentioned that you should have quality tea as well, dont' mind if it is tea bags but please a decent quality tea that tastes nice and actually gets strong enough to drink
i always drink coffee now when we go out because the tea is always tetleys and that is terrible stuff....twinings isn't too bad but please can i have clipper if i come? and cucumber sandwiches with the crust cut off and tomatoe sandwiches cut very thinly into quarters, white bread with the butter right up to the edge and strawberries in a bowl with singe cream and sugar that is a proper english tea like wot my grandmother used to do back in the 60's very civilised..... |
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| Quail By Mail |
As an imposter Canadian living amongst the English I sometimes wonder whether the English tearooms are torn between:
Cutting corners/School dinners fare vs Quality, fresh, homemade fare |
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| gil |
No no no Bakewell Puddings Proper ones. |
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| mochyn |
I don't know if I fancy veggies with custard. Actually, I used to run a teashop near Hampton Court. Only as an employee, unfortunately, not my own place. |
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| ros |
I've just had a cup of coffee and slice of ginger cake in "Archie and Mabel's" in Sandy.
They are looking for a smaller local supplier of cakes etc as at the moment they are bought in but not very locally (I think that was the issue). Local art is displayed and sold, along with local crafts such as cards and jewellry and they sell hand knitted baby clothes and really cute little girl's dresses. If anyone local to Sandy has anything they would lke to display there I suggest you pop in and have a chat. same goes for any local cake makers. It's just the sort of place I would like to own and run as a fantasy coffee shop. recommended if yu are passing this way
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| Quail By Mail |
Succesful coffee shops are those that strive to fit into the local community. Displays of quality local art and home made, interesting cakes are a sure thing! |