AboutEmoor Expertise I have been traveling almost annually in England or Scotland as a tourist for the last 25 years, so I know quite a bit about train travel, car rental, B&Bs, tourist discounts, standard tourist sites, good places to eat, pubs, prices, and things to do off
Question Hi Emoor, I'm rather keen on trying the old-fashioned English tea with fare like crumpets, teacakes, muffins, cucumber sandwiches, Scones!, etc. Where in London can one enjoy this treat for the best price (preferably much less than 10 pounds!)? Also, what are some easily-reached places outside London you'd recommend that also have old-fashioned tea shops?
Also, what places would you recommend where one can have well-cooked traditional English fare (steak and kidney pudding, toad-in-the-hole, classic English roast with Yorkshire pudding, trifle, etc.) -- again, for the best prices?
Another thing -- if I wanted to travel from London (College Crescent NW3) to Audley End House and Gardens and Ipswich, what's the best way to travel -- coach or train? Can one travel to both places in one day and then return to London?
Thanks a huge bunch in advance for any info on this!
Answer The fancy tea shops or places for elegant afternoon tea -- places like Claridges, Browns, The Ritz, Fortnum and Mason, and The Savoy -- are much more expensive than ten pounds. Several of the other hotels have smaller but quite elegant afternoon teas, but none real cheap. Sure, you can get tea and sweet rolls or even scones sometimes in a church cafe or train station, but I assume you are looking for more elegance. In smaller towns, the main hotel is the place to look for and request an afternoon tea or a cream tea. Many are quite nice and not grossly expensive in the smaller towns.
The places to look for traditional English fare in London are the pubs. Try George's Inn Yard off of Borough High Street south of London Bridge, or Anchor Bankside on the south bank of the River Thames near Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, or Cittie of Yorke in Holborn Street. Any pub near your hotel or place of residence may have some of the traditional dishes.
The way to see Audley End House and Gardens, and also Ipswich, in one day is to take an early train to Cambridge and rent a car. You could also take the train to Ipswich and rent the car or check the tourist information to see if there is a coach tour out of Ipswich to Audley End, which I doubt. [There will be coach tours, but much more extensive generally.] Otherwise the car rental may be the only good way.
