Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Tea at the Crooked House of Windsor

When I was in Kentucky with tea friends in March and they heard I was planning to go to Windsor, they suggested I visit the Crooked House of Windsor Tea Room while I was there. It was a terrific suggestion! Why is the Crooked House crooked? Well, according to its website, "In 1592, when Queen Elizabeth I was still on the throne, the original Crooked House of Windsor, known historically as Market Cross House, was built. In 1687, the council ordered this first Market Cross House to be demolished in order to build the neighbouring Guildhall. An acrimonious land dispute ensued. The council was ordered to rebuild Market Cross House and to make the Guildhall its present size. Market Cross House acquired its famous tilt due to the use of unseasoned green oak."

After the morning's train ride from London and several hours of touring Windsor Castle, we were famished! Alex ordered a sandwich plate and I ordered the Queen Elizabeth Afternoon Tea, knowing full well I would need to share, and I did. There was loads of food to eat!

I got to select two different types of tea sandwiches, so I selected the ham and smoked salmon ones.

When we got to the scones, Alex asked me why they had butter with them. Ahh, the joys of introducing someone to the pleasures of real clotted cream! The scones were delicious and had the texture of good biscuits back home in the South.

There was also a tasty raisin-filled cake, a pretty pink macaron, a raspberry tart, and a variety of cookies. Even sharing, we weren't able to finish it all and took most of the sweets and enormous grapes back to our hotel with us.

I drank their house blend of tea, which was a nice brisk black tea.

Here I am enjoying afternoon tea in Windsor.

Outside, as I was snapping photos of the exterior of the tea room, I couldn't help admiring these circular flower boxes near the road.

Primroses are not a flower I see very often in Georgia, and aren't they gorgeous!

Before we left, I checked out the shopping opportunities up and down the street and was delighted to see a T.K. Maxx, the English cousin of our T.J. Maxx stores. I had to stop by, and I was actually rather pleased to find the merchandise was pretty much like what I see at home! Oh, they had a few more china mugs and things than we normally see in the U.S., but I did not see one pattern I have not seen before. Good. I was worried we were missing out on something over there!

Fortunately for me, my husband has learned to recognize names like Cath Kidston, one of my favorite English designers, and he spotted this store in Windsor. Oh, how I longed to bring home some of those pretty teawares! But I was trying to stick to my self-imposed "one teacup per country" rule, and the Windsor Castle teacup had already claimed this spot for England. So I got this unbreakable teacup at Cath Kidston instead.

There were lots of terrific sights to see around Windsor, including this "phone box" artist Timmy Mallett had cleverly painted to look as if the Duchess of Cambridge were inside placing a call. I'm sorry to say I did not spot any actual royals while I was in Windsor, and when I read the papers I knew why Prince William, at least, wasn't around. He was in my neck of the woods, in Memphis, Tennessee, attending a friend's wedding the very weekend I was at Windsor!

Tomorrow: Birthday tea at Fortnum & Mason

12 comments:

  1. We've been to Windsor many times and the Crooked House is always a favorite for tea! And yes, we found Maxx as well although I didn't think they had as much English merchandise as ours do! But perhaps that was just when we were there!

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  2. While I've been to the Crooked House, I never researched the reason it tilts. Very interesting! When I was there I ordered sticky toffee pudding. Yum! What you ordered looks delicious too. Reading your blog is as though I'm on a return visit. Love it!

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  3. Such fun! Shopping AND tea! What could be better?

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  4. What a fun spot for tea, and how deicious it looks! And, oh, a Cath Kidston store! I doubt I'd have been able to stick to your rules, but I do like the teacup keychain you got there. So much fun!

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  5. LOVE this post! What fun - felt as though I went along with you both, Angela!

    You need to change your blog pic to that beautiful one of you taking tea. You look gorgeous in that pic!

    Bug hugs.

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  6. Tea at the Crooked House looks like a treat for sure. Those large grapes made me think they were small plums. Shopping at Cath Kidston, how could you not resist bringing home even the smallest of charms. That is the hard thing about traveling by plane, we must restrict our shopping, but it is fun to look and take pictures. Love primrose and the way they tucked moss around them.

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  7. I just love, love, love the village, the castle, and the Crooked House Tea Room!

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  8. Very nice to tour some British tea rooms with you Angela and the food here looked delicious.

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  9. I have such fond memories of visiting Windsor Castle and then taking tea at The Crooked House.
    Thank you for taking me back there with you via your blog today, Angela. Must pull up some of my photos from the tour and continue my walk down memory lane.

    And, remember, that if you see something love whenever you are on another trip, that you can just leave all of your dirty clothes behind and bring back something you just MUST have!
    Problem solved!

    Cheers,

    Mary Jane

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  10. Hello Angela, looks like you and Alex had a nice lunch. I love your photos - makes me want to take a trip overseas! Joanie

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  11. Looks like a fun day. Too funny that you found the English TJ Maxx. :-)

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  12. What a great tour of Windsor. Your afternoon tea at the Crooked House Tea Room was certainly different from Fortnum & Mason, but looks every bit as delicious.

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