Afternoon Tea at the Cavendish Hotel Baslow

Here’s why I think the Cavendish Hotel Baslow offers the best traditional afternoon tea in Derbyshire.

Nestled on the Chatsworth Estate, the Cavendish Hotel enjoys an enviable position in Baslow village not far from Bakewell. The Cavendish has built a reputation as one of the finest hotels in Derbyshire and the Peak District. I recently went for afternoon tea.

My friend Debs and I have birthdays just days apart and decided we would treat ourselves to a decadent afternoon tea. Neither of us had been to the Cavendish Hotel, Baslow before but had both seen and heard good things online. I have wanted to go to for such a long time so was looking forward to it for weeks.

We were seated in The Gallery restaurant. We both loved the decor – serene, cool blue tones and I found the armchair style seating lovely and comfy. With stunning views of unspoilt countryside, I found myself instantly relaxing as we put the world to rights.

Pushing the boat out we ordered a glass of rosé Lauren Perrier. I cannot tell you how lovely it was to sip that exquisite cold glass of champagne and relax into the sumptuous surroundings.

We appreciated not feeling rushed and were left to savour the champagne. Eventually our attention turned to the matter of afternoon tea. There was a decent selection of loose leaf teas. I plumped for the Cavendish Breakfast Blend Assam with Debs ordering jasmine tea.

Then a stunning tea stand was placed before us, laden with savoury and decadent sweet treats. The standard afternoon tea consists of a warm, homemade sausage roll and four dainty little sandwiches. I’m not normally fussed by sandwiches but when they’re as immaculately presented, each exactly the same size as the next, and as fresh and flavoursome as these it’s hard not to get excited about them. The bread was wonderfully soft and freshly baked.

My friend ordered the vegetarian afternoon tea and was served a beautiful looking bruschetta instead of the sausage roll and some different sandwich fillings.

Sweet offerings included fruit and plain freshly baked scones, served with delicious homemade strawberry jam and clotted cream. The cake selection included a lemon posset with matcha meringue, a chocolate and raspberry cake, a berry cheesecake, a golden chocolate tart and a satisfyingly chunky square of ruby chocolate fudge.

I might not be describing those decadent treats to their full wonderfulness. If I was being super critical, the menu we were presented with at the start, didn’t exactly match the cake selection that was delivered. But unless I was writing this blog post I don’t think I’d have even noticed.

Everything was exquisite. My favourite was the golden chocolate tart. I’m a huge fan of anything deeply sweet, verging on sickly, and loved the caramel flavour of the chocolate filling, the crispy hazelnuts and the exceptionally good pastry.  

One of the things I liked most was the relaxed ambiance. Had it not been for the school run I could have happily sat there for hours. Maybe we would have eventually worked our way through all of the food?! As it was, there was far too much to finish. But I was impressed that our waiter bought boxes for us each to take away the leftovers without us having to ask. Service was wonderful throughout. Attentive but not at all stuffy.

The whole experience was faultless, and certainly rivals any of the afternoon teas I have enjoyed at various top London hotels. From the quality of the food to the professionalism of the service and the general ambiance, the Cavendish Hotel, Baslow is definitely the place to go for afternoon tea in Derbyshire.

Go for:

Exquisite, traditional afternoon tea served in decadent yet relaxed surroundings

Details:

Standard afternoon tea is £30 per person. Pair with Lauren Perrier Brut champagne for £40pp or Lauren Perrier Rosé for £51.95pp. Amble on site parking. Find out more and book here, booking currently essential.

Enjoyed reading this? Why not check out one of my other posts:

Best bottomless brunches in Derby and Derbyshire

Best independent cocktail bars in Derby and Derbyshire

Peak District weekend breaks

15 cosy pubs in Derbyshire

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