A very English afternoon tea

Monk Fryston Hall Afternoon Tea 

A Sunday afternoon treat on a cold winter's day.

Monk Fryston Hall

Picture the scene, from its 12th Century monastic roots with additions over the centuries, Monk Fryston Hall stands proudly above snowdrop scattered woods, an Italianate garden and a small lake.  As we approached up the driveway we felt like we were stepping back in time.  

The hall is situated in the small village of Monk Fryston in the Vale of York, about 14 miles from Leeds.

Swathes of snowdrops in the woodland

Snowdrops

Before venturing inside we explored the grounds a little.  The gardens are far from colourful at this time of year (January) but we spotted swathes of snowdrops and a beautiful clump of cyclamen sheltering below a large tree to the side of the formal garden. 

Cyclamen flowering below the trees

We glanced in through one of the side windows and spotted the restaurant, in fact the table that we would be sitting at soon.

Looking in at the restaurant

A dark oak panelled hallway, complete with a roaring log fire, welcomed us inside. To one side of this hallway is a bar, similarly panelled, to the other side is the restaurant.

Afternoon tea is served in this elegant terrace restaurant overlooking the woodland to the side of the Hall. There were newspapers available to read while we waited for our tea to arrive.  A teapot full of 'proper' leaf tea, served with a strainer, extra hot water and a jug of milk soon appeared shortly followed by a three tiered stand full of beautifully presented sandwiches, scones and cakes.

Freshly brewed leaf tea

Afternoon tea selection of sandwiches and cakes

Delicious finger sandwiches

The sandwiches were filled with the lovely fresh flavours of 

• Croxton Manor mature cheddar cheese and Ampleforth Beer fruit chutney
• roast topside of British beef and rocket
• smoked salmon and cream cheese
• egg mayonnaise and watercress

The middle tier contained fruit and plain scones served with Rosebud Preserves strawberry jam and clotted cream.

Scones with jam and clotted cream

The top tier delighted with an excellent selection of sweet cakes, tarts and a lovely jelly, they were

• Yorkshire tea loaf with Wensleydale cheese
• lemon tart and respberries
• carrot cake with orange and cream cheese frosting
• cranberry and passionfruit jelly
• double chocolate brownie with candied walnuts

Cranberry & passionfruit jelly

After spending a very enjoyable hour, or so, with our afternoon tea we still hadn't managed to eat our way through the three tiers so the restaurant manager helped us out by providing some napkins and a bag to take home the remaining cakes!  

While there was still some afternoon daylight we took a stroll around the village of Monk Fryston, admiring the old stone buildings, including an old manor house, dating back hundreds of years.  What a lovely way to spend a winter Sunday afternoon.