Saturday Afternoon Tea at Cox & Baloney

Afternoon tea in Bristol has been steadily making a bit of a comeback, it has definitely gained in popularity with more venues offering the service. About two Saturdays ago it was gloriously sunny and actually pretty hot, I had a date with Jamie and Jane and we were off to try Cox & Baloney on Cheltenham road.  We arrived around 2.30 and it was really busy, we had stupidly not booked a table but luckily fate was smiling down on us that day and a table was just exiting.  First off the bat Cox & Baloney is right up my street decor wise full of kitsch nicknacks and a shop next door with vintage clothing and petticoats galore. 

wonderful record player sideboard providing the music

We sat down at a little table with mismatched chairs and a lovely chintzy tablecloth and enjoyed our surroundings. The first thing I will say is that the theme running through our visit there was the service. Everything took for ever to happen, our order was placed, then checked, then rechecked and then it arrived slightly wrong, the staff were really sweet but it all seemed a bit disordered. As I said it was really busy so it could have been an off day, however I have heard reports after  mentioning this to friends that they have had similar experiences.

The menu was full of tempting delights and I kicked myself for having scoffed a bucket load of macaron's earlier in the day, for wedding food testing purposes of course, so I really didn't fancy a cream tea. Luckily Cox & Baloney have a good dose of non cakey things to please those of a more savoury tooth. Jane and Jamie both picked Ethel's cream tea tower for two and I settled on one of Thelma's toasties the mature cheddar, slow roasted ham and local chutney plus a pot of Daisy's homebrew tea, a mix of Earl grey and English breakfast.

toastie

As you can see the presentation for the cream tea was beautiful and according to the girls tasted amazing. It did make me rather jealous that I had not ordered one but there was no way my low level of sugar tolerance could take any more sugar that day. However my toastie was rather delicious, the cheddar was nice and strong, the ham thick but the pièce de résistance was that local chutney, it was sublime, forget your Branston pickle this was the real deal. It was tangy, sweet and yet very moreish, yes I realise this is just a chutney but oh what a chutney! I would love to know where this came from so if anyone has any tip offs let me know. 

So the verdict? Cox & Baloney is a paradise for kitsch lovers like me, their food certainly cuts the mustard they just need to work on the service. However if you have no time limits do spend a leisurely afternoon in their comfy armchairs it is a wonderful way to while away the upcoming Autumnal days with a hot cup of tea in a proper teacup and saucer. I am looking forward to returning to sample the full afternoon tea experience, I shall clear a whole afternoon to devote to it's greatness. To check out what Cox & Baloney have to offer visit their website.

Cake for Two at Papadeli

Just a little mini post on how much I love cake. So the other week I made it to Papadeli twice in one week for an injection of tea and cake it is definitely my favourite place for a cake fix. Mostly when I pop to Papadeli I tend to sit downstairs surrounded by all the lovely products but on the second occasion I visited in the same week I gave upstairs a pop too. Papadeli is so lovely, light and airy it definitely turns caking into something a little more special than your average tea and cake experience. Jane and I visited one Saturday afternoon and slid into one of the three little tables in the deli itself and ordered ourselves some carrot cake and salted caramel millionaire's shortbread plus some tea. 

Tea and biscuit

Carrot cake

Millionaire's caramel shortbread

Best carrot cake of my life so far, hands down. It was nutty enough but not overwhelmingly so, a good frosting to cake ratio and most importantly, it was vanilla frosting, none of this, add a little citrus to the party, thank goodness. Jane's cake was extremely rich and delicious looking, she surprised herself when she found she had finished it. We were also impressed with the lovely presentation the fresh raspberries definitely cut through any richness. Writing about this queen of carrot cakes makes me want to leave work immediately on the off chance they have some in for me to scoff right now. 

My second visit to Papadeli was with the lovely Wuthering Bites but we sat upstairs this time for some airy Friday afternoon relaxing. Still in love with the carrot cake I ordered it again plus some chai tea and Sarah chose the gluten free chocolate truffle cake. The carrot cake that arrived this time was a little different than the one I had had the previous weekend, however it was still really tasty just more fruit and nuts, so it sort of felt a little healthier.

'healthier' carrot cake

gluten free chocolate truffle cake

Both served with creme fraiche to help with the sweetness I couldn't quite finish my mammoth slice of cake this time, it was a bit denser than the previous carrot cake recipe and the frosting slightly thicker, still massively enjoyable though. I can't wait til my next Papadeli cake fix, I know my mum is going to love it when I finally take her there. To find out how Papadeli can feed you cake, help pimp your picnic or to buy a special gift for the food fanatic in your life check out their website.