Finding good places for tea and cake

Readers of the blog will have read that finding a good place for tea, cake and conveniences is almost always uppermost on our outings. No different to most people I imagine.

Asking people where’s a good place to go for tea and cake is obviously a sensible strategy. When visiting National Trust properties their cafes are the obvious place to go. It’s when visiting an unfamiliar town then asking locals is the right choice. For example, last year we visited Stafford where there was plenty of choice for refreshments, asking the receptionist at Stafford’s Museum and Ancient High House [more of this later] she suggested The Swan Hotel, which was excellent – always worth asking.

Last year we visited Portchester Castle, not having previously been before. The castle ruins, owned by English Heritage, have very limited refreshments facilities. The Castle has extensive grounds where visitors picnic and play ball games, so there’s a need for a café. Here’s a photo of them, courtesy of St Mary’s Church website.

The Castle’s website suggests,

• The entire Outer Bailey is ideal for picnicking. There are picnic benches and a grass area for picnicking in the Inner Bailey. No barbecues, tents or gazebos allowed.

• Small selection of snacks, hot and cold drinks are sold on site. There is also a tea room at the Church nearby which is run by church volunteers.

And so it was off to St Mary’s Church tea room, and jolly good it was too. Couldn’t not visit the church, which was built in the 1120’s. While we drank our tea, sitting on a bench in front of the church, we remarked on the he large number of church volunteers and maybe lay staff also. St Mary’s is a busy and active church, unlike many we see elsewhere.

The front of the church is wonderfully crafted, with Norman stone carvings, scrolled pillars, rounded mouldings. There are two signs of the zodiac, though I failed to see them, maybe you can find them in the photo below.