Friday, 6thJanuary 2012 Although the doors are shut - sorry about that - we are busier than ever behind the scenes, polishing, dusting, painting and repairing. A new carpet should go down on monday and, ready or not, we re-open the refurbished tearoom next Wednesday ,11thJanuary 2012 with some new dishes on the menu and, as soon as we can manage, new teas in a new tea list. We look forward to seeing you.
George and Rachel Tuesday, 8thNovember 2011 Our Christmas Closing Already Christmas approaches, although the sunny days linger on. We no longer close for long in the winter. We stay open right up to Christmas Eve, when we will close at 3pm, just in time for me to do a bit of last minute shopping for presents. We will close for just 2 weeks and a day and then open again on Wednesday ,11thJanuary 2012 with some new teas in a new tea list.
Also coming soon is a brand new breakfast menu.
George and Rachel
Monday, 7thNovember 2011 Our Christmas Menu From Wednesday ,23rdNovember we shall be adding our Christmas Menu to the regular bill of fare. Rachel is just finalising the planning but no doubt there will be mince pies, turkey and her special family recipe for Norwegian mulled wine with a health dose of vodka.
George Saturday, 21stMay 2011 In July and August we will open on Tuesdays too We have always closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, so that we can have a rest, and a chance to do some of the jobs in the tearoom that we cannot do when the place is busy. We made one exception in always opening for bank holidays when they fall on a Monday. And now we are going to try another: in July and August we will open on Tuesdays too. We hate turning away customers who chance upon the tearoom on a Monday or a Tuesday, so there should be a little less disappointment this summer.
27thApril 2011 Yes, we are open on Friday There seems to be plenty going on on Friday, but we shall be open as usual, and again on Monday, which is another bank holiday. Our wisteria is still in bloom, and the pretty white double banksian rose by the front door, and outside the tearoom windows the ferns are unfurling themselves beautifully in the moss garden, so whatever the weather it is the perfect time to enjoy our home cooking and perhaps try another tea from our collection. On the national news we have just watched two of our lovely customers greeting the Queen on her visit to Cambridge today. No doubt they will be drinking a toast to the new Royal couple on Friday after the wedding. Whether you feel the same, or look forward to the end of the monarchy or just want to get get away from the television on Friday, all will be welcome here.
George and Rachel 10thApril 2011 Top Tea Place Awards 2011 On Friday the Tea Guild announced their awards for 2011, after sending their incognito inspectors around the country in the autumn. We are proud that they have again given us an Award of Excellence for, in their words, having been recognised as achieving and maintaining even higher standards throughout 2010. Congratulations to Rocke Cottage Tearooms, over in Shropshire for gaining the Top Tea Place 2011 award, and Claridges, named Top London Afternoon Tea 2011. We'll be aiming to earn the top award again when the inspectors call later in the year, although, try as we may, we have never managed to spot the inspectors when they call.
George and Rachel 9thApril 2011 Internet reviews
George and Rachel 9thApril 2011 Wisteria Hysteria If you can't make it to Japan this month for the traditional picnic under the cherry trees a cream tea in our front garden may be just as good. The narcissi are at their best, the blossom on our crab apple trees is a lovely mix of red buds and white flowers, and the wisteria is just beginning to bloom. On top of that the weather is perfect. Rachel has been busy planting and the garden has never looked so pretty.
George and Rachel 28thMarch 2011 Mothering Sunday at Peacocks Once again, on Mothering Sunday, next Sunday 3rd April, we shall be offering a special menu. There will be an Afternoon Tea for Mums, to include scones with rose-petal jam, and a glass of Pimms or bubbly, and other treats. Rachel will be baking lavender scones, and making special trifles in tea-cups.
