The Countess of York Afternoon Tea Review – I have always wanted to travel on the Orient Express. The elegance and opulence of 1930’s train journeys has long appealed to me. More recently I have wanted to try afternoon tea on the Northern Belle – the decadent Orient Express train that traverses the North of England. So, I was delighted to discover that The Countess of York served under the Orient Express’ Northern Belle services carrying golfers to Gleneagles. So, perhaps I can now claim to have had afternoon tea on the Orient Express?!
The Countess of York can be found at the National Railway Museum in York and was opened in 2015. The carriage was actually built in 1956 but has been completely re-painted in a Pullman style livery and fully refurbished to replicate 19th century dining. It’s a lovely, relaxed and special way to spend an afternoon.
The Countess of York Afternoon Tea Review
The afternoon tea comes in four courses. First there is Minted Pea and Watercress Soup as well as a Cherry Tomato and Red Leicester Tartlet.
If I am completely honest, I wasn’t that keen on the soup, which was served with a quail’s egg. I did however very much enjoy the tomato tartlet.
A Dairy Free Afternoon Tea is available
The second course was finger sandwiches with the crusts cut off. On the menu was Glazed Ham with Picalilli, Cucumber with Chive Cream Cheese and Hot Smoked Salmon with Asparagus. The Countess of York was very accommodating for us as one of my guests is largely dairy free. This was happily accommodated. Another guest (and I) do not like salmon and we were accommodated with no problems. My (non dairy free) guest went for egg and I chose cheese, and all the sandwiches were utterly delicious!
After the sandwiches we moved onto Freshly Baked Plain Scones, with a homemade jam and vanilla infused cream.
Finally (and always the prettiest course!) can the cakes.
We were treated to a Blood Orange Posset with a sptinkling of sherbert (I loved the sherbert!), a Banoffee Mousse in a chocolate cup, Lemon Tart, a Yorkshire Tea Bread and a White Chocolate Raspberry Blondie. My favourite was the Posset, though I was very full by this stage so we did ask to take the remainder home and was brought this lovely beribboned box as well as a macaron to take each.
The National Railway Museum is free entry, and the route to the Countess of York takes you through it. After our afternoon tea we had a wander around the museum. It’s a lovely thing to do, so make sure you factor in some time before or after you eat.
Oh, and another practical point. There is parking at the National Railway Museum. It’s £10, but if you mention it during your afternoon tea you will receive a code to let you out of the car park for free – which is always welcome!
The Countess of York afternoon tea is a delightful way to spend an afternoon and would make someone a really lovely treat!
We love afternoon tea and have tried lots of the afternoon teas in York if you’d like to look at our other reviews.
The Countess of York invited us to visit, but as always, all opinions expressed are my own.