Time for a spot of.....coffee and cake - Krema Farnham

Hello there,

Welcome back to Tea With Me and Friends.

Last December Krema Coffee opened its doors in Downing Street, Farnham in Surrey .....and last weekend.....four months later..... I finally got around to sampling some of the delights on offer!

Krema Artisan Coffee - Farnham, Surrey

Krema Coffee is independently owned and committed to supporting the local community, and where possible sourcing their food and drink from quality local suppliers. Their freshly roasted speciality coffee is undoubtedly the star of the show, along with a great range of loose leaf teas, hot chocolate, cold press juices and soft drinks. 

They also serve sandwiches, soups and salads prepared freshly every day using locally-baked artisan breads, meats and cheeses and I'm pleased to report that they have a rather fine selection of handmade cakes and sweet treats on offer! 

John (centre) and his team at Krema Coffee, Farnham

The interior of Krema Coffee is rustic but comfortable and the team of staff are friendly and very helpful if you are stuck making your refreshment decisions!

When I popped by I was in need of a good lunch.....and I was really spoilt for choice. Krema Coffee have a good selection of both sweet and savoury items to pick from, displayed in wonderful bowls or stacked up high in their glass cabinets.....

Decisions, decisions at Krema Coffee

I opted to go for a cheese and tomato toastie and a huge slab of Victoria sponge cake, washed down with a Tropical Smoothie (I know I know....I should have enjoyed a coffee or a cup of tea....but the night before had taken its toll and I really need some hydration!!). 

The food is freshly prepared and the portion sizes generous....

Toasted cheese & tomato sandwich and victoria sponge - Krema Coffee

The toasted sandwich is made with good quality bread and served with a small fresh side salad. If you are looking for a fully toasted sandwich, which leaks melted cheese from the sides then this might not be the sandwich for you - but I thoroughly enjoyed it....

My Tropical Smoothie really hit the spot and the cake was scrummy! 

Just take a look at the size of it....with a great ratio of cake to filling....

How cake is done at Krema Coffee, Farnham

I had the pleasure of meeting owner John as I was leaving and he told me all about the freshly made salads and fruit smoothies that are proving to be very popular at the moment. 

I'll definitely be popping back for some of that tomato and mozzarella salad....

He also pointed out the rather scrummy selection of squares, which I think I'm going to have to sample on my next visits....

A selection of sweet squares at Krema Coffee, Farnham

It's always great to find new local businesses that offer good quality tea, coffee and of course cake! If you happen to be in the Farnham area and fancy a piece of cake you should give Krema a go!

If you'd like to know more about Krema pop by their Facebook page.

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel

Time for.....a spot of vanilla sponge

Hello there,

Welcome back to day three of Afternoon Tea Week 2015 at Tea With Me and Friends. We hope you have enjoyed the recipes that we've shared with you so far this week...today we decided to be a bit more traditional and look at a good old fashioned vanilla sponge.

Whether it be a vanilla cupcake or a Victoria Sponge, you can't really go well with a lovely vanilla sponge...especially when it looks like this....

Mini Victoria Sponge
Tea With Me and Friends

Yes, this is a dinky little Victoria Sponge....perfect for an afternoon tea spread! I made my miniature sponges using the Mini Sandwich Tin from Lakeland, I also used the recipe from the Lakeland website.

So, what will you need to make 12 mini sponges....

175g unsalted butter, at room temperature

175g caster sugar

3 large eggs, beaten

1 tsp vanilla extract

175g self-raising flour

Pinch of salt

Not forgetting the buttercream...

150g unsalted butter at room temperature

300g icing sugar, sifted, plus extra for dusting

Plus some jam of your choice....I've used strawberry here.

So, what do you do....

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Lightly grease the tin.
2. Cream the butter and sugar together until the mixture is pale and fluffy. Gradually add the beaten eggs, mixing well between each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl from time to time. Add the vanilla extract and mix again.
3. Sift the flour and salt into the bowl and fold in until the mixture is glossy and smooth.
4. Divide the mixture between the tin and level with a teaspoon.
5. Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for about 15 minutes until golden, well risen and a wooden skewer inserted into the middle of one of the cakes comes out clean.
6. Leave the cakes to cool in the tin for 2 minutes and then ease out onto a wire cooling rack and leave until completely cool.
7. To make the buttercream, cream together the butter, icing sugar until the mixture is pale and fluffy. Transfer to a piping bag.
8. Cut each cake in half, and pipe the buttercream onto the bases, in dots. Drizzle the jam over the buttercream dots, place the sponge tops on and lightly dust the cakes with icing sugar.

Ta dah!

Traditional mini Victoria Sponges

A vanilla sponge is so versatile, as you can add all kinds of different fillings from preserves and curds to fresh berries....

