Elstow Tea Garden in Bedford

The owner is racist but the servers are really sweet and kind but the food is just microwaved from lidl but extremely overpriced .Not worth your money might aswell just sit in your garden and microwave some food and save some money.

A lovely hour or so in the tranquil garden with music, via guitars and vocals. Definitely recommend

A lovely place to enjoy a relaxing afternoon in the sunshine with food and drink. There are excellent hosts who provide a fantastic service. A great local tea garden, well worth a visit.

I went to the Elstow Tea Garden with a friend today. I did not know that this place existed until I was informed on this very day so I thought I would give it a try. We had to strive a little to find it but it was worth the effort. The food, dessert and customer service was of the highest quality. It's a nice big tea garden with nice seats, nice tables, nice greenery and a tropical fish pond to add to the pleasant scenery. The beautiful Sunny day added to the positivity of the visit. There are not many places that offer a unique experience like this. The toilets were available and spotlessly clean. This will be my go to place when I go to Elstow village. This is the perfect place to take family if you want nice food in a very adequate outdoor setting. I would highly recommend the Elstow Tea Garden and I will definitely be back.

Super ladies lunch, lovely setting, nice food and great company

Couldn't believe what poor example of a cream tea we got. 1 sausage roll, and a scone to share with tinned squirty cream. With the owner walking around with her hands on her hips scowling. Tiny pot of tea and no hot water.

Quality of the food is excellent. Quality wqs a bit short, half a scone each!

The place was recommended to us and we traveled from Newport Pagnel to this tea room. We were a group of 15 people, we made the reservation but canceled it half an hour before arriving because we thought we were not making it, but finally we all got together and arrived eager to see the place and share a while in a beautiful place. Unfortunately the staff starting with the manager was very rude and while she was cutting a cake, she raised her hand, knife in hand, to tell us in a rude and loud voice that we had already canceled and there was no place even though there were many empty tables and one hour to close. We just wanted to have tea with a piece of cake, nothing complicated and there were many empty tables, however although we asked her the favor of opening a space, she reluctantly insisted that we could not enter the place. OUR WORST sightseeing experience, one of two; Either they don't like foreign tourists or they're just rude. I have been told about an excellent tea room in Buckingham which has 220 excellent reviews and is really worth it for its service and food, BUT THIS TEA ROOM IS RUDE, I WILL NEVER RECOMMEND THIS PLACE, luckily there was a restaurant nearby called Read Lion with a most beautiful garden to share a delicious tea. Lady Manager thank you for nothing.

Here on a Saturday afternoon for a birthday 🎂. It is a little gem set behind the church in a relaxing setting with a pond and a well kept garden. Great value for money. Will definitely be back again.

I have just had afternoon tea with four friends. It was such a lovely experience. The staff were all very pleasant. The menu is excellent. Only one of us had been here before - what a great place. Unfortunately the tea rooms are closing at the end of September, but we have all agreed we will pay another visit next year when it reopens at Easter.

We went here for my daughter's first birthday. The staff were wonderful, really kind and helpful. They truly went above and beyond to make sure everything went smoothly and that the while family was comfortable and looked after. I will definitely be visiting again and would recommend them to anyone. Fantastic afternoon.

Absolutely perfect place to host a family gathering for my granddaughter’s first birthday. The cream tea was delicious and the staff couldn’t possibly have been more lovely.

Nice quiet corner of Elstow behind church tea was very good will try the meals next time if they are as good as the teas we won't be disappointed we'll worth the visit

We had a Lovely afternoon tea .Service was excellent .Well worth a visit, will definitely go again maybe for lunch

Quiet tea garden and pretty well hidden. Normally need to book in advance but we were lucky and they let us in.

What a wonderful find. Beautiful garden. Lovely staff and yummy cakes. Perfect. We will be back very soon. Thank you!

Lovely setting tranquil gardens ...All tables set out to consider covid 19 social distancing maintained. Our food was rather average and frozen vegetables used. Not all desserts were homemade.. An honest sum up did not live up to the HYPE....we were told

me and my auntie had booked an afternoon tea and we were not disappointed! very nice selection of finger sandwiches and cakes, and the scones were delicious. the atmosphere in general is nice and peaceful, and it's a lovely outdoor area to have your lunch. definitely will be coming back!

