Afternoon Tea in Wiltshire

My family and I (two adults and a child) recently visited Whatley Manor for afternoon tea 09/10/23. Unfortunately, our experience fell far short of expectations, prompting this review. Despite booking a regular afternoon tea, we were charged £43.50 instead of the confirmed £37.50, citing a festive surcharge. Disappointingly, there were absolutely no noticeable festive elements to justify this added cost. Upon arrival, we were seated at a stark white, unadorned table, devoid of any seasonal decorations or even water glasses. The music being played just after we arrived wasn’t festive either. Our initial drinks and food were served promptly but for £140 (the entire amount of food in the attached photo), the value was awful. It consisted of three stale items, the Battenberg slice if you’re interested, accompanied by minimal service (no follow up on food and additional drinks and we had to go and find staff to ask to pay the bill) and a complete absence of the promised festive ambiance which after all was what the surcharge was for. Overall, this was an expensive and unsatisfactory afternoon tea experience. We have since had the festive surcharge refunded which we appreciate but I wouldn’t go back again or recommend the afternoon tea as an experience I’m afraid.

Food quality was fine as was the service. That said, the web site featured sausage rolls which did not exist! Furthermore, we pre requested savoury dishes in preference to sweet items; request was acknowledged but ignored! The Ops Mgr and F&B Mgr were very apologetic and tried to help. Savoury canapés were provided by way of an apology. Sadly an apparent lack of internal communication!

We primarily went to see the gardens and learn what David Pearce had in mind for their evolution. The afternoon tea was booked as sustenance and a reward for our efforts. Although the guided garden tours were not available, Mr Pearce graciously shared some time with us and we all determined that we must re- visit once his night garden has been brought to life. Each staff member we interacted with hit the mark for courteous and efficient service. The building is very well maintained and the furnishings are comfortable and appropriate. The afternoon tea itself was of generous proportions and my granddaughter’s request for plain ham sandwiches readily granted. I would catergorise the food as above average. We did all remark that while it was good, it was not great. While all six of us greatly enjoyed our little outing, it was the overall experience that delighted us more than the tea itself Comparing just the afternoon tea to other similar it is not a stand out and lacks an elegance that would be more in line with the surroundings. It would be lovely to see a more innovative presentation, including featuring some of the garden products as ingredients. Thinly sliced sandwiches would be preferred. Substituting the slightly damp slice of quiche with a few different individual savoury (mini) pastries, and dramatically reducing the size of the individual scones would also improve the visual presentation. Given the gardens, the excellent staff and the very pleasing surroundings, we will return for a longer stay.

Yo, mi pareja y mi suegra asistimos al té de la tarde aquí un sábado por la tarde. La casa es hermosa, con hermosos jardines bien cuidados y el té de la tarde también fue agradable. Sin embargo, he asistido a varios tés de la tarde en hoteles de lujo y siempre me han ofrecido sándwiches / bollos adicionales sin costo adicional. Este no fue el caso en este establecimiento. Cuando pedimos cortésmente un par de sándwiches más, una de las camareras nos rechazó y nos dijo que tendríamos que pagar más. Nos sorprendió este dato, a los 37. 50 por persona, rechazar un par de sándwiches adicionales se siente frugal y nos sentimos un poco incómodos. Mi compañero le pidió a otro mesero que aclarara que definitivamente ese era el caso, y el mesero dijo que la camarera estaba equivocada y que, por supuesto, podíamos tener más sándwiches (sin mencionar una tarifa adicional). Cuando llegó la factura, ¡al final nos cobraron estos sándwiches adicionales! No armamos un escándalo y pagamos la factura completa porque pensamos que habíamos contribuido a la confusión, y solo fue un extra de 8 . Sin embargo, al regresar a casa y leer una de las respuestas de la gerencia con respecto a un problema similar, no deberíamos haber cobrado y citar "estamos realmente felices de ofrecer más sándwiches sin cargo adicional". Hemos hablado con nuestro equipo para asegurarnos de que todos sean plenamente conscientes de este hecho. Como resultado, estoy decepcionado con el servicio que recibimos. Todavía lo pasamos bien y consideraríamos regresar, pero espero que los futuros huéspedes no se vean atrapados en esta falta de comunicación entre los miembros del personal.

