After having a 'supercalifragilisticexpialidocious' time at a Mary Poppins-themed tea room earlier this year, it felt only right to head back and see what festive delights they are serving up in the run up to Christmas. In October, I broke my afternoon tea duck at Horwich's charming Poppins Tea Rooms and was well and truly won over by the friendly service and delicious food.
When I visited again earlier this week, it looked like a completely different venue, having been decorated spectacularly ahead of the festive period. Outside there was snowy artwork on the window, complete with the penguins from Mary Poppins, but it was once I stepped inside that I really started to get that warm and fuzzy feeling.
In the corner of the entrance room is a huge Christmas tree, complete with a Mary Poppins decoration and tea pot baubles, while on the counter itself is a retro scene of some carollers. I was greeted by Sharon - the 'incredibly friendly' server from my initial review - and she took me through to the main dining area, before seating me next to another gorgeous Christmas tree - this time with a gold and silver theme, with letters spelling out 'joy' and an angel on top.
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If the decorations had not already got me into an adequately Christmassy mood then Wham coming on Smooth Radio as I looked through the menu definitely did the trick. I plumped for the 'festive indulgence afternoon tea' (£19.95) consisting of a variety of festive finger sandwiches, served up alongside 'mini Christmas delights', fresh fruit, and a cake of my choice.
There's also a savoury option, featuring cheese and crackers, a cranberry-topped pork pie and home made quiche. And as if that isn't already enough, you also get to choose between a mince pie with brandy sauce or a fruit scone, and a pot of loose leaf tea or coffee on both the traditional and savoury options.
My tea, served with a mini Christmas cracker on the saucer, was brought out within five minutes of ordering and I had 15 minutes to relax and enjoy that before the rest of my feast was brought to the table, with a full-size Christmas cracker. Despite this effectively being my breakfast and having a huge appetite, the impressive portion size was such that I immediately worried that I had taken on too much.
I began with the sandwiches, which came with four different fillings - roast turkey and stuffing with cranberry and plum chutney, roast ham with apple and ale chutney, cheese and Christmas chutney, and prawn and Marie-Rose sauce.
My personal favourite was the cheese and Christmas chutney. The chutney is very similar to mincemeat and although it seemed as if it shouldn't pair with the cheese, it worked an absolute treat, with the sweet and spicy taste of the chutney complementing the sharpness of the cheddar.
The tangy apple and ale chutney on the ham sandwich was also a great match, while the turkey and stuffing sandwich was impressively full, with the soft bread doing very well to contain it. I am not the biggest fan of prawns but that one tasted really fresh, even if the flavour is not one of my favourites.
On the same plate as the sandwiches was a miniature pork pie, topped with a dollop of cranberry sauce - a pleasant surprise as I thought I had missed out on this by not choosing the aforementioned savoury option. Due to the mountain of food, I thought it best to order another drink at this point, so opted for the warmed winter punch (£2.50) which was served in a latte glass and tasted like a non-alcoholic mulled wine.
Next up was the mince pie, which took up more than half the plate. Sharon offered to heat it up for me, before bringing the brandy sauce out with it, which I felt was a nice option to have.
I decided to take her up on the offer and am glad that I did. As well as tasting fantastic, the mince pie covered in the velvety hot brandy sauce was so comforting - like getting a warm hug from a friend you've not seen for a while.
Living up to the name of the afternoon tea, the dessert was so indulgent that I was too stuffed for the almond slice, Yule log and Lotus Biscoff cake that I had chosen from the generous selection on offer (other options were Victoria sponge, lemon meringue, red velvet, carrot, and Ferrero Rocher). Thankfully, Sharon bagged them all up for me and I took them home to enjoy later.
Several hours later I revisited the cakes and had to get some help due to still being somewhat full. The Lotus Biscoff cake was divine, the almond slice was delightfully soft and light with just the right amount of marzipan and last but not least was the 'Yule log', which actually turned out to be a indulgent fudgy brownie in a similar vein to the giant 'Ferrero Rocher' that I tucked into last Christmas.
Once again, I could not fault the service at Poppins and I was extremely satisfied with the value for money. I only wish that I had brought someone with me - so if you're looking for a lovely way to treat a loved one in the run up to Christmas then, as Mary Poppins would say, this is "practically perfect in every way".
Poppins Tea Room, 142 Lee Lane, Horwich, Bolton, BL6 7AF
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