Time for Tea

Summer in an English garden wouldn’t be complete without a lovely afternoon tea. This year you will find refreshments on offer at most of our Gadabout gardens – check each entry in this guide for details. The cost of refreshments varies from garden to garden, but all proceeds go the Sussex Beacon – so tuck in!

The type of refreshments differs in each garden as well – from simple teas and cakes to homemade delights and full lunches. Here are a few recommendations to tempt you.

If you are looking for a light lunch, try the extensive and popular fixed-price buffet at 6 Bristol Street, Kemp Town. Here you can find dishes such as salmon mousse, coronation chicken, quiches and salads, and desserts such as fruit pavlova, date and walnut cake, and trifle.

The garden owners at 55 Florence Road, Fiveways plan to offer various nice teas, real coffee, cucumber sandwiches, homemade scones with butter and jam and cream, chocolate fairy cakes and a delicious homemade lemon drizzle cake made from all organic ingredients.

If you are on the Montpelier trail and your idea of heaven is a slice of Victoria sponge with a cup of tea, go to 26 Clifton Road, where sponges rise perfectly! A short walk away at 12 Victoria Road (on 13th July only), you are sure to find iced fairy cakes and scones with jam served in a garden buzzing with friendly visitors.

You’ll find an accomplished tea garden at 5 Warleigh Road, Round Hill, where they open the garden and sell teas for charities several times during the summer.

Homemade scones with jam and cream will be on offer at 13 Prince’s Crescent, Hove where you can enjoy your tea in comfort by the summerhouse.

If you like freshly brewed ground coffee, you’ll find it at several gardens. At 22 Arundel Place, Kemp Town they like to make it strong and you’ll get good quality teas too. They will be repeating last year’s success with rich cakes of modern flavours. Lemon, rosemary and almond cake and iced carrot cake muffins were favourites in 2007.

ENJOY!