The Garden Tearoom, Bakewell is a hidden gem located in the beautiful Peak District. With one of the best selections of fresh made cake and tart!
The Garden Tearoom, Bakewell is a hidden gem! Foodies love nothing better than finding a hidden gem on their travels. This small tea room at Over Haddon near Bakewell is one such gem. For those of you who haven’t visited the area, Bakewell is a town in the Derbyshire Dales. My family were travelling in the beautiful Peak District and as wanted to try Bakewell Tart since we were in the area.
The Garden Tea Room is owned by Karen and Mark. A husband and wife team they run the tea room out of their own kitchen. Seating is on the terrace with views over the Lathkill Dale. Some seating is available under a canopy should it rain.
We arrived to a warm welcome from Karen and Mark. We struggled to choose from the large selection of cakes on offer! Bakewell tart, treacle tart, lemon drizzle cake, Victoria sponge, coconut sponge, coffee & walnut cake, eccles cake. The list goes on, all home-made by the couple and the largest variety I’ve seen! We ordered Bakewell tart, treacle tart, lemon drizzle cake, a pot of tea, and 2 hot chocolates. Generous servings, I’m still amazed my 6 year old managed to finish her huge slab of cake!
I am a good baker and I find I am often disappointed when out for cake and tea. In fact I frequently walk away thinking I could have done better myself. My children often comment “Mummy its not as good as yours”. Not today, I am happy to say that this baking was far superior to anything I could bake. This made the £12.50 bill at the end all the more astonishing. Simply worth every penny and a whole lot more.
What makes this tea room is Karen and Mark themselves, who are the heart and soul of the place. You feel like you are visiting friends for a cuppa and a catch up. Karen and I talked at length about baking, recipes and in particular the need to weigh eggs for cake! However to my surprise Karen kindly shared her recipe for a basic sponge cake. Then how she develops this recipe for other cakes – how many bakers are than generous? Since coming home I have baked every sponge cake using Karen’s recipe. Indeed this is the recipe my daughter uses for her Victoria Sponge Cake.
Finally, I will compare all future Tea Rooms to The Garden Tea Room. The only thing left to say – if you happen to be in the area, please visit, you won’t be disappointed. I’m now looking for an excuse to return!
Leave a Reply