Time for Tea....Cafe Abantu, Cambridgeshire

Hello there,

Welcome back to another lovely guest post at Tea With Me and Friends, this time we are joined by Pina from One Two Culinary Stew as she shares her recent afternoon tea adventure at Cafe Abantu in Bourn, Cambridgeshire.

Pina went to Cafe Abantu on Mother's Day, let's find out more about her afternoon tea.....

I’m lucky enough to live in the South Cambridgeshire countryside where I have access to many charming tearooms located in lovely villages. Cafe Abantu is one of those tearooms. It’s truly a hidden gem with a strong emphasis on running the place ethically.

The cake table at Cafe Abantu

They’re not usually open on Sundays but they (wisely) decided that Mothering Sunday is the time to spoil all mums so they hosted an afternoon tea featuring finger sandwiches, cakes, pastries, scones with jam and cream as well as a good cup of tea, of course. The best part is that it was laid back and informal so people could concentrate on interacting with family and not worry about too much fuss.

We could also bring our own wine so we did a “BYOP – bring your own Prosecco”! 

Afternoon tea - Cafe Abantu

Because we wanted to sip our Prosecco with our sandwiches, we asked for our tea to be brought at the end, when we ate our scones. I realise that we probably broke every etiquette rule in the “afternoon tea” book but the informality is precisely what we liked about our experience. 

There was plenty of food too! The middle tier included four different types of crustless finger sandwiches, all very fresh with yummy fillings, such as ham with mustard and egg salad with watercress. I spotted a sandwich with green filling and was pleased to taste curry and raisins… very delicious! An added bonus was the mini quiche. There were two of every single type so no fighting with hubby on Mothers’ Day! 

Afternoon tea sandwiches & scones
Cafe Abantu

The remaining two tiers had a combination of scones, cakes and pastries. 

I particularly liked the custard tart topped with fresh fruit. There were two scones, one raisin and one plain. I had the plain one with clotted cream and strawberry jam in those cute Tiptree mini jars. 

Afternoon tea sweets - Cafe Abantu

Our tea was served in vintage cups, with a mismatched teapot and milk jug to reflect Cafe Abantu’s charming decor. I loved that this wasn’t a formal afternoon tea experience but rather a relaxing time with family where the focus wasn’t on the dress code, order of food on the tiered cake stand, cream or jam first and other afternoon tea do’s and don’ts. Casual and stress-free… just what I needed on this day!

Vintage china - Cafe Abantu

Pina enjoying a spot of afternoon tea!

Well I don't know about you, but I love the bring your own prosecco idea, and what a scrummy looking afternoon tea! I have read a little more about Cafe Abantu and their Fairtrade policies. They believe in dealing with community based and local suppliers, sourcing gifts and produces responsibly, making sure of each suppliers policies and ethical issues. For more information visit their website.

A big thank you to Pina for sharing her experience with us, if you would like to share an afternoon tea adventure please get in touch!

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel & Lorna