Afternoon Tea at the Hotel du Vin, Cambridge – Review

Afternoon Tea at the Hotel du Vin, Cambridge – Review.  After a busy morning of shopping, coffee shops and soaking up the culture of the museums in Cambridge what could be better than an afternoon tea! For the Fitzwilliam Museum, Hotel Du Vin is perfectly situated as it is only a short stroll across the road.  With afternoon tea served from 12 o’clock (a welcome earlier start to many other establishments!), the peaceful bistro offers tables overlooking pretty Trumpington Street to relax and watch the world go by.  We were warmly greeted by our server who immediately offered us our choice of water and bubbles. She showed us to our table which was laid beautifully with a crisp tablecloth. We opted for sparkling water and a glass of the recommended Rose champagne- lovely! Other choices included Prosecco and gin cocktails.

We had pre-booked the afternoon tea, but Hotel Du Vin also offered a cream tea for those just wanting scones and tea. Our server came to the table with a display case of teas (loose leaf) to choose from and generously offered that we could try as many as we wished. I took the Moroccan Mint which was crisp and refreshing. Other choices included Jasmine, Sencha, Assam, or more traditional breakfast or builders tea. The tea was topped up regularly throughout our experience and I did indeed move on to try the Jasmine, while my husband enjoyed the breakfast tea.
Next, we were served our savoury treats! This was a plate of pleasant bites including an egg and cress mayonnaise brioche roll, a mini Gruyere cheese and ham croissant, a mini goats cheese and spinach quiche and a heritage tomato and tapenade galette. Our favourite was the simple Severn & Wye smoked salmon and cream cheese on dark rye bread bite which was fresh and delicious!

Afternoon Tea at the Hotel du Vin, Cambridge – Review

Then came the beautiful cake stand! A selection of cakes, scones and as pictured the giant candy floss!

The scones really were the star of the show for my husband and I. They were freshly baked, crisp and utterly delicious! With a choice of clotted cream or butter, and a selection of jams (small good quality pots) we loved them and could have happily opted for a whole stand of these! We had the conversation of jam then cream, or cream and then jam and agreed to go our own way on this!
Before entering the final chapter of our experience, we were given a refreshing gin and tonic sundae. This wasn’t for me, but I could appreciate how it cleansed the palate before moving on to even sweeter things! The cake offering on our final and top layer included a mini lemon meringue pie, a raspberry and chocolate tea cake and a sugary custard doughnut.
The service throughout this visit was friendly and efficient. The servers achieved the all-important balance of enough but not too much attention and met all of our needs. All in all, a positive experience with excellent service and scones!

Looking for other places to take afternoon tea in Cambridge?

This post was kindly written for us by Melanie Varey from Two Plus Dogs.  Hotel du Vin invited us to visit and review, but as always, any opinions expressed are our own.