Jun 30, 2017
Ollerton mill tea house was an overall delightful experience. From the moment our bus pulled up in a quaint English town, next to a rushing stream, the atmosphere was inviting. We walked over to the old stone building, and took a quick detour around the back to look at the mill race. Signs were posted cautioning the deep, fast water which we could see flow under the building - at this point we realized the “mill” in the name wasn't just creative license. Through a window above the water we could see the old mill equipment, and leaning against the side of the building was an old millstone - the kind that leaves grains of sand in the flour it makes leading to worn down enamel and cavities in the teeth of those rich enough to afford bread made from fine-grained flour.
The bread we were served was fortunately sand-free. Sitting at a long table upstairs, with those of us on the end facing a lovely view out the window of the stream coming towards the mill, the lovely pair of older women who ran the tea house took drink orders and then left us to appreciate the many, many cubes of demerara sugar on the table. Many of us tried out the elderflower cordial, which had a flavor that was crisp and slightly unfamiliar.
They served us trays - one per pair - of finger sandwiches, turkey, egg salad, and salmon, with a small “salad” in the middle. On the gluten free side, these were very tasty and the bread surprisingly good.
We were all served tea, and had great fun shocking Matt by eating sugar cubes straight.
The star of the afternoon however was the sweet portion of the meal. The normal scones, cakes, and pastries all appeared lovely, and the gluten free scones were to die for. Hayley and I wanted to hug the grandmotherly woman who had baked them fresh for us that morning. With fresh strawberry jam, and mounds of clotted cream, they crumbled exquisitely into a layered flavor of sweetness, tanginess, creaminess in biscuitnrss.
While our time to linger over this was limited as we’d gotten a bit of a late start and had to rush off to look at manuscripts at the university of Nottingham, I don't think anyone left high tea without being cheerfully sated - and at least two brimming with joy over the incomparable gluten free scones.