Over the festive season there are two things we all strive to do.
One is to stuff our faces with food that we know is not even a little bit good for us. The other is to find gifts for family and friends which we haven’t got them before and that they will enjoy.
Tricky.
But the manager at the Duchess’ Tearooms, Woburn Abbey believes they have the answer to satisfy both needs.
For the first time, they have created the Christmas themed Duchess Anna Maria Afternoon Tea.
The tea consists of a selection of Christmas themed sandwiches, such as turkey and cranberry sauce and roast chicken and stuffing, the traditional English scone with clotted cream and jam, and a selection of mini cakes including mini mince pies and small squares of Christmas cake. All of this is served with the customer’s choice of around ten different flavoured teas or coffee if they desire.
Janine Britton, manager of the Tearooms said; “The Duchess Anna Maria Afternoon Teas are very popular throughout our busiest time of the season, which is July through to September. This is the first year we are creating the Christmas Afternoon Tea and we are hoping it will be a big success. We want to be able to make it really special for anyone who books – we already have bookings for Christmas Parties! – so we’re going to be putting up a Christmas Tree and decorating the Tearooms so that it has a real Christmassy feel.”
Another key selling point for the Abbey is that the tradition of afternoon tea was started at Woburn by the 7th Duchess of Bedford, Duchess Anna Maria. As meals were often served as late as 9pm, the Duchess was alleged to have been left hungry throughout the afternoon. She is believed to have ordered sandwiches and cakes to be bought to her room and then decided to invite her friends to join her in the Blue Room of the Abbey for light snacks and tea. This proved to be a hit with the social elite of the 1800’s and was soon being picked up across the country by other high class women of the time.
Caroline Yardley, 19, who works at the Tearooms and assists with the making of the cakes and preparation of the afternoon teas said: “It’s lovely to see people enjoying the cakes that we are making. We get quite busy at weekends, but it’s great to see people having a good time. I’m looking forward to doing the Christmas Afternoon Teas as it will make a nice change and will really get people in the Christmas spirit.”
While the Abbey itself is now closed until March, visitors will also get the chance to visit the beautiful gardens and the Antiques Centre, which is full of wonderful, unique pieces.
The Duchess’ Tearooms at Woburn Abbey will close on 23rd December 2011 and will reopen in March 2012.
