One of the most beautiful experiences in Leicester is the afternoon tea at Winstanley House located a couple of miles just out of the city centre surrounded by 168 acres of public beautiful parklands and landscaped gardens.
Disclosure: The afternoon tea at Winstanley House was funded as part of the ‘Make a Date’ with Leicester campaign with Visit Leicester. All opinions and views, are our own and along with the photography are copyright of Be-lavie. Further information refer to our Disclosure Policy.
Winstanley House’s award-winning afternoon tea is just one of the spots mentioned in the newly launched ‘Make a Date’ with Leicester lifestyle guides covering things to do in and around the city of Leicester, Be-lavie selected a classic afternoon tea at Winstanley House from the cafe guide. The Cafe guide is just one of many guides covering beauty, wellness, pubs, bars, clubs, restaurants, cafes, tourism, hotels, leisure, culture and retail. They serve as a comprehensive directory of where to go depending on what you’re looking to do and can be downloaded from the Visit Leicester website or printed complimentary copies can be collected at the Visit Leicester.
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Afternoon Tea at Winstanley House
Winstanley House is a Grade II listed Georgian House and has come far today from its respected past as a School. It was renovated in 2017 to a contemporary boutique hotel with 19 tasteful bedrooms. a luxury venue (with two ballrooms) and home to the Black Iron restaurant specialising in delivering classic dishes with a twist using locally sourced ingredients. The House is set.
Winstanley House received the accolade of ‘Best Afternoon’ by the Leicestershire tourism Awards in 2019 and its not a surprise – it’s elegant, beautifully styled and quite simply a joy to devour.
As you walk into Winstanley House, you’re met by the friendly front of house team who will direct you through to the Black Iron restaurant where you’ll be seated in one of the adjoining rooms, which have a feeling of intimacy.
In keeping with the interiors of the rest of the house, the marble effect fireplace takes centre stage, with grey walls and light gold metal accents around the room, with lighting and shelving as well as the carefully placed ornaments adorning the displays.
As you take your seat, you’ll be drawn towards the dark wood tables and elegant deep blue velvet covered dining chairs which provide an element of grandeur. You’ll immediately be drawn to the modern and light pastel hues the Yvonne Ellen Safari Collection crockery (as see on the Great British Bake-off) in the form of side plates accompanied by gold cake forks and cutlery is laid on crisp white linen napkins.
Menus are placed on the table and your waitress or waiter patiently explains the procedure of selecting teas, coffees or other drinks to accompany the afternoon tea of your choice.
Upon booking online, you can select the afternoon tea of your choice, including classic, vegetarian, vegan and gluten free. You can also add an extra layer of luxury by adding a glass of champagne or Prosecco from the range available.
Selection of Drinks
For those who take tea, choose from a carefully selected range of beautiful tea leaves from around the country such as classics English Breakfast and Earl Grey to Jasmine Blossom Green Tea, Gin & Tonic Tea or even a Malibu Dream Fruit Tea. The tea selection totals 11, with two of these being flowing teas (Tiger Leaping Flower Burst Flowering Tea and Lotus Peak Burst Flowering Tea).
If you prefer coffee, worry not, you can select your coffees of choice and your tea or coffee will be placed on your table in beautiful Yvonne Ellen pots featuring safari animals with matching cups and plates to complement the aesthetics.
Classic Afternoon Tea at Winstanley House Savouries
You have the choice of four freshly made finger sandwiches of varying fillings including some classics such as egg mayonnaise and watercress (V), cheese and onion (V) and cucumber and cream cheese, for the vegetarian afternoon tea. For the regular classic afternoon tea there are also salmon and dill creme fraiche, gammon and cheddar and chicken and bacon. The sandwiches will come on either white or wholemeal bread as per menu.
The vegan menu has sandwich selections such as beetroot and hummus, beef tomato and red onion chutney, roasted pepper and watercress and cucumber and dill.
The gluten-free selection has been carefully curated to ensure the bread is free from gluten as well as the other ingredients.
The sandwiches taste beautifully fresh, homemade and are melt in your mouth with each bite and come served on a rectangular plate.
The chefs have even managed to add a little ode to Leicester with the Red Leicester and chive scones which come served with marmite butter.
Classic Afternoon Tea Sweets
Your pretty cake stand arrives with scones on the top tier of the savoury Red Leicester option as well as mini plain scones with clotted cream and jam.
Both variety of scones are perfectly fluffy inside and dissolve in the mouth beautifully.
The bottom tier of the cake stand holds lemon meringue tartlets, macarons, passionfruit pavlovas, opera cake and a rosemary device. Each of which are cute small bites and complement each other very well. The level of sweetness is just right and flavours are beautifully delicate and accompany the tea selection very nicely.
Of course the sweets are tailored to your selection of afternoon tea to accommodate your dietary requirements.
Throughout the afternoon tea, the service is attentive, speedy and your hot drinks can be replenished if you’d like.
Afternoon tea concludes at around 14:30 after which you can take a leisurely walk in the beautiful parklands surrounding the property or even head to the bar, to end a memorable Saturday afternoon.
Classic Afternoon Tea at Winstanley House Round-Up
It’s clear why the afternoon tea at Winstanley House is award-winning. This is a place where the minutia of detail is taken care of from the crockery, to decor to customer experience and of course the food and drink itself. One of the most striking things about this afternoon tea, made completely in-house by the talented team of chefs is the care taken to accommodate dietary requirements such as vegan, vegetarian and gluten free options. This is an afternoon tea to be savoured. You can even team it with an overnight stay for that extra special staycation or night away.
Just remember to check out the other ‘Make a Date’ with Leicester guides for a range of things to do during your time in the city.
- Location: Hinckley Road, Leicester LE3 1HX. 0116 366 5642
- Further Information & Booking: Winstanley House Afternoon Tea
- Reservations: Essential
- Dress Code: Smart Casual
- Price Range: Classic Afternoon teas: £25. Add champagne (£36) and Prosecco £31
- Availability: Saturdays only between 12:00-14:30
Related Articles
- A Beautiful Dining Experience at Black Iron Restaurant, Winstanley House
- A weekend Guide to Leicester
- A Locals Guide to Historic Leicester
À bientôt
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