I'll be honest, I have never been for afternoon tea. It is just not something that has ever particularly appealed to me.
Firstly, I'm not the biggest tea drinker and although I enjoy a good cuppa, I will very rarely go out of myself to make myself one. Secondly, if I'm going out for food, it's usually a dirty burger or something of the like, rather than scones and an assortment of sweets.
However, Poppins Tea Room in Horwich has just been recognised by TripAdvisor as a 2022 Travellers' Choice award winner - putting it in the top 10pc of restaurants in the world. So what better place to break my afternoon tea duck?
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I visited the family-run business on a Wednesday morning and the black and white terraced house within which it is set immediately stood out. On the front of the building, which is also home to a cute little home fragrance shop called Serendipity, is a blue plaque memorialising its former resident William Parr, who helped design the Titanic and was one of the estimated 1,517 killed when it hit an iceberg and sank on its maiden voyage 110 years ago.
Once inside, I was greeted by a very friendly lady who took me through to a table in the back and gave me a menu to look through, which had the tea room's logo - a silhouette of Mary Poppins - on the front. There are references to the magical nanny throughout the venue, including images on the wall and a selection of P. L. Travers' children's books on the windowsill.
As well as afternoon teas, the menu includes other breakfast options such as eggs, toast, crumpets, and pancakes. There are several sandwiches as you may expect, as well as cakes, soups, and plenty of different tea blends.
I ordered the 'Poppins High Tea' (£15.50) which consists of eggs Benedict, a pot of loose-leaf tea, a fruit scone, and a 'selection of mini delights'. Within minutes the pot of tea was brought out to me, along with a flowery cup and saucer. As something of a tea-drinking novice, I have never actually used a strainer or had it from a pot before and I clumsily manage to spill some on the lacy white table cloth as I pour my first cup.
While I was waiting for my food, I glanced around the quaint dining room and it's almost like being transported back in time; some of the chairs don't match and the wallpaper reminds me of being at a grandparent's house but it all seems to work and is quite charming. Smooth Radio also played quite quietly in the background, which added to the relaxed, retro vibe. There is a gorgeous little outdoor terrace to the back as well, complete with water feature and lots of greenery.
I was informed that they were waiting on a delivery so had no ham for the Eggs Benedict but this actually turned into a positive for me, as they offered to replace it with bacon instead. Despite cooking everything fresh and to order, I only had a wait around 10 minutes between my tea coming out and my Eggs Benedict being served.
It was cooked to perfection with the yolks popping the second I ran my knife over them, while the whites were firm. The Hollandaise sauce was excellent and the bacon was crispy without being burnt. It also came with salad and although I'm not the biggest fan generally, this was fresh and the leaves had a good crunch to them.
The Eggs Benedict was so good that I polished it off in less than five minutes, much to the surprise of the server. She brought out the afternoon tea tray just a minute or two later and as someone with a sweet tooth, it made me question why I have never done this before.
On the bottom plate was a generously sized fruit scone, with clotted cream and jam on the side. Meanwhile, the aforementioned 'mini delights' on the top plate were a brownie bite, a mini chocolate eclair, a macaron, strawberries, grapes and some sort of chocolate covered sphere (we'll come onto that in a moment).
After briefly agonising whether to put the cream or jam on the scone first (cream won) I got stuck in and although it was crumbly as I sliced through it, it was not dry by any means. The fruit that had been baked into it also gave sharp little hits of flavour on the bits that I had not managed to spread anything onto.
As for the 'mini delights', the fruit was really fresh, the mini eclair was so soft, and the macaron reminded me of a mini jammy dodger, albeit a softer version and a lot more satisfying. The 'chocolate covered sphere' stole the show though. It was almost like a profiterole but there was a chocolatey mousse inside rather than cream. Sublime.
If anyone knows what I am trying to describe and can tell me what is called in the comments, I would very much appreciate it.
By this point, I had somehow got through the whole pot of tea as well. It made around three cups worth and I was offered top-ups as I dined but I felt as if this was plenty. I was a little apprehensive going in by myself but the server was incredibly friendly and helpful throughout and really put me at ease.
Although this was my first afternoon tea experience, I certainly don't think it will be my last and on the basis of this visit, I think that Poppins Tea Room is supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.
Poppins Tea Room, 142 Lee Lane, Horwich, Bolton, BL6 7AF
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