Mini Victoria Sponges with fresh blueberries

Do you have the Lakeland Mini Sandwich Tin? What flavour cakes do you like to make in yours? We'd love to see your photos - send them to us on Twitter or post them to our Facebook page.

Thank you for popping by today, we look forward to seeing you again soon.

Rachel & Lorna

The Friday Review....Bluebird Tea

Hello there,

It's Friday again and that means one thing here at Tea With Me and Friends.....yes it's time to share our latest tea tasting. This time we have something rather special to share with you from the lovely people at the Bluebird Tea Co.

The Bluebird Tea Co had been recommended to us by some lovely people Twitter and when I heard their teas had names like Strawberry Lemonade Tea and Honey Bee Beautiful Tea I knew we had to try these teas for ourselves!

Krisi and Mike set up and run the company, and they are clearly passionate about how innovative, fun and versatile tea can be - their motto is ‘spreading happiness, one cupful at a time.’ The Bluebird Tea Co  specialises in developing unique and creative flavours of tea.

We were sent a lovely variety of teas...including some perfect for an afternoon tea blog....take a look at these....

Bluebird Tea Co

Yes, that is Black Forest, Vicky's Sponge Cake and Cherry Bakewell! I couldn't wait to try these three! So I got some of my pretty teacups out and got ready for a cakey tea experience!

I began with the Black Forest tea....

Bluebird Tea Co - Black Forest

Now I have spent quite a bit of time in Germany, visiting the Black Forest a couple of times and yes enjoying real Black Forest gateaux and so I was really keen to try this tea out. So, whats in this blend I hear you say....well it has a black tea base but also features.... Cocoa shells, Hibiscus, Apple pieces, Elderberies, Raspberry pieces,Strawberry pieces, Blackberries, Cranberry pieces (cranberry, sugar, rice flour, vegetable oil (sunflower) Vanilla pieces, Sunflower and calendula petals, Blackberry leaves.

As you open the packet you are immediately hit by the mouth watering aroma of cherries....honestly my mouth watered! I allowed about a teaspoon of this pretty blend to brew for about four minutes and then I enjoyed the tea without milk.....

Bluebird Tea Co - Black Forest

Once brewed I had a lovely reddy-brown coloured tea that smelt of chocolate and cherries - the boiling water really brought out cocoa shells. Each mouthful is full of flavour - it's a sweet, chocolaty, fruity tea...in fact I forgot that it is actually a black tea at heart!

Next I moved onto Vicky's Sponge Cake....

Bluebird Tea Co - Vicky's Sponge Cake

Inspired by a good old fashioned Victoria Sponge cake this blend includes Ceylon black tea, Coconut, Strawberry granules, Freeze dried raspberries, Raspberry leaves. When you first open this packet you can smell the delicate aroma of vanilla and coconut...again my mouth watered!

Again I used a teaspoon of leaves and drank the tea black (I'm not a fan of milky tea)....

Bluebird Tea Co - Vicky's Sponge Cake

I love this tea...there I've said it out loud...this light golden brown brew was sweet and refreshing, with a light coconut aftertaste. 

There was nothing overpowering or artificial about this cuppa and I found it to be a really comforting cup of tea.

Finally it was time for the Cherry Bakewell...

Bluebird Tea Co - Cherry Bakewell

Just look at that pretty blend - the colours are just lovely and the aroma is sweet - full of almonds and cherries!

Now this is slight different to the first two as it's a white tea which has been combined with Apple, Rosehip, Hibiscus, Cornflowers (red + blue), Almond pieces, Currants, Cranberry pieces, Flavour.

I brewed this for slightly less time and ended up with a rather pink cuppa....

Bluebird Tea Co - Cherry Bakewell

Once brewed I could still smell the almonds, but the taste was much more fruity. There was almost a sweet and sour taste to this cuppa, I think this might have been the apples. It definitely reminded me of a lovely cherry bakewell and I would like to try this as a cold brew.

Bluebird Tea Company tea tasting

What a wonderful selection of teas to try! Plus we have three more to share with you in another Friday Review in a couple of weeks time! If you'd like to know more about these teas or discover some of the other 50+ blends that they have created please visit the Bluebird Tea Co website. If you are feeling really inspired and fancy having a go at creating your own mix you could try a mixology class!

A huge thank you to Bluebird Tea Co for sending us these scrummy samples. Please note that although we have received complimentary samples, they have not affected our taste buds and all opinions expressed here are our own.

So, over to you....have you tried any of the Bluebird Teas? Which is your favourite?

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel

Time for Tea.....The Greedy Frog Tearooms

Hello there,

Welcome back to another afternoon tea post from Tea With Me and Friends.

Recently Alex and I ventured to the Greedy Frog Tearooms in Oakhanger, Hampshire. The Chocolate Frog Company is a unique shopping experience in Oakhanger, which is made up of shopping galleries, a food hall and the Greedy Frog Tearooms. Alex and I had a lovely wander around the shops looking at the gifts and food items before settling down for a spot of afternoon tea.

