Afternoon tea at Northcote Manor.

I have lived in Lancashire’s lovely Ribble Valley all my life, but up until very recently , I had never visited Northcote Manor. Northcote was built in the 19th century by a wealthy Lancashire textiles baron. The handsome Victorian residence is an 18 bedroomed luxury hotel and has an
award winning michelin star restaurant. It is partly owned by celebrity chef Nigel Howarth.

As it was my birthday not long ago I hinted ( quite strongly!) to my other half , that I would love to go there for afternoon tea. Happily he took the hint and booked it for 3-30pm on a Friday. Afternoon teas are only available for non residents during the week….but luckily we both had the day off, so that worked out ok for us.

On arrival we were shown into the conservatory and given a table for two by the window. It was quite a busy afternoon so it was nice to be seated there. There are three afternoon tea choices. We opted for the Prosecco afternoon tea at £25.50 per person. :))

We were presented with our afternoon tea on a three tiered cake stand. Four choices of sandwiches on the bottom tier. Marmalade glazed ham, Bowland beef, Egg and cress and Port of Lancaster smoked salmon. Scones with homemade strawberry jam and clotted cream adorned the middle tier. Miniature Victoria sponge, Lemon tarts, shortbread and Chocolate ganache slices completed the top tier.

The food was quite traditional, tasty and made from locally sourced ingredients. Northcote itself has a surprisingly contemporary yet elegant ambience. I think we were expecting it to be a wee bit old fashioned and stuffy, but that was not the case. The staff were very welcoming and I enjoyed my Birthday treat very much. Maybe oneday we will return and try out the Gourmet Menu or the Taster Menu!

Have you ever been out for afternoon tea?