To celebrate both my and my friend’s birthdays, my housemates and I went to White Rabbit Teahouse to experience their afternoon tea. Located at Bridlesmith Walk, it’s down a little alleyway meaning you’re effectively falling right down the rabbit hole to visit this charming café.
We’d booked ahead of time but they only take reservations for parties of more than 4. We had a slot a 90 minute slot at 12pm, and by 12:15 the entire place was full on a Sunday just to give you a rough idea of how popular it is!
We started out having to choose a sandwich each from their menu, with options including Cream Cheese and Cucumber, Free Range Egg & Cress, and Tuna Mayonnaise. We then also had to choose a tea with options ranging from your standard Earl Grey to the more exotic Passion Fruit & Orange Infusion which I chose.
This came in its own pot and made for a very aesthetically pleasing setup when poured due to its vibrant pink colour. We also had a lot of fun playing about with the rabbit-themed salt and pepper shakers which took a starring role in any snap we took.
Around 12:40 our afternoon tea platter came out, plentifully stacked with delightful treats we resisted for just a few minutes as all of us snapped away to get that ‘gram. We then, as per tradition, begun with the sandwiches which were daintily sized.
Whilst some may prefer a wider selection than just one type each, you can always arrange it so you mix and match with others, whilst we all liked knowing we’d got something we’d enjoy as opposed to fishing around for the best ones.
There was then a warm scone each served with saucers of cream and jam (mentioned in the order we applied them…but that’s a whole other article to debate in the UK!), and these were fairly light and crumbly as you’d expect them to be.
The main event, of course, was the cakes on top. Between four of us, we had a minor stress trying to sort out who would have each one, choosing a cake each and leaving the cupcakes to split. I had a coffee and walnut slice which was light and flavourful with a rich icing, whilst other options included a chocolate cake, lemon drizzle and rhubarb square.
Finally it was onto the cupcakes, which involved another coffee and walnut option, raspberry, lavender, and also a giant red velvet one. I split some of the red velvet which was wonderfully moist, but was then defeated after powering through this whole platter in just over 20 minutes – we’re hungry students!
The afternoon tea was only £15 each which we felt was a very reasonable price, though we noted that the sandwiches were a little smaller than others you’d get from more expensive places where you also typically get two scones each. However we were all happy with the amount of food we ate and it meant we didn’t leave feeling like we’d have to be rolled out of there!
One thing to note is that they only take cash for payment which we didn’t know ahead of time, so we had to make a quick trip out to a cash machine. However other than that, it was a wonderful experience, everything we ate was delicious, and I will definitely be trying to get my Mum in here next time she comes to visit!
Website – http://www.whiterabbitteahouse.com/
Images all writer’s own