A lovely, charming location for afternoon tea. Service was great, location is very pretty and food quality good. A great little find !

Lovely setting, great food and the staff are charming.

For some reason google would not allow me to write a review yesterday, only allowed my star rating so now I have returned to write something. When we arrived we were greeted at the gate and shown to our table. Four adults, one toddler and one baby. High hair was set up already. Celebrating grandma’s birthday. The young ladies serving us were lovely and very attentive throughout our visit. We ordered four afternoon tea and a sandwich and milkshake for the toddler (and baby shared sandwich). Toddlers eyes nearly fell out when the afternoon tea arrived and wasn’t happy when we adults started helping ourselves (she thought it was all for her, don’t worry we did share little nibbles with her). The selection was really good and at a fabulous price. We had an individual teapot each which was regularly topped up with hot water and/or teabags without having to request anything. Will definitely be back again. THOROUGHLY RECOMMEND

22nd May a little damp and breezy but went prepared with a blanket if needed. Greeted as soon as we walked through the gate and taken to our prebooked table for four adults, one toddler and high chair for baby. We all chose the afternoon tea and a plate of sandwiches for the toddler and baby to share. Beautifully presented especially at such an amazing price. Toddlers eyes nearly fell out with all the little cakes (which she managed a little of everything). Individual tea pots with a regular top up of hot water and tea bags if you wanted more. Lovely young ladies serving. We all had a fabulous couple of hours together. Would thoroughly recommend.

Beautiful garden setting and very friendly willing young staff. Cake, sandwiches and teas all lovely. Highly recommend

Location. Location. Location! Friendly service. Joyce is a scream. Her sense of repartee is as great as that of her hospitality. Thanks for remaining open in this difficult time. A haven of peace in this troubled world!

Lovely setting and staff. Very pleasant afternoon tea but not home made cakes.

This is a very well run establishment with tasty food. Would definitely return.

Just had afternoon tea at Elstow Tea Garden with my sister and my niece. What a delightful experience! Beautiful tranquil setting and a delicious selection of sandwiches and cakes, very reasonably priced too. Our first visit but it certainly won't be our last!

Absolutely brilliant! First class service and care... friendly and helpful staff. The location is amazing, did not want to leave. They prepared a bespoke Vegan cream tea, which was awesome! Thoroughly recommend anyone to visit here for a quick coffee or a full meal.

Had my second visit to this delightful Tea Gardens today and I will definitely be back again, the surroundings are quintessentially English and the food is delicious with a great choice on the menu at incredibly reasonable prices!

Yesterday wa had a delightful lunch at the tea garden. My two small children loved the food and the beautiful surroundings. A very positive and uplifting experience after being stuck indoors during lockdown. Thank you to all at Elstow tea Garden.

Joyce is wonderful. The service, food and drinks are excellent. I love this place xXx

This is a charming and unusual summer tea experience which reminded me of tea on the lawn on the farm where I lived as a child. The food was lovely and the music was live but unobtrusive. The owners made sure we were looked after well.

Absolutely love this place, ideal on a sunny day this is an oasis from nearby Bedford in the shadow of the stunning Elstow abbey. Great food, fantastic garden and friendly staff. Highly recommended.

A lovely find. Very nice service. Did not feel rushed even though we were there past closing time - they even kept the toilets open for us!

Lovely setting so relaxing sitting in the garden with the sun shining through the trees the lady who served us was very pleasant the coffee was lovely .We shared a toasted cheese and tomato sandwich also a scone and clotted cream with strawberry jam and fresh strawberry.very pleasant morning out.

Friendly staff, good cakes, also do lunches, lovely garden.

Beautiful gardens, peaceful and lovely food...whats not to like.

Lovely relaxed atmosphere to have morning or afternoon tea in!