George and Rachel 16thMarch 2011 Our New Tea List My apologies for not having added any exciting tea news, lately; and I know I haven't updated this years tea-list. So, for a start here are our new teas for 2011. NAAFI Break Tea The NAAFI (Navy Army and Air Force Institutes) have been serving invigorating tea to the armed forces for decades. So for those who are incurably habituated to it, we have added it to our menu and made an exception to our no-teabag policy. Bongola Afternoon Tea Some years ago at an antiques fair at Newark we found a wonderful old advert for Bongola Tea. We haven't been able to trace any information about the original Bongola company, and we thought it was time to revive the name, so we have given it to this traditional blend of Darjeeling from India and Keemun from China. Olimpicks Tea There has been a lot of kerfuffle about events in London next year, but this is to celebrate something much more local that has been almost forgotten. Around 350 years ago games were held every summer in the Gogmagog Hills south of Cambridge ( It doesn't take much for a bump to be called a hill round here.) This fine Silver Tip tea from Ceylon is named after the Gogmagog Olimpicks. Mrs. Hudson Named after Sherlock Holmes' housekeeper, this is a black China tea deliciously flavoured with rose and marzipan. Rachel's Xmas Tea Rachel has been making this mix to her own recipe every Chistmas and we thought it was time we left it on the menu year-round. Lapsang Crocodile I love the smokiness of Lapsang Souchong, and when I read that the top quality Lapsang was called Lapsang Crocodile, we had to have it. I found it at a wonderful tea supplier in Lincoln called Imperial Teas, who have a beautiful little shop on Steep Hill, climbing up to Lincoln Castle and Cathedral. If you are ever in Lincoln don't miss it. Dong Ding Oolong I love a good oolong and the Dong Ding (or Tung Ting) mountain area of Taiwan is renowned for the quality of its oolong. George 13thOct 2010 Now open all year round We have usually taken an extended winter break, especially last year when we had the builders in to provide Rachel and our cooks with a decent-sized kitchen. But from now on its just going to be a three week break over Xmas and the New Year, and then back to business as usual. We will close on the afternoon of Christmas Eve - 24th December and reopen on Wednesday 12th January 2011. George and Rachel 25thAug 2010 Cinema at Peacocks Last year we had a most successful short season of films shown in our garden behind the tearoom, so this year, again in conjunction with Ely Cinema and ADeC we are doing it again. There will be seating for about 100 and the films will be professional projected on a specially erected screen. The films are as follows: Dirty Dancing on Saturday 28 August, Alice in Wonderland on Friday 3 September, and Glorious 39 on Saturday 4 September. Doors open at 8pm, the films start after dusk, and on 4 September we are holding an optional pre-screening supper at 6.30pm - 25 per head. Dinner bookings here - 01353 661100 - Cinema tickets from ADeC 01353 616991. Do come if you can. George and Rachel 24thMay 2010 - Country Living's Favourite Tearoom? We're delighted to have featured in the 25th Anniversary edition of Country Living Magazine, as Number 1 in their list of Our 25 Favourite Tea Rooms! I always tell myself (if we appear half-way down a list like this) that the entries are not in any particular order, but this article was headed with a painting of Peacocks specially commissioned by the magazine, and illustrated with another painting of the interior, so it seems I might have been wrong. Anyway, we're very proud, and I think it reflects how hard Rachel and all our staff have been working this last year, whilst I have been taking it easy. George 23rdMay 2010 - more Tea from Every Continent I've managed to bring the tea-list here up to date, and all our new teas have arrived, so now we can boast teas, not just from 5 continents but from 6. (Every time I look at an atlas there seem to be more continents: I'm counting Australia, Asia, Africa, Europe, North America and South America.) Leaving aside, for obvious reasons, Antartica, that allows us the unique boast of Tea from Every Continent (and I mean real tea rather than some other herbal mix). I'm wary of bold claims, but I'm pretty confident that no-one else tearoom, cafe, hotel or even tea-merchant around the world can match the spread of our range, so come and enjoy it, you're bound to find something you haven't come across before (unless perhaps your name is Jane Pettigrew.) George 22ndMay 2010 - Rhubarb, rhubarb We've had some delicious rhubarb desserts on the menu this month, and bearing in mind that our supplier Colin grows it himself and delivers it by bike, there are not a lot of wasted food-miles there (so that makes up a bit for some of the teas!) Meanwhile a pair of blackbirds are raising a family in the Banksian Rose bush in our front garden, oblivious, it seems, to the diners enjoying tea barely a couple of