Afternoon Tea at Brown's Hotel

Took my visiting Mother for afternoon tea after shopping. The staff were very friendly and accommodating, giving us the nice high backed armchairs and cushions. I would not have liked to have sat on the small very low tables and chairs. Although the food was quite nice and the pianist very good, we did not feel like we were having a luxurious, cosy, ‘English’ experience. We've had tea in all the top places and for £39.50 did not feel it was quite worth it. Even though they are happy to keep piling the plates with more sandwiches/scones/cakes etc. you can only eat so much tea before you feel fit to burst so it is not extra value in that sense. The sandwiches were extremely fresh if a little boring (traditional I suppose) and the strawberry preserve was really runny and incredibly oversweet as was a fruit compote/panacotta. The so called English Tea Room is not at all cosy or luxurious – the decor is cold and the furniture awful except for the few armchairs. (IMHO) Think it is overpriced. We also had a drink in the bar beforehand as we arrived too early and the bar is looking very dingy and tired.