Last weekend I was lucky enough to be asked to celebrate my gorgeous friends wedding by joining her and lots of other ladies for afternoon tea at Oulton Hall in Leeds. Her and her husband actually eloped to get married, and so she had the brilliant idea of getting together for a girly afternoon to celebrate and gush over all things bride. It’s not something I’ve ever attended before, but I thought it was such an original and wonderful way to honour the event. We all just sat around eating, drinking and chatting, and I had such a perfect, girly afternoon in the most luxurious setting.
Oulton Hall wasn’t actually somewhere I was familiar with, I knew it was there, but for some reason had never had reason to attend. It’s an 18th Century style building, surrounded by lots and lots of greenery, and I was pretty much stunned by the grandeur of the place as soon as I pulled up. It boasts a health club, spa, landscaped gardens, hotel rooms, a 27 hole golf course, a champagne bar, and two restaurants, as well as the luxurious drawing room that we enjoyed our afternoon tea in.
Food was served in the masses, seriously, you won’t go hungry here, There were over ten of us (at least, I didnt get exact numbers, but it was probably closer to 15, maybe 20), and I think we had eight stands of afternoon tea between us, and there was still copious amounts leftover after everyone had finished. It’s priced at £26 per person, and you can add a glass of champagne to that for £12.75; you do however get endless pots of tea, so that’s not a necessity. Sandwiches and savouries consisted of smoked salmon with, baby watercress, lemon creme fraiche on malted brown bread; roast ham, fruit chutney & rocket in a soft wrap; duck egg mayonnaise with mustard cress on white bread; Coronation chicken roll with micro coriander; peppered roast beef with beetroot relish on white bread; and warm plum tomato, roast pimento, pesto & mature cheddar tartlet.
The next tier contained (plenty of) scones with the option of plain; or rhubarb and cherry – this obviously came with clotted cream and strawberry preserve. And nestled in amongst the scones were slices of Yorkshire Tea Loaf, served with Wensleydale cheese. The top tier then consisted of a beautiful selection of hand made pastries, which I found to be probably the nicest selection of sweets I’ve ever had at an afternoon tea in Leeds yet. Oulton Hall have done a really good job here of keeping the affair traditional, yet adding luxury, variety and flavour to the mix. The experience is all heightened by the stunning drawing room setting it’s served in, and to say I was sat in the middle of Leeds, I honestly felt like I’d gone on a mini escape for the afternoon.
I wouldn’t hesitate to go back here, in fact, I’m actually wondering when I can return again ASAP. Price wise I was pretty amazed, I’d expect it to be much more if you compare it with other Leeds offerings, and the experience you get including service, quality and surroundings. Ah well, here’s hoping they don’t raise the prices, as I feel like I’ve just discovered a new little gem in the world of afternoon tea…
Oulton Hall: Rothwell Ln, Oulton, Leeds LS26 8HN. Phone: 0113 282 1000