Received a voucher for sparking afternoon tea for two so booked for Springtime Sunday visit . The building was poorly signposted and nodirections for disabled access or disabled car space near to entrance . Had to negotiate many , many steps . Yea was laid out on very low table and low chairs which were too low to sit in and I could no5 reach the table . We asked to move and we’re placed in a window seat with two tables pushed together with no legroom to get near to table . It was very cold snd the staff resolved this by bringing me a blanket ! Wr were very uncomfortable . The bread used was stale and scones very sweet . The void was a long time arriving and the sparkling wine was forgotten completely . None came to ask us if everything was ok . My husband spilled tea and ended up eating his food from beside him on the window seat . We asked for our bill as I was so unhappy and left the rest of our food , When we complained about the non arrival of the sparkling wine I was asked if I would like it the nex5 time I came . No chance whatsoever,

Afternoon Tea was at best average, tried to charge a service fee when didn’t attend the table for at best 1hr. Had the cheek to charge us extra for sausage rolls when the service was awful. It was so poor. Definitely do not recommend it at all, shame really as was supposed to finish off a nice weekend.

My husband and I decided to treat ourselves to afternoon tea at the end of our first trip to the Cotswolds. We were initially a bit worried after seeing previous reviews about lack of taste etc, however we decided to give it a go and we were not disappointed. We would not profess to being connoisseurs in afternoon tea however we were very pleased as everything was delicious. My only quibble would be the very generous amount of food served to each of us, however this was easily rectified by a gentle 10 minute walk around the garden halfway through before tackling the rest! My personal favourite was the strawberry dome with sablé biscuit - tasted almost like fresh jam on buttered toast which was delicious!! The dark chocolate marquises were also divine and very indulgent - like eating a very rich bourbon biscuit.

The setting of Whatley Manor is impressive and the sitting room makes a great backdrop for afternoon tea particularly when it is dark outside. The staff are also charming and attentive. The Early Grey tea was delicious, however, sadly the food was a disappointment. The sandwiches were uninspiring and bland, the cakes were tasteless and there was one savoury puff filled with a mushroom concoction, which was unpleasant - the 3 of us all left it. To top this off I have discovered that I have been charged £31.90 on my credit card when the advertised price is £29. Sadly a real let down, I was expecting much better.

We have visited this establishment many times and invariable first class. Today was no exception, but of course it should be of a very high standard as the price is not cheap. Today we popped out for afternoon tea and a few photos with our classic car. As always the staff were excellent and very helpful The ambiance was, as always, without blemish. My only criticism was for the afternoon tea. The first coffee I was served was luke warm, but our waitress Natasha replaced it with one that was pipping hot. The rest of the meal was a bit of a curate's egg (excuse the pun). A couple of the finger sandwiches were slightly dry, the clotted cream very solid (just out of a very cold fridge?), the scones possibly not fresh, the portion of excellent home made jam rather small, otherwise fine. At £31.90 per person for normal afternoon tea (no fizz but included the 10% service charge), I would have expected perfection. We got that on previous occasions, but not this time.

I love visiting Whatley Manor for afternoon tea. Food is delicious, service attentive and beautiful setting and gardens. The fruit scones in particular are to die for! It's a fabulous afternoon out and I can't recommend highly enough.

I love Whatley Manor and having visited on a few occasions I booked afternoon for my lovely mothers birthday! To be honest I was a little disappointed by not only the service but the quality of the afternoon tea. The sandwiches were very basic and 3 out of the 4 flavours contained tomato - I thought this was strange! The cakes were delicious but it was just lacking a little something.

This hotel is absolutely stunning with beautiful grounds. The service was excellent and we enjoyed a delicious and very relaxing afternoon tea in the cosy lounge. The selection of cakes and desserts was very impressive, each had unique flavours. Probably one of the best afternoon teas I have had. Thoroughly recommend.

Myself and 2 friends went here for a traditional afternoon tea in celebration for my friend's Birthday! We were all absolutely amazed, we were lucky with the weather which enhanced our experience sitting in the glorious front room by the window overlooking the gorgeous grounds. From the glass of tap water to the 5* cakes and the attentive, welcoming staff we had the best time. Sparkling clean everywhere you go, well kept, slightly modern but also traditional old fashioned theme. We cannot wait to come back here for a couple of drinks and maybe even dinner in the summer months! Thank you.

Received a voucher for afternoon tea for two. From the moment we arrived at Reception we were very well looked after. The afternoon tea was located in the drawing room and we chose to sit in front of the fire. A choice of tea or coffee....the tea is poured for you and then the cake stand full of treats arrives....good selection of sandwiches, scones with jam and clotted cream, and several beautiful little cakes...delicious. Lovely relaxing time and you are not rushed at all. Would definitely recommend.

My wife was given by our daughter a voucher for afternoon tea at Whatley Manor Hotel for mothering Sunday and we only redeemed this voucher very recently. Although we have eaten at this Hotel many times in the past we have never tried an afternoon tea, we were not disappointed it was absolutely delightful. This Hotel offers total relaxation without any pretentiousness the service was as always perfect and the food was simply superb. We live very locally to this Hotel and have never stayed overnight so cannot comment on the accommodation but judging by other advisors comments it is also wonderful. We recommend this Hotel most highly, we will dine there again and strongly advise others to do so.

Visitamos Whatley Manor el viernes 2° octubre para tomar el té de la tarde. Como llegamos al otro lado del aparcamiento nos recibió un miembro del personal encantador que acompañó al dibujo hermosamente decorada sala donde se sirve té por la tarde.Los bocadillos eran todos recién hecho y delicioso. Los bollos era cálido y acompañadas con crema Strawberry cuajada servidos al más puro y mermelada. Los pasteles eran increíbles, especialmente el uno con chocolate blanco Pistachio base crujientes y mousse de grosellero negro. El chef de repostería en este establecimiento es sin duda un principal de su artesanía.Lo que un cumpleaños verdaderamente perfecta regalo.

Tenía un buen té con pastas en una preciosa sala con paneles de madera. Bollos eran estupendas y el servicio era bueno. Nos preguntamos alrededor de los jardines.

Simplemente me encantó abrir las puertas de madera gigantes en el patio de la lavanda. Un lugar muy agradable para tomar el té de la tarde en un entorno rural tranquilo. Buena variedad de sándwiches, pasteles y chocolate delicias. Elegante, personal amable. té a la hierbabuena: " ¿su excelente!

La fantástica selección de sándwiches y pasteles, y nos atendieron muy bien a nuestras necesidades muy niños (vegetariano, no había peces, moscas no había muerto en un bollo.) no nos sentimos presionados. Chimenea preciosa en una sala preciosa. La única razón por la que no me he dado 5/5 era que el servicio era un poco demasiado relajado (tenía que esperar años para conseguir otra bebida como nadie estaba comprobando que todo estaba bien. Pero aparte de esto, fue genial.

We arranged to meet here for afternoon tea on a Sunday afternoon. We booked months in advance but I suppose 8 was too many.I don't want this to be all negative so I will get that out of the way now, we were placed around a couple of coffee tables barely a foot of the floor yet we were seated on a couple of sofas and some lounge chairs, We were there with 4 people 70 and over and my 8 month pregnent wife so this was not ideal. Also we had to get the tables moved as we were set up in a very strange elongated u shape making it very difficult to talk to each other.The good bits, we were addressed by the manager and he explained that it would not be possible to seat us all at normal height, he suggested we move the tables and this was done quickly.The tea / coffee was great and topped up often, the sandwiches were very tasty and the cakes etc awesome.Overall its a great location and the food is very nice, all the staff were very helpfull and friendly and there was plenty to go around. A relaxing atmosphere but best for fewer people.

We visited Whatley Manor as a special family treat on our return from attending an investiture at Buckingham Palace. Rather than remain in London for a celebration lunch we decided to escape London early to miss the worst of the commuter traffic. We anticipated a splendid afternoon tea produced by a highly rated hotel with 2* Michelin restaurant. The cake stand arrived and instead of having the "wow" factor that we were expecting, we were presented with an unimpressive array of drab sandwiches and pastries. The "finger" sandwiches were clumpy with uninspiring fillings and affixed together in a pile by a wooden skewer. The scones were tasty but they were enormous and were not served with butter for those who want to go for complete over-indulgence. Apart from a small pastry case with raspberries and creme patisserie the cakes were brown or murky maroon: some sort of sweet bread (banana / ginger?), a madeleine and a brown sponge (walnut?). Murky pink macaroons were stuck to the top and were filled with (I think) apricot and chocolate which is not a very appetising mix.The staff were very welcoming and polite and the ambiance is nice but we left feeling disappointed after the most amazing day otherwise.

we went here for afternoon tea. the main entrance is poorly indicated when u arrive from the main car park in pouring rain and takes some walking on cobbles. our coats were taken and we were led to our table. we had pre-booked tea, with one of us having a special food request, so we were surprised to be given the menu, when in fact it was just to order our beverages, which wasn't clear before inquiring.we were served and it was ok. that's all. it looked beautiful with sandwiches and a variety of cakes, but none of the food was delicious or mouth-watering .. it was all just ok, closer to bland .. i can't believe their pâtisserie chef should be a 2* michelin .. i've had better scones in local shops !what bothered us most was once we had finished, nobody came to clear up, ask if we had enjoyed it, or mostly (!) ask if we would like to order anything else .. nothing .. we even had to get up and find the waiter to ask for the bill .. oh and get ur own coats and find the exit on ur own too - none of this friendly do-da upon leaving .. at ~£24.- p.p. i have had better at a fraction of that price .. the lounge and fire place was cozy (which we were not in front of, but we could see it) we were disappointed .. i used the ladies room which i had to find first and that could have been cleaner too ..

My partner took me to Whatley Manor on August 24th 2012 as part of my birthday celebrations. We booked ahead for afternoon tea. Arrival at Whatley Manor is always handled in a professional manner and we were shown into the large lounge, which was empty at the time, so we chose a table facing the fire, which was not lit. We ordered full afternoon tea and two glasses of Bollinger champagne. Afternoon tea was then serviced and several more people arrived for tea. After the first glass of Champagne was served the staff seemed to vanish into the area behind the lounge. No one came out to see if we were enjoying our tea or would we like more to drink. On the subsequent two occasions when we wanted more champagne, we had to go find the staff, who on one occasion were all standing huddled together deep in conversation. It was only a small inconvenience, but a lasting one. With a bill of over £100 at the end of our visit we felt the service let the whole experience down. Would we go back, yes, we have booked dinner for December 15th 2012 and February 16th 2013 as we have up till this experience always received excellent service. The tea was beautifully presented and the sandwiches and pastries exquisite. It might have just been an off day for the staff on duty, but had it been our first visit and we had not experienced the true Whatley Manor service levels in the past, we would not return. In the competitive hotel industry a hotel of this standing cannot afford to let its guard slip on any occasion…

Had afternoon tea here with a friend having made a reservation a couple of weeks previously. We were shown into the lounge by the receptionist and waited nearly fifteen minutes for anyone to acknowledge our presence let alone come and take our order. Even then we weren't offered a menu. It was another ten minutes or so before our drinks arrived. We had to wait a further ten minutes for the food. I had started to wonder if we were ever going to receive it although we knew they'd understood our order was for food as well as drinks because they'd provided tablecloths, silverware and plates some time before the drinks arrived. The full afternoon tea selection comprised sandwiches with the crusts cut off - egg mayonnaise, ham, smoked salmon - scones and cakes. The scones were a little dry and the jam was very thin without much flavour. The sandwiches were fresh and moist and the cakes delicious. Cost GBP 40 for two of us. (The afternoon tea at the Manor Hotel in Castle Coombe is better.)We sat in armchairs with a coffee table in front of us. We weren't offered the opportunity to sit at a dining table or in the area by the log fire (it was a cold day).I was disappointed with the slow service although the waiter who brought our bill was charming to talk to. Three different wait staff served us. None seemed to fully know what they were doing. I had expected better from such an establishment. And I expect someone to come and take our drinks order within five minutes of sitting down in any restaurant or lounge let alone one with a Michelin star classification.When you reach the end of the driveway look out for the sign that says "residents drive straight on". If you do so, you will arrive outside the main door. A valet then parks your car for you. If you do what we did, which was to drive to the main car park on the left of the largest building, there's quite a walk through the property to get to the front door and there are no signs to guide you to reception. Indeed, the front door itself is merely labelled 'relais and chateaux'. The property comprises a number of buildings not all of which are attached to each other. We were unsure which building would actually house reception. From the car park we followed the sign to the spa and then kept walking until we got to a choice of two doors. Luckily we picked the right one.I don't feel sufficiently inspired by this experience to return for dinner.

Top afternoon tea with friends and family, nothing but what i expected from this fabulous hotel chain. Whatley manor is a perfect setting, informal but at the same time making you feel like you are no.1.