The Pump Room, Bath, England

Bath tea-time

On a sunny spring day, Bath is a jewel – flowers blooming, people lazing about in the sunshine and of course, fine afternoon tea for the taking.

When previously in Bath the High Tea Inspectors visited the famous Sally Lunn’s, however on this occasion some dear friends and fellow tealovers booked afternoon tea at the charming Pump Room – the tea rooms at the Roman Baths.

Being attached to one of the most visited attractions in England, the grand, neoclassical room with peeks of the Roman Baths below and twinkling live piano music, is incredibly popular with tourists, but we picked a good day for our mid-week visit in April and it was relatively quiet.

While it is possible to sample some of the real ‘Bath water’ for 50p per glass, from the looks on most punters’ faces, I think we did somewhat better with our classic afternoon tea, which was a traditional three tiers of fresh finger sandwiches, scones and little cakes.

The spread is traditional, fresh and reasonably priced –but it really is the atmosphere of the historic restaurant that has been a part of socialising in Bath for the better part of 200 years – that makes afternoon tea at the Pump Rooms such a treat.