feet away . George 31stMarch 2010 - Teas tease I have managed to find some great new teas for our menu: including rareties from Georgia in the Caucasus, Guatemala, the Azores and Bolivia, as well as Charleston Breakfast Tea from the only tea plantation in the USA - just waiting for it to arrive. Soon I hope to find time to bring the list on this site up to date. George 25thFebruary 2010- Mother's Day Special Come join us and treat your Mum to our Mothers's Day Monty on the 14thMarch, Comprising of a glass of pink bubbly or Pimms, assorted sandwiches, scones and rose petal jam, homemade trifle and a choice of tea. Rachel 21thJanuary 2010- Valentine's Week-end We will be serving our Cupid's Cream Tea on the 13th and 14thFebruary, Comprising of heart shaped scones, Lovers Leap Tea, a glass of pink bubbly and homemade chocolate treats. Rachel 16thNovember 2009 - Christmas Specials Im delighted that the Indian summer actually arrived. Perhaps I should have been a weather forecaster. But it has gone and the first of the storms has been too. So its truly time to get organised for Christmas. Our Christmas menu will be available from 25th November, including Xmas Afternoon Teas and light lunches, Mince Pies , Xmas Pudding, Hot Winter Pimms and Xmas Spiced tea We will be open for four pre-cinema festive late-afternoon teas at 6pm on December 2nd, 9th, 13th & 20th. The cost is . 17.50 per head and you will need to book ring Rachel on 01353 661100. The menu will be : Winter Pimms or Mulled Wine, Assorted Quiches, Sausage Rolls, Scones with Clotted Cream and Xmas Jam, Mince Pie with Brandy butter, Chocolate log, Tea or Coffee. And warmed by all that you will be able to potter over to the Maltings for a film show. (Tickets available from their box office George 3rdSeptember 2009 - Winter Opening (and closing) We disapprove of shops putting up Christmas decorations at this time of year - we are still looking forward to an indian summer. But we have been planning ahead and have decided that this year we shall not be closed at the end of the year for a month and a half or two as usual. Instead we shall shut up shop for our Christmas holiday from Monday 21stDecember 2009 and reopen on Wednesday 13thJanuary 2010, with some new winter dishes on the specials board, and probably a selection of new teas for you to try. We hope that meets with general approval. George and Rachel 18thAugust 2009 - A New Tea on the Horizon We have just received the delivery of our latest tea: from the Azores Portuguese islands far out in the Atlantic. If my geography is right they are about as far west as one can go and still claim to be in Europe, and they have been quietly making tea there without any fuss for over a hundred years. We have had a first tasting and are delighted with the quality. It is a traditionally made tea that makes a medium strength cuppa. It goes well with milk though I suspect thats not how it is drunk on its island home. Now I shall have to make time to add it to the tearoom menu. George and Rachel 4thAugust 2009 Now - Tea from Every Continent Now that we have been able to source our Billy Tea from Queensland, we believe we can claim to be the only tearoom in the world that serves tea grown in each of the five continents. As well as Billy tea representing Australasia, we have Sao Paulo from the Americas, Tregothnan Classic from Europe, Kwazulu from Africa, and of course a host of wonderful teas from Asia. George and Rachel 11thMarch 2009 The builders have built us a big new kitchen and the tearoom has had a lick of paint and today we open for another year. The menu has had a few additions. For a start theres a new Chocolate Dream Cream Tea to show off Rachels new recipe for chocolate scones. Theres even a cocktail of our own some of the staff devoted time to research and development and came up with a mix including Peach schnapps and iced tea, so its a bit of a variation of Long Island Iced Tea and delicious. The name had to be the Peacocktail.
There are also a dozen or so new teas on the list, including Norfolk Lavender Tea Im afraid the list on the site here is a bit out of date, but Ill get to it as soon as I can. The next job though is tidying up the garden.
We look forward to visitors old and new. The rule remains that we dont take bookings, but we are hosting a few private functions here either after 5.15pm or on Mondays and Tuesdays when the tearoom is closed. If you have an event to celebrate and yould like to hold it here send us an e-mail or give us a ring.
George and Rachel 20thFebruary 2009 Since we closed just before Xmas our builders have been working hard to get our new kitchen built - and to fit it out and redecorate the Tearoom etc etc etc. We even got planning permission! Unfortunately despite everyone's efforts we won't be able to open at the beginning of March as we had hoped. But we fully expect to be up and going on Wednesday March 11th, so the end is in sight. We're looking forward to seeing everyone again after that. Thanks for being so patient.
George and Rachel
