One of my favourite things about holidays as a child was going to National Trust houses, partly as I am a geek but partly because I loved having a cream tea after. While scones and jam are common throughout the UK, to be a proper cream tea it needs to have clotted cream. Having a cream tea served with whipped cream is iniquitous in my opinion. It should have a generous layer of jam (ideally strawberry or raspberry, and ideally seeded or whole fruit) and then a mountain of clotted cream. Some people put a thin layer of cream and masses of jam, but that is no fun in my opinion.
After a particularly lazy morning, T and I walked to Morningside. I wanted to nose around Waitrose to see if they had any freeze dried raspberries, and possibly check out the Oxfam bookshop for some cookery tomes. Instead we stopped by Loopy Lorna's for tea.
It was quite busy, which wasn't surprising for Saturday afternoon, but there were a couple of spare tables. The waitress brought round menus, and we decided to treat ourselves to a Cornish cream tea. T had morning blend tea, and I had Lapsang Souchong. The counter was heaving with delicious looking cakes, and I couldn't wait to see if the scones were as good as they looked.
Our tea came in tiny teapots, each with a unique teacosy. Mine was black with a pink knitted teapot, Loopy Lorna's logo. T had an amazing teacosy on his pot, it was knitted from a feathery material and decorated to look like a chicken! I wish I'd had my camera with me. The tea was loose leaf, so alongside our cups and saucers, we were both provided with a tea strainer.
The first cup was delicious, with a hint of smoke. Normally I am a milk and sugar type, but I drank this black. The next cup was a little overbrewed, but had T and I shared a pot instead of demanding different types of tea it would have been great. They also offered free refills of hot water, so even though the tea was a little expensive you could easily string it out for a few extra cups. I was torn between the lapsong souchong and the Earl Grey, although I was also tempted by the white teas and oolongs. I shall have to go back and try all the others!
The scones looked delicious, and the bowl of clotted cream was generous. The raspberry jam had nice chunks of fruit in it, but the portion was a tad stingey for a greedy person like me!
Now for the moment of truth... could these scones live up to my childhood memories? They were almost perfect. The outside was biscuity, with a bit of a crunch, but the inside was soft and cake-like. The best bit was that they didn't leave the weird, cloying floury film on your teeth that bad scones do. The worst bit was that I felt so full afterwards! We couldn't finish all of them, and didn't have enough room for a refil of tea.
I really wish I had thought of this, as it's really quirky and unusual. I loved all the retro china and doilies, and the slightly mismatched and bold decor. Even though it is a bit of a trek from my flat, I really wish I had more visitors so I could take them out for tea! I can't wait to go back and try all the different blends of tea, as well as the full afternoon tea with sandwiches and cakes. A great little find and highly recommended.
After a particularly lazy morning, T and I walked to Morningside. I wanted to nose around Waitrose to see if they had any freeze dried raspberries, and possibly check out the Oxfam bookshop for some cookery tomes. Instead we stopped by Loopy Lorna's for tea.
It was quite busy, which wasn't surprising for Saturday afternoon, but there were a couple of spare tables. The waitress brought round menus, and we decided to treat ourselves to a Cornish cream tea. T had morning blend tea, and I had Lapsang Souchong. The counter was heaving with delicious looking cakes, and I couldn't wait to see if the scones were as good as they looked.
Our tea came in tiny teapots, each with a unique teacosy. Mine was black with a pink knitted teapot, Loopy Lorna's logo. T had an amazing teacosy on his pot, it was knitted from a feathery material and decorated to look like a chicken! I wish I'd had my camera with me. The tea was loose leaf, so alongside our cups and saucers, we were both provided with a tea strainer.
The first cup was delicious, with a hint of smoke. Normally I am a milk and sugar type, but I drank this black. The next cup was a little overbrewed, but had T and I shared a pot instead of demanding different types of tea it would have been great. They also offered free refills of hot water, so even though the tea was a little expensive you could easily string it out for a few extra cups. I was torn between the lapsong souchong and the Earl Grey, although I was also tempted by the white teas and oolongs. I shall have to go back and try all the others!
The scones looked delicious, and the bowl of clotted cream was generous. The raspberry jam had nice chunks of fruit in it, but the portion was a tad stingey for a greedy person like me!
Now for the moment of truth... could these scones live up to my childhood memories? They were almost perfect. The outside was biscuity, with a bit of a crunch, but the inside was soft and cake-like. The best bit was that they didn't leave the weird, cloying floury film on your teeth that bad scones do. The worst bit was that I felt so full afterwards! We couldn't finish all of them, and didn't have enough room for a refil of tea.
I really wish I had thought of this, as it's really quirky and unusual. I loved all the retro china and doilies, and the slightly mismatched and bold decor. Even though it is a bit of a trek from my flat, I really wish I had more visitors so I could take them out for tea! I can't wait to go back and try all the different blends of tea, as well as the full afternoon tea with sandwiches and cakes. A great little find and highly recommended.
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2 comments:
I will have to visit this place next time I am in Edinburgh. Graham loves scones with jam and cream :)
I've been to Eteaket and really enjoyed it, so I'll have to make my way up to Morningside and try out Loopy Lorna's! Thanks for the review!
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