The tearoom itself is quaint but comfortable, full of wooden tables and chairs. The china used when we visited was of the plain white variety, modern but elegant.

We opted for an afternoon tea for two, which comes with your choice of a pot of tea or a cup of coffee. The coffee is served with a piece of the most wonderful, creamy fudge.....

The afternoon tea was freshly prepared while we waited and served on a pretty cake stand.....

The sandwiches were cut into fingers, but were quite large. We had just two varieties - cucumber and egg mayonnaise, served on both white and brown bread.

We found the sandwiches very fresh and filling, they looked very rustic....

The bread was soft - I liked the egg mayonnaise a lot (being one of my favourite fillings), but was pleasantly surprised by the cucumber which had been peeled.

Once we had finished the pile sandwiches we moved onto the scones - we had one each....but one was more than enough as they were GIANT....

As well as the scones we had a pot of clotted cream between us and two little jars of strawberry jam....

To be honest I think the scones could have been a little smaller, as they were on the verge of being a bit claggy. However, they tasted wonderful and had plenty of raisins in them.

Finally we made it to the sweets on the plate, which included a piece of super rich chocolate brownie and a huge slab of Victoria sponge cake.

The Victoria sponge was light and flavoursome. I liked the fact that it had been cut into three as it meant there was more cream and jam!

Now, we visited the tearooms a couple of weeks ago now and my memory is failing me now and so I cannot remember the exact amount we paid for the tea but I remember it being less than £20 for both of us. Considering the amount of food and the quality we thought the price was really good.

 Although it wasn't the most elegant afternoon tea experience, everything was fresh and well prepared. If you are in the area and fancy a filling, rustic style afternoon tea experience then you won't be disappointed.

For more information about the Greedy Frog Tearooms visit their website. 

Now over to you - do you have a favourite tearoom that you think we should know about, leave us a comment and let us know!

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel

Time for Tea.....Cassandras Cup, Hampshire

Hello there,

Welcome back to another afternoon tea post from Tea With Me and Friends. Now as some of our readers know, although Lorna and I enjoy a lot of afternoon teas in hotel lounges across London, we also like to support local tearooms.

Recently I visited one such tearoom with Sheree - Cassandras Cup in Chawton, near Alton in Hampshire. I had heard about Cassandras on the Internet and really wanted to try this tearoom as it's about a twenty minute drive from my home in Farnham.

Cassandra’s Cup is a traditional English tea room, which offers a good range of traditional and speciality teas and coffees as well as scones, home-made cakes, light snacks, home-cooked meals and afternoon tea. The signs looked very promising as we entered this cute looking tearoom.....

An impressive teacup collection at Cassandra's Cup

Yes, that's a vast collection of vintage teacups hanging from the ceiling!

Now, I know this might be very surprising given the nature of this blog.....but we opted not to sample afternoon tea on this visit! Both Sheree and I decided to opt for sandwiches followed by a slice of homemade cake - all washed down with a pot of tea!

Cassandra's Cup pride's itself on using local produce where ever possible, and also offers gluten free items on the menu.

I opted for the prawn sandwich and Sheree went with egg mayonnaise.....

Sandwiches at Cassandra's Cup

Can you see Sheree waiting patiently in the background of the photo - she was quite hungry by this point and wanted her sandwich!

As you'll see from the photo our tea was served in plain white china teacups which were very modern. Considering the feel of the tearoom and all those vintage teacups hanging above my head, I was a little disappointed. However, the tea was of good quality and we were given extra hot water.

The sandwiches themselves were tasty and fresh, and I enjoyed the side salad (although it was a little oily for me). 

Once we had eaten our sandwiches we decided to pick our cake from the selection on the dresser.....

There was a good selection of cakes and tray bakes on offer. Sheree went for the traditional Victoria sponge cake and I picked the carrot cake....

Victoria Sponge - Cassandra's Cup, Hampshire

Carrot cake
Cassandra's Cup, Hampshire

The slices given were a good size and both cakes were fresh. Sheree commented that her Victoria sponge was very light. My carrot cake was well spiced and moist, with just the right amount of icing. 

Our total bill for this meal came to just under £25.00 for both of us, which was OK as the cakes were very good and we left feeling full. However, I think the sandwiches were a little expensive - my prawns were £6.95.

For more information about Cassandra's Cup please visit their website, you can also see their full menu there. I would like to go back to sample their afternoon tea at some point in the future.

Can you spot Cassandra's Cup - situated behind Sheree!

The village of Chawton is a beautiful village and Cassandra's Cup is situated  opposite Jane Austen’s House Museum, and would make a lovely stop after visiting the museum.

Do you have a local tearoom that you'd like to tell us about - if so please get in touch, we'd love to hear from you!

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel