Afternoon Cream Tea at Grim's Dyke Hotel in Harrow

We live nearby and pop in occasionally for cream tea on special occasions. It's always been somewhere between good and great for food and service. But this last trip was a bit like visiting Fawlty Towers. We wandered around trying to find someone, anyone, that might work there. Eventually someone gestured in the vague direction of a cold room with stark, uncovered wooden tables. Eventually, about 15 minutes after we sat down, someone offered us both a menu. About 15 minutes later we asked for water... this request was satisfied eventually. So about 30 minutes in and we had water. We tried to order but at that point we realised that we had different menus. So these menus were whisked away and we had only our water to entertain us... I'll stop there but it wasn't great. Borderline awful. It's gone from delicious treats and great service in a beautiful tea room to water in a cupboard. Good luck.

This used to be a lovely place to visit, however since its changed ownership the standards appear to have fallen. Its now run by Best Western (a chain). The service was stilted, but this is because there were only two people serving, one of which seemed inexperienced. I had planned to enjoy an afternoon tea for 3 but on arrival decided to choose the fixed price menu (2 or 3 courses for approx £30+). I also chose one full afternoon tea (£32). There are lots of signs that the owners are trying to cut costs wherever possible. 1. very inexperienced staff 2. no tablecloths on the tables 3. use of paper doilies on serving plates 4. photocopied menus (stapled) rather than a proper menu All of the above however, could be ignored/forgiven if the food is tip top and in line with the price. This is my main criticism. The food, on the whole, was average. the breads were served cold, the main courses were ok, but felt more like pub grub than a quality dining experience. The dessert was ok. On the plus side, the portions were huge for the main course and dessert, but I would argue they were far too big. My main criticism is reserved for the afternoon tea. It was woeful! 3 slivers of sandwich, 3 tiny desserts, a savoury thing that I scarcely know how to describe - it had aubergine and courgette on it and was salty! the scones (1 plain and one with fruit) were ok. I did however feel that the price did not justify the size. I was offered no choice of teas (english breakfast) and again it felt like the restaurant was more interested in maximising the profit margin than offering a reasonable product for the guest. When my bill arrived they had added on 10% service without my approval. I did query whether I had been served the half tea rather than the full and the duty manager (Richard) was called to discuss this with me. Unfortunately, he was very rude and turned a puce red when explaining with some force that the menu stated what was included and that was it was. No he said that was not the half tea. So I paid up and shut up! This place has gone downhill. I do think that offering such a mean offer will lose them customers and would urge management to look at the bigger picture. I might have returned again but now after this experience I will never set foot in the restaurant again. + Beautiful location Stunning house and gardens Calm atmosphere Interesting local heritage (Gilbert and Sullivan) - Food was average at best Duty manager was rude Over priced menu Afternoon tea was very poor - many better choices available Service - amateur As long as you aren't expecting anything great from the food a trip to Grims Dyke is still worth it. I would focus on drinks and a walk around the garden. Best Western shame on you! For taking a local gem and turning it into a shadow of its former glory... I did call to make a complaint but no one got back to me. Says it all really

We recently had afternoon tea at the Grimsdyke Hotel for my birthday and had a really lovely experience! In our tea we got a selection of sandwiches, little cakes and scones with jam and clotted cream plus a teapot each of a tea of our choice which they kept refilling for us. We sat in the impressive dining room with a huge fireplace and lots of wood panelling and antique furniture which was really atmospheric, looking out at views of the beautiful gardens. Our waitress was very friendly and attentive and the service very efficient. All in all it was a very enjoyable birthday experience and I would definitely recommend it!!

We visited for afternoon tea. Paid a deposit in advance towards the final bill it was a set agreed price as per advertised on their website. Prices were agreed in the phone. Upon arrival food was limited for the ges were dirty. Service was chaotic had to ask for drink and water several times with waiting staff looking unhappy upon the request. They overcharged us hugely saying they changed their prices over mother's day weekend. Although it was not a mothers day afternoon tea. I would not recommend this place it is disappointing and the food was not oer and above and worth paying extra for. Avoid.

Great birthday experience, very nice tea, beautiful surroundings and helpful staff. A wonderful building and gardens with a fascinating history and so good to see it has not been spoilt or Disneyfied.

Had a fabulous afternoon tea with friends yesterday. Debbie and Chloe were very attentive making sure everything was good. Chef’s Chippie, Liam and Andre you did a great job with our afternoon tea. We had the the full cream tea. Would recommend this venue beautiful surroundings.

Visited as a family group of 5 to celebrate my mother’s birthday, we were served predominantly by a lovely lady called Debbie who was very welcoming, professional and offered us all available options that were on offer, my mother was brought out a special celebratory birthday decorated mini cheese cake which was a lovely touch, brought out by another very friendly and professional server called Chloe. The food was delicious with a variety of classic afternoon tea sandwiches, but with a fancy & modern twist, egg, smoked salmon, cucumber & cream cheese and coronation chicken, all were great quality and beautifully presented. The scones were fresh and fluffy with a delicious pot of jam & clotted cream to accompany. There was also a selection of lovely cakes, chocolate tiramisu slices, cream patissiere profiteroles & glazed fruit tarts, all of which were delicious. Prosecco was crisp, sparkling & cold and the tea & coffee (multiple choices of both available) were served in lovely caffetiers. We were made to feel very welcome and nothing was too much trouble, regularly being asked if we required anything else, also ensuring that the children within our party were occupied and catered for. We were able to take some packed up un-eaten cakes home with us too! The venue is a classic Manor House within beautiful grounds, with plenty of parking. Disabled access is available for afternoon tea, also. Tables are large, very nicely laid, and well spaced, seating is also very comfortable. Great service and great food. A lovely afternoon tea overall, would definitely recommend!

My family and I visited on Sunday for High Chai afternoon tea for my MIL's birthday. The food was absolutely delicious and well presented! Thank you to Chef William for his hard work and efforts. I would sincerely like to recognise and thank our hosts Debbie, Chloe, Ceri & Chanaka. They were all friendly, professional extremely hard working and provided exceptional customer service. They made sure we had everything we required and requests for top of tea and food was efficiently done. It was a pleasure to have dined here and we will definitely be visiting again. Thank you! #pinknails- @Debbie- loved your pink nails!

My sister and I took our mother here to celebrate her birthday but as it’s December there was a festive feel to everything. We had such a lovely time and what made it extra special were the lovely staff! The afternoon tea itself was delicious, everything was fresh, the sandwiches tasted lovely, the scones were also fresh and good as were the cakes. There was no problem with us having certain sandwiches due to dislike of some fillings. We were warmly welcomed, the staff were very attentive and friendly and we felt made a fuss of. Special thanks to Debbie especially for making us feel this way and for the lovely birthday cake from chef John. We hope to be back soon.

It was a really great environment for an informal business meeting - the tea was nice, the atmosphere relaxing. Danielle and Traivon in the restaurant (and Angela in reception) couldn't have helped more

Lovely afternoon tea prepared by Chef LIam and great service from Debbie. A great birthday treat for mum. Thank you.

I am extremely disappointed and shocked at the cream tea experience today, especially as I bought it as a present. Our cream tea was very nice and service was good. However, the environment left a lot to be desired. The room is dark and dingy, carpets were discusting, the paintwork, surfaces and fabrics are dirty, and the metal food stand had dirt stuck to it. Today, there was only one other table occupied at the same time as us and they had the most terrible smelling fish for lunch. Not much of an atmosphere. This was also very off putting while eating a cream tea! May i make a suggestion please consider the music room for cream teas, a much more pleasing and light room. It is such a shame, it really wouldn't take much to improve this area...a good clean all round, bit of paint, table cloths and flowers from the beautiful gardens would help too!

I visited the hotel on Saturday 21 August. We'd booked Afternoon Tea for my birthday. Two of us are vegan and two vegetarian which in some places leads to disappointing substitutes but these were excellent. The Vegan High Chai tea was great, the cakes were very nice and plentiful. The scones were also top tier. My wife, sister-in-law and niece all had a great time....so as a consequence so did I! We were looked after by Debbie and Ashley who were really friendly and efficient. The hotel itself is in a lovely location with beautiful grounds - it's a really chilled place. I am local and it was a decent escape from the busy area I live. I would recommend the tea experience. It's not cheap, but definitely feels like value for money when you leave.

I recently celebrated my birthday in this lovely restaurant, with four friends. We were shown to the bar area and sat on comfy seats whilst being served a glass of proseco, which had been chilling in an ice bucket. Nothing was too much trouble. We would like to mention Treivon who was working in the bar that evening. He has served us before and is always so polite and friendly. There had been a problem with staffing and therefore the Music Room could not be used and apologies were given. We ate in the dining room which was equally elegant surroundings. The food was delicious and the service (considering their staff shortages) was excellent. We had a thoroughly enjoyable evening and would recommend it.

Myself and two friends booked a Bottomless Cream Tea at the Grims Dyke hotel. The cost was £36 per person and a non refundable £10 per person was taken at the booking. When we arrived we were shown to our table and sat down, after approximately 30 mins I had to call a young member of staff to ask "what happens next" her reply was someone will be with you in a minute. When the member of staff eventually arrived at the table there was no information from him as to how the process would work regarding how the bottomless Prosecco or cocktail could be ordered. We asked for Prosecco, coffee and tea as this was what I was led to believe was in the package when making the booking. After about 10 minutes the waiter returned with one pot of tea, two coffees and one Prosecco. For our afternoon tea one of our three orders was for a vegetarian option. The two non vegetarian afternoon teas arrived, I had to question where the vegetarian sandwiches were? Again the waiter went to the kitchen and returned after about 15 minutes with the vegetarian sandwiches which were tasteless, as well as this the scones that came with the tea were hard. We then ordered three more Proseccos, as these were brought to the table the young waiter spilt the three glasses of Prosecco over me, which I know was an accident. The young waiter said sorry and ran back into the bar. I was left with my clothes soaking as well as the table. I followed the waiter into the bar and asked a gentleman behind the bar (who I now know to be the General Manager Mr Pereira) do you know what has just happened? his reply was "sorry" . I then asked if that was all he was going to say to which he replied "what do you want me to say" very rudely, by then I was very upset. The young waiter then appeared with a piece blue kitchen roll which he put on the table and promptly left. After a few minutes we were approached by a another member of staff (Mr Tony Pereira) who asked me to explain the situation to him, which I did. He then went out of his way to console me. He told me to send the cleaning bill into to the hotel The bill then arrived and although the afternoon tea was priced at £36 per person the bill came to £159. I queried this with Tony Pereira and found that extras that were not part of the package had been added to the bill. Again Tony Pereira sorted this out and due to the problems we had throughout the afternoon did not charge me for my cream tea. The afternoon which should have been a pleasant occasion with friends turned out to be a nightmare, it was like an afternoon at Fawlty Towers with a General Manager who showed no compassion or understanding to a customer in distress. Thank goodness for Tony Pereira and his colleague who came to the rescue and showed how customers should be treated.

My first ‘anything’ after being in lockdown for about 15 months and I was looking forward to have a family tea at the Grims Dyke about 8 days ago. Met up with husband and daughters for afternoon tea. Shown to a table and handed menus...

Even with the rain and social distancing, we had a very enjoyable afternoon with a "half" cream tea.

Gorgeous afternoon tea. Very tasty and good value. Service was excellent. Highly recommended, will be going again!

We took my mum for afternoon tea for her birthday. The tea was excellent & staff friendly whilst keeping everything Covid secure. Ate in the restaurant which was a little sparse & tired looking but overall really enjoyable.

Excellent food and service, beautiful surrounding gardens. And lovely walks around the grounds, ample parking which is free. Would definitely go again.

food was top quality, inventive, tasty. lady waitress/mnager so enthusiastic and knowledgeable about the food and the great history of this relaxed but iconic hotel and restaurant. it was quiet so more time to chat. butvery positive for us. i would imagine it would be...

Our friends asked us out to celebrate my belated birthday. They were unable to be with me on the day. We arrived. I asked where tea is served. In the bar. O.K. Our friends were not in the bar and there was no appropriate table...

Sadly Katy was not working on the weekend of my event and I felt I had to do a lot of ‘chasing.’ Part of the package I’d ordered was for my guests to be offered prosecco on arrival – as well as for the final...

As usual the Grins Dyke doesn’t disappoint. One of my favourite places to go for afternoon tea. The grounds are beautiful, the hotel is lovely, staff exceptionally friendly and afternoon tea always feels like a civilised affair. This was my second visit in 3 months....

Absolutely wonderful, the staff were very caring and professional. The Reception Staff - Alison and Rhys in particular, and Bar Staff were also extremely attentive. The Afternoon Tea was lovely, and they provided gluten free. Couldn't fault the afternoon, and we will be back again...

Private room beautifully laid out. Good afternoon tea: finger sandwiches, scones, jam&cream, fruit flan, choc cake, choc eclairs, tea, coffee. Bar with excellent range of drinks and champagne at reasonable prices. External gardens and lovely outside spaces. Decor slightly dated but excellent service, attentive staff...

Five of us went for Cream Tea last Saturday. We're heary eaters so all had the "Full Cream Tea". They do a "half one" which didn't look good value. Each person received 4 savouries (Open smoked salmon sandwich (v good); Open veggie (v good); Egg...

What a lovely place , went for a cream tea ,could do with more sandwiches and less cakes. Ann who ran the bar made our visit Pleasant what a great lady couldn’t do enough for us , helpful friendly and charming great Credit to your...

The hotel and grounds are delightful and worth visiting at any time of year, and, having enjoyed my sister-in-law's 70th birthday cream tea here last May, my husband and I decided that we could do worse than celebrate my 70th birthday in a similar way....

We had a party of 50 people to celebrate our olden Wedding. The staff looked after us magnificently. The tea was excellent, with far more than we could manage and everyone enjoyed the splendid historic surroundings and the gardens

Four of us had booked for the set afternoon cream tea. The sandwiches were well-presented and generously-filled . The scones were warm and delicious and the pastries attractive and nice to eat. Service was friendly and efficient but unobtrusive and we were frequently offered fresh pots of tea. A very nice touch was to be offered the scones and pastries which we had been too full to eat to take home; these were wrapped up for us. Afterwards, we spent a little time wandering through the beautiful grounds.

Great afternoon tea, good value for the money in Fabuloius setting of old manor house. Good service at the bar room

I booked a table for afternoon tea for 4 people. It was a beautiful, glorious day and we wanted to eat outside. The grounds are beautiful, gorgeous flowers and very well maintained. However, I am sorry to say we could not say the same for the service. After a long wait as we requested an outside table and were told it was 'first come first served' - I noticed an empty table which at first was refused us, but I persisted as one of our party is in a wheelchair and in fact access was far easier outside, and a helpful waitress arranged chairs for us. So we sat down and waited, and waited, and waited - nothing happened. Eventually, I managed to get the attention of a young waiter who brought a manager out, apologising profusely, 'did we want champagne?' (no we didn't), could she bring us some juice then which we accepted, but it was lukewarm and cheap juice from a carton, not freshly squeezed orange. At 3.50 (table was booked for 3pm) the tea arrived with an open bowl of jam and cream (one for 4 people) and finally the scones and cake arrived. When we went to pay and ask for a reduction as a gesture of goodwill for the long wait, it was refused as we had been given a jug of juice which costs £6.50! Although the scones were very good and appeared made in house and not brought in from outside, we had to ask for more jam and cream and the overall level of service was abysmal. Suffice it to say, were it not for the fact that my friend is in a wheelchair and mobility is therefore restricted, we would have got up and left to go elsewhere. Won't be returning :(

He tenido la suficiente suerte para venir aquí varias veces, en ocasiones sólo para caminar en los jardines, y otras veces a comer, pero esta fue la primera vez que había tenido el té de la tarde.

Tuve el placer de asistir al té de la tarde de hoy, el paquete reservado por mi pareja (ms Quinn) De

Fuimos a celebrar un cumpleaños de amigos, y es un edificio histórico en algunos terrenos verdaderamente maravillosa.

Visited many times both to eat and sleep over. Always had a pleasurable experience. Great local walks.

Lovely tea and cake service. Helpful staff ready to help. The children all had a good time and it didn't bother all the other families with toddlers and babies as I believe it was the family room

Hemos visto sólo en el verano y realmente puedo recomendar afuera, en los jardines y disfrutar de la deliciosa crema de té. El servicio es bueno y tratan de hacer sentir especial. Traemos nuestro perro, así que podemos ir a caminar por los jardines y por el bosque después de nuestro té.

Deliciosa tarde de té y la mermelada los bollos están suntuosamente delicioso y el té con una delicada mezcla. Creo que todo venía directamente del cielo el mejor que he probado. Yo recomiendo a todos profundamente para probar y el lugar nos lleva a otras de la época - un paraíso! !

Tuvimos una fiesta para el cumpleaños de mi madre, 90 de las leyes de la tarde rea para familiares y amigos. El resultado, una increíble tarde debido a la excelencia del hotel y el personal. El té en sí fue maravilloso, fresco, abundante, recargarla como pago. El personal verdaderamente hizo que fuera un placer, nada era demasiado problema. En el noroeste de Londres, este es de lejos el mejor té de la tarde que hemos tenido. Gracias Grims Dyke

Very attentive service. Mentioned it was a birthday and was offered a plate of chocolate strawberries with happy birthday in chocolate around plate. Offered doggy bag for items uneaten. Fab surroundings

We booked here for a special afternoon tea. On a glorious autumnal afternoon with the last of the summer sunshine, WS Gilbert’s former home is a delight to one’s senses. Take a stroll around the ornamental gardens that now form the hotel grounds. There were six of us and unexpectedly, we were given a small private drawing room which was like having tea at home almost! The afternoon tea is priced around £16 per head which is much cheaper than many afternoon teas in central London. It’s not the most refined, but they certainly provide you with more than enough and the scones are huge. In fact, all of us couldn’t manage the final tier of cakes and we all ended up with doggy bags! A real treat!

Waiting one hour and 40 minutes for food after waiting10 minutes to be served at the bar. They have got the food order wrong!!! Would not come back for food!!!

Lovely afternoon tea. Couldn't eat it all. Ten of us went and can definitely recommend the experience. Just one niggle, the coffee are a bit wishy washy otherwise a perfect treat.

A lovely setting for afternoon tea and more. Can be taken outside in the beautiful gardens or in one of the drawing rooms. Very good value

Beautiful location, good polite service, food was lovely and good value for money. You won't be disappointed.

I was bought afternoon tea by my partner as a surprise for my 21st birthday. We had the Drawing Room to ourselves and a few friends. Prices were very reasonable, and the food was very tasty. We would have preferred slightly more sandwiches than scones as there was almost too many of them, but still very enjoyable. The experience was hugely enhanced by Hayley - our wonderful waitress. She was attentive, funny, entertaining, polite and caring. She really made the day for us, thank you Hayley! Give the woman a raise! As someone who works in customer service, I really appreciate it when I find someone as good as she is. Thanks again!

We celebrated my mother's 90th Birthday with a champagne afternoon cream tea party for family and friends.The location, event, food and service were excellent. The food was continually replenished and the attentive staff were amazing.The afternoon was a total success and was made a very special occasion for my mother.

NOT to be confused with the restaurant, this was the bar area!!Excellent fish and chips, tables are a bit low for eating, and the surrounds are far better when you eat on a sunny day/evening, sitting outside to get the best from the surroundings, however we made do with the indoor 'coffee' tables, and thoroughly enjoyed our meal, and the service, even though there was a wedding being catered upstairs.

We have enjoyed many afternoon teas at this historic venue. The tea is always most enjoyable and well priced. Sometimes they have a pianist who really adds to the atmosphere and on a sunny afternoon a stroll around the grounds is always a treat.

Went for tea before the hustle and bustle of Christmas. The decorations in the hotel were stunning but we were put in a very bland room, coffee table and bucket chairs, not suitable for afternoon tea, bland tableware, limited Christmas decorations and basic paper white napkins. Spoilt the occasion expected more from the grand surroundings. Staff were very good and nothing too much trouble, however the afternoon tea was disappointing, sandwiches were lovely and fresh and there was a variety of cake which were so stale they were tasteless and not up to the high standard of the sandwiches or the food I have eaten on previous visits at the venue. This was a shame as it was a gift for my birthday and I had taken my mother to enjoy it with me

Extremely disappointing experience. We were not told that they have several options for the afternoon tea, nor that there is an additional charge for the piano. We booked a table and when we arrived, nobody was there to welcome us. We went to the bar and the waiter was ignoring us. The table was not set correctly. We were not offered soft drinks/water. We were served cheap jam and dry scones. Lack of care. Very unprofessional attitude.

I must give credit the afternoon tea was not only good but great value as well. Staff very helpful and smiled.

One of the best half cream teas that I have had. Opted not to have the full afternoon tea with sandwiches as that would have been too filling. A good decision as there were two types of scones and three different cakes each. Unlimited refills of tea and coffee made this great value at £10.95 each in the most beautiful countryside setting in Greater London.

We visited the Grimsdye Hotel for afternoon tea which was a birthday present from some friends.We were greeted on arrival by friendly staff and shown to our table. Our waiter was from Germany and was very polite and attentive. There was a problem with my husbands coffee which was quickly sorted out and the waiter apologised for the error. The actual tea was very good with homemade walnut bread with salmon which was delicious. The scones and cakes were also very good and afterwards we went for a lovely walk in the hotal grounds.We have had afternoon tea at the Hilton Hotel in London but the Grimsdyke was far superior and much better value for money. It was a very pleasant afternoon.

Very disappointed when went for a birthday celebration. The scones were stodgy and huge ,the cakes weren't fresh ,and although the sandwiches were good they were just piled on the plate.

Beautiful location. Stunning gardens. All spoilt by very lacklustre service. I treated my friends to a champagne afternoon tea here last Saturday. On arrival we were thrust three menus by a surly waitress who said nothing then promptly walked away. When she came back we politely explained that we had pre ordered champagne tea. Her response was, " how am I supposed to know that", not a great start.... She then brought the tea. We reminded her we would like a champagne! Sandwiches and cake were very nice. We asked for more tea and the same pot was filled up with water. ( twice) consequently the later tea was awful and left scum marks all around the cups. Eventually a different waitress insisted on changing cups and brought fresh tea. On leaving the restaurant I produced my prepaid letter and the waitress made us feel very uncomfortable and told us we had not paid the correct amount. She then stormed away to 'the office' to check. When she returned, and confirmed we had paid she did apologise, we went on our way. Not really what we expected. Wouldn't recommend this for a treat.

Beautiful grounds and building - stunning backdrop for wedding photos in the 25C midweek sunshine. Afternoon tea in a large room overlooking the garden, gorgeous settings but disappointing spread and service. Excellent scones, jam and clotted cream but strawberry custard tart and lemon posset given with no cutlery to eat with. Only veg options were egg mayo and cucumber and cream cheese, uninventive and bland and inadequate for the largely vegetarian party. No selection of teas, standard builders brew and filter coffee only. We kept having to ask for water and tumblers, the staff serving were uninventive

We got to the Grimms Dyke hotel at 3.00pm for our afternoon tea that had been booked, went to reception and we were taken into the morning room where we were told to wait as they were full up! Waited 20 mins and then I went into the bar and asked what was happening, the waitress then said she would find someone to help us. Another 15 mins went past and we we're shown into the restaurant, because they were still busy and had no available tables. Finally sat down at 4.00pm and had our afternoon tea. Sandwiches and cakes were very nice, but the tea was extremely week like water. On the whole it was a nice afternoon apart from the cock up when we first got there.

Plentiful food; smiling staff and excellent G&S entertainment in the elegant Music Room ... all preceeded by a grand tour of the opulent suites in the main house and wander round the grounds ... excellent!

We were served in the drawing room which sounds grander than it is in reality, with some furnishings needing replacing. It needed a few fresh flowers to add a bit of cheer! Several guests were complaining that it was rather chilly in there and we agreed. Tea was good enough but lacked finesse. Scones were large and home-made and we were told we could ask for more tea, cream and jam when we needed to. Overall it was nice, but they could create more of a performance just by putting some white table-cloths on the tables, linen napkins instead of paper, some Gilbert and Sullivan playing softly in the background... you know the sort of thing! And all those little touches make the ordinary special!

Lovely scones. Lots of jam and cream. Coffee pot bottomless.Beautiful drawing room. Attentive waiting staff,

A large group of us visited Grim's Dyke for their afternoon tea and operetta and all had a fabulous time.The afternoon started with us meeting at the beautiful grounds for a guided walk - get there early if you're considering this as, although there is a lot of parking, the closest spaces fill up quickly. Our guide, Claudia, started with taking us around the outside of the building and told us about it's architecture and inspiration behind it, which was very interesting; we then went to look at the lake - although there's not much to see there, it's easy to imagine how beautiful it would have been - then across the grounds to view the dyke which, although not impressive, is a must. This is only a short walk through the grounds but the lake is in woodland, so flat shoes are essential. It's not difficult though and the majority of our tour companions were mature and seemed to find it fine.We then went into the house and were guided through several of the rooms, which are beautiful, but as the tour was such a large group, unless you were at the front, it was either difficult to all get into the room, or to hear what was being said. That said, it didn't spoil it as the house is stunning.Finally into the grand room where the whole group (we were split into 2 tours) had a marvellous afternoon tea and were entertained by Gilbert & Sullivan's operettas - don't worry if opera isn't your thing; these are famously light-hearted and the show is short with the acts being described between. We all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.The afternoon tea is great with a nice selection of sandwiches, scones (they were absolutely delicious!) and desserts, and plenty of food. The waiters readily refill your tea or coffee and accommodated my request for mint tea. One of our friends brought her own food as she is unable to eat wheat, which was presented nicely and she was refunded for the afternoon tea.In all, everyone in our group had a marvellously entertaining afternoon in beautiful surroundings at great value for money and most have said they'd like to go back - praise indeed!

I took my mum there yesterday (19/09/2014) with 9 invited guests (average age 81), and we all had a lovely time. First a BIG thank you to the gentleman working in the bar who served our table for his patience, hospitality, and excellent and really helpful helpful and polite service. We were all very impressed with him as with all the special orders, and waiting for guests to arrive, and moving tables together for us, he made the event run very nice indeed with incredible politeness. As always (my 3rd afternoon tea here as I live fairly locally), the cakes were excellent, as were the sandwiches, and the refills of tea were still fairly good strength. The highlight of course though is the excellent house and the pleasure of sitting in the beautifully kept gardens. 5* all round (unusual for me as I usually find faults with places). Highly recommended for afternoon tea. Thank you again Mr Barman (sorry, I don't know your name) for making it an excellent day.

Had been to The Grove Hotel but thought that this would be quieter. Nice venue and sat on the terrace facing the well kept garden. Pleasant sunny afternoon. The service was OK although a lot of people walking around looking busy but not doing much. The food was good but for £15 each I thought there should have been more sandwiches and were not refilled at all. Cakes were good and plenty of jam and cream for the scones. Had to ask for a tea refill but the staff were happy to provide when asked. Had to go to the bar to ask though. All in all a good trip that we enjoyed but not for a special occasion. Go elsewhere. For a pleasant afternoon it's worth it I guess. Would definitely check in advance as we called on the day and got booked but when we arrived the staff were unaware. No reference was needed. Hope that helps....

Booked for a birthday celebration, arrived and requested an outdoor table which was no problem. The order was taken promptly and served quickly. Staff were attentive, always smiling and approachable. Sandwiches, cakes and scones were freshly made and very nice, although the trifle isn't a traditonal one there is a hint of lemon in the custard which was very pleasant! Extra food and drink was continually offered throughout the tea.Surroundings were very pleasant and the bonus was that the local Gilbert and Sullivan operatic society were there, and we had a live performance which only made the afternoon even more enjoyable. Would certainly recommend to family and friends, and revisit ourselves. Visited 6July2014.

Went for afternoon tea with couple of friends for birthday celebration. The sandwiches and scones seemed that they had been left out as were certainly not fresh. I asked for wheat free bread which they were able to provide but that also didn't feel fresh. We complained to the waiter to say we were unhappy with the standard of food and he took away the scones and heated them in the microwave, which is certainly not the way to heat up scones. We then asked to see the duty manager but no one appeared. Then when we went to pay we again asked to see the duty manager and when she finally came and we explained how unhappy we were she more or less told us that we shouldn't have eaten the food and they would have replaced it and because of this we couldn't expect any compensation, but as it was difficult to speak to a manager we had no choice but to eat the sandwiches as we had all come straight from work and were hungry. What she wasn't aware of was that we had been complaining from the beginning of the tea and were ignored. What also came to light via the waiter is that the sandwiches are made in the morning and as our tea wasn't served until nearly 4 they were lying around on a very hot day. Certainlywhat is not expected from any hotel.

Odd selection of bread/filling combinations for sandwiches: scones were decent; cream, thick and sticky, but jam was more like "plastic" jelly.Pastries weren't bad, but the custard in the mini trifles had the veriest hint of scrambled eggs and the cream unnecessarily sweetened. Lovely surroundings, but some money needs to be spent, both indoors and out, for the venue to live up to its potential.

went for a friend's birthday. The table had been booked for about 20 people for afternoon tea. The sandwiches arrived (wrong orders in 4 cases) but we awaited the teas/coffees. Eventually they arrived apart from a lemon tea. The lemon arrived as did the 'hot' water but where were the tea bags. After much protesting, they eventually arrived. The cakes were few and far between and forget about refills for the tea/coffee pots. They charged us disgusting amounts for poor service and my friend was so embarrassed she just paid and left.

Another fabulous lunch at the Grims Dyke Hotel, starter (soup of the day and homemade bread), main course (real tasty mushroom pasta) and dessert (big helping of ice cream!!) and all for £20 or so! Don't drink the tea, the coffee is very good!

Good price, but slightly disappointing as the tea wasn't as stated. they say it's loose leaf, but they were tea bags

We visited the Grim's Dyke for afternoon tea, for my mums 60th birthday. We were pleasantly surprised by the quality of afternoon tea and service we received at the Grims Dyke as it wasn't our first choice, however for £14 each and nearly half the price of some other hotels, it was extremely good value. There were 14 of us, which we appreciate is a large group, but we were accommodated in a side room just off the reception which we had to ourselves for the duration of our visit. The tea itself included a wide selection of teas, coffee or a cold alternative (coke, orange juice etc). The scones were lovely, some of the best I've had, and there was ample clotted cream and jam. In addition, there was carrot cake, eclairs and sherry trifles. There were also three types of sandwiches with the smoked salmon being particularly good. Overall a very good visit and we would definitely return.

We visited The Grim's Dyke Hotel yesterday for an early afternoon cream tea. It was served in the lovely restaurant and we were lucky to have a table by the window overlooking the gardens and we thoroughly enjoyed the experience. We requested a tablecloth, as our table did not have one, and without hesitation one was produced and the table reset. Our only criticism of the food was that the scones could have been a little fresher and it would have been nice if they had been warm. We asked for extra tea and a fresh pot arrived as did additional cream and jam when this was also required. After tea we took time to explore the house, grounds and gardens and discovered a little of the history of the property. We certainly intend to return again in the near future.

i have just returned from taking my mum and dad from this awful place, it was my mums birthday today 81 years old.. there were 10 of us all family and friends. the afternoon tea which we requested to have outside in the sun. no one came to serve us i had to go into the bar where i was greeted by a young boy who didn't give a damn if i was there or not!! what do u want that was how i was approached. i ordered 68.00 pounds of sandwiches which included 3 afternoon teas. @ 13.50 each. not once did any one ever come out to see if we wanted a drink nothing, outside was infested by wasps and my brother got stung, there must be a wasps nest, but they didn't care when our sandwiches came out the whole table was ful of wasps i said maybe we should go inside or can you bring out some candles.... nothing!!!!!!!!!!! after 30 mins of us trying to fight off the wasps all over our food we went inside all trying to carry something off the table including our food. there attitude was appaulling even the manager didn't care. when we came to pay they took our money no apologies all the manager said was you must pay....pay for what awful sanwiches and service. i will never never go there again. we spent alot of money there today in the bar and we were treated terrible.. how dare they....take note avoid the awful badly made sandwiches and tea which we had to askefor because they forgot. Not even a salad in the sandwich.............you have lost the plot up there and i hope you loose all your customers you deserve it.......this is not the end of this i will be going up there tomorrow to make a formal complaint...my mum has just come out of hospital 3 weeks ago and you ruined her birthday....

My parents, my wife and I went for a pre booked afternoon tea at the Grim's Dyke. OK, it was my fault I assumed tea would be served in the same room as it had been served to my parents 2 weeks earlier and we slowly made our way to the Drawing Room by the back door to avoid the steps. In the Drawing Room we were told afternoon tea was being served in the restaurant. Unfortunately, the restaurant is down steps, across the car park and up more steps, and my parents aged 92 and 87 aren't good on steps ( why we went in the back way).In the restaurant there were 2 birthday parties going on. It was very noisy and definitely not the environment for two aged parents, one of whom now lives in a care home. After a 'discussion' with the staff in the restaurant regarding the suitability of it for afternoon tea they eventually agreed that we could have it in the Drawing Room. So it was down the steps, across the car park, back up the steps and into the room where we first started some 20+ minutes earlier. By now my parents were exhausted with all this unaccustomed activity up and down the steps.The tea was served by helpful, caring and considerate staff in a very pleasant room. Nothing wrong with the food, it was tasty and well presented, though the scones were rather firm. ( perhaps they would like my recipe?). The syllabub, again was very good, but was served in glasses so narrow the tea spoons provided were to big to reach the bottom of the glass. A shame really.So, would I go back? No reason why not but I'd make sure where we would have tea before getting the old folks out of the car.

The lovely weather only added to a fabulous day at the Grim's Dyke Hotel last weekend. They had a special event for 100 ticket holders for cream tea at £13.95 per person, and I booked well in advance (tickets sell out quickly. I went along with friends from a social group and we had a table out on the lawn. Also a jazz band AND a full brass band for entertainment. As well as entertainment for children (far away from the adults!) We were given two tea/coffee vouchers and a food voucher. What we expected was a couple of cups of tea/coffee and a creamed cake/scone. What we got was a wonderful buffet of sandwiches, your cup was filled as many times as you wanted, and we could choose any amount of cakes afterwards! We then used the second voucher for a soft drink from the bar. We got there at 11am, and left at 6pm - what a lovely way to spend the day! We also had a walk around the beautiful grounds, and a look around the hotel. Just fabulous! And service was second to none! I'll be back for sure, as they run many events at the hotel throughout the year.

My husband and I had just been out walking on a lovely sunny day so we thought we would stop off at the Grim's Dyke Hotel for tea and sit outside. We ordered in the bar area and paid and then sat down outside, we were told the tea would be served presently. On our table and lots of other tables there were dirty used crockery and cutlery left with serviettes strewn everywhere, even on the ground where they must have blown away. No-one had come to clean away the used dishes.We waited for about 20 minutes and then I asked one of the waitresses if we were to be served and she asked if we had a reservation, I said we had ordered and paid at the bar and were now waiting. She said she would check. Another 15 minutes and I flagged another waitress down and asked what was happening. She told me they were very busy but the tea would be with us soon. After another 5 minutes a small plate of sandwiches and a very small plate of cakes were put in front of us. On other tables I had seen three tier cake trays which looked very grand. I said the sandwiches were small, not on par with the others we had seen served and they told me they had only one scone instead of two. I didn't get the tea pot or tea cup and saucer or spoon or a serviette. I had to ask again for these and then they didn't bring us any cream or jam for the tiny scone. I complained and asked for better sandwiches and they brought bigger ones but they were old and dirty and dried out and when the cream and jam came, this was old and dirty and had been used. We had basically been given someone's else's tea which had been left over. I complained about this but they said this is all they had left. I couldn't eat anything much because I kept thinking about the fact that these were most definitely left-overs. As we were leaving we noticed left over three tier trays with lots of left-overs and these looked distinctly better than the food we had been brought.The teas are £14.95 each. This is simply not good enough. Also, when I wrote a letter of complaint, they sent one back without postage, we had to collect it from our sorting office and pay £1.50 to get it. Have a look at their website for a laugh. They actually have a gorgeous looking cream tea pictured there that is nothing like the one you get!