The Orchard Tea Gardens

LondonEscapes

Perfect with a capital 'P' 1st August 2009

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I took my group to visit this wonderful tea garden during a day trip to Cambridge and they were delighted by it.

You can easily walk all the way to the village of Grantchester from Cambridge - it's only a couple of miles along the banks of the pretty river Granta.

Expect to see lots of students punting up the river at a happy walking pace beside you with picnics on board (a punt is a special Cambridge boat).

Anyway, after your walk you'll be ready for a Perfect with a capital 'P' English tea at the Orchard. And the thing is, it really is an orchard! You collect a tray with classic cakes or cream tea and stretch out in deckchairs amongst ancient gnarled apple trees and have a lovely happy time.

Frankie

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Nenen

Wonderful Place to take visitors to Cambridge 10th September 2008

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The Orchard tea Rooms is a quintessential English place to have afternoon tea! As the name suggests, it is situated within a wonderful old English orchard and is the place made famous by Rupert Brooke who came here with his friends when they were studying at Cambridge University. Indeed, there is a little outbuilding housing a mini museum of fascinating Rupert Brooke photos, poems and historical artefacts.

There is indoor seating but most people (if the weather is fine) prefer to sit in the deckchairs scattered throughout the orchard. The food is all home baked with a good selection of lunch dishes alongside a huge variety of enormous pieces of cake and pudding. You can walk off the delicious cream teas by taking a walk down to the River Cam!

The only reason I gave this 4* (rather than 5) was because parking is often a nightmare and the queues to get food or find a seat can be horrendous in the peak times. Despite this, everyone I've taken there has thought it was wonderful!

fakelvis

3rd September 2008

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The Orchard Tea Gardens - a Cambridge staple and favourite of many a student, local and tourist… and for good reason.
The setting of The Orchard is idyllic; sitting just off the Cam in the small, rural village of Grantchester you can sit outside or in and have the most wonderful, relaxed snack, meal, or cup of tea in your life.
Accessible by car, the recommended route is to punt up from Cambridge or go on a long, leisurely summer stroll from the town.
A cup of tea and a scone is best had outside on a wonderful day, if you're lucky enough to find a seat. If you can go for weekday lunch, you're in for a treat.

girlswear

An English Afternoon 16th July 2008

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After a long country walk or punting up the river from Cambridge on a sunny day? What's more romantic than to have afternoon tea at the beautiful Orchard Tea Gardens in Grantchester, just a little outside of Cambridge.

This tea garden is not only full of history, and completes with a Rupert Brooke Museum, the Orchard has started in the late 1800s and attracts visitors from Virginia Wolfe to Stephen Fry.

I had the traditional cream tea with scone, jam and clotted cream, sitting in the garden with charming wooden furniture whilst birds are chirping away.

They also do morning coffee/tea and luncheon. I must warn you that there might be a queue for the shop, and try finding a table on a sunny weekend could be difficult due to its popularity amongst the locals and tourists.