This place isn't open all year so get in while you can. Behind the church and only go if the weather is good as you sit outside in a charming garden and a pond with Koi. Tables are placed all over the garden.Sunday lunch was lasagne or a chili chicken curry for £8.50 but we chose the panini for £4.95 which came professionally plated and was a nice light meal. Serving staff were delightful, we paid by card too which I wasn't expecting it. The place has a homely feel about it.

We went here for a light lunch food was good as was the service and such a delightful place to sit and relax on a sunny day

Lovely picturesque peaceful surroundings brilliant friendly service and yummy food ... and doggie friendly to... highly recommend 😊😊😊

Based on previous wonderful visits, we had a birthday party here and it was a glorious experience. We all without exception loved the day.

Staff went above and beyond to make sure we had a lovely afternoon which we defiantly did! Very accommodating for dietary restrictions, beautiful garden and child friendly. Would defiantly return and recommend :)

Lovely food beautiful garden friendly owner 5 stars all round

I cant rate this place high enough...we have just come back from my husbands birthday tea...and what a wonderful afternoon..first class service..first class food ..first class hospitality....joyce couldnt have done anymore for us if she had tried...thank you so much ..we will ve back soon ....this knocked spots of of our aft tea at the doubletrees hilton in cambridge so full marks and tgen some more for joyce ..her staff and the beautiful elstow tea gardens ❤❤❤❤❤

Just had my 70th Birthday afternoon tea what a Amazing place 26 family members Amazing Staff Food and Drinks Perfect in every way 11out of 10 Thank you all ❤

Absolutely first class, service and food x

Hidden little tea garden behind the church with pond, marquis and lots of seating. Great menu with reasonable prices.

Calm and quite a lovely place, good customer service. Will be going back while the weather is good.

Very attractive setting. Good service but lacking in gluten free options.

We had such a wonderful time here. Such a charming place to sit and relax. Very comfortable and beautiful surroundings. The afternoon tea was delicious and very reasonably priced. Service was perfect, very friendly. Would highly recommend to all.

We had such a wonderful time here. Such a charming place to sit and relax. Very comfortable and beautiful surroundings. The afternoon tea was delicious and very reasonably priced. Service was perfect, very friendly. Would highly recommend to all.

Really nice cream tea lovely garden to

Lovely little set up. We went in late summer & had tea & cakes in the garden (which I believe is the manse's back garden.) There was a lot of room to sit out in the sun, however on a chilly day there's a large tent set up. We took a 1 yr old for a little Birthday celebration. The tea & cakes were lovely, perhaps more pricey than I expected, but I'm sure some of that money goes back into running this place. The 1 year old loved it. There's a pint with coy carp, although i would stress young children have to be watched at all times (especially due to the pond.) There were high chairs available, a good amount of car park space, ammmienities good & a perfect location, although you know your close to a dual carriage way, you cannot hear it. Also a great opportunity to take in the surroundings of Elstow Abbey, pop into it if it's open, and even visit the village, although it's very small it does have a lovely pub. I would say it's suitable for someone in a wheel chair but the terrain, which isn't lengthy, is a bit rough & stoney so could cause some trouble/,discomfort. This tea garden is only open in the summer months as it is what it's says, in a garden, but I would definitely recommend a visit. Lively crockery & proper tea pots of tea!

I and friends have been here and have sat in the lovely grounds of Elstow Tea garden, lovely and relaxing over lunch with lovely sunshine which makes it all the better!! Well worth a trip to Elstow Tea Garden!Only downside is the small portions and overpriced food.

I have been to the tea gardens several times this year and look forward to going again next year. The food is great the service is good and the gardens are a delight. Such a beautiful relaxing place to go and share with friends and family.

Gorgeous setting. Excellent tea, scones and small cakes. £9.95 per person. Great value. Right beside the church and the Moot Hall. Saw two weddings. Very Old England, quite charming. Would definitely recommend

Have visited several times before after visiting my grandparents and fathers graves. This time, with my mother. Lovely tea and cakes in the garden. Really nice atmosphere and super friendly staff

We love coming here on a Sunday afternoon. Very nice relaxing atmosphere

Lovely hospitable staff, very reasonably priced. An all round great experience for all of our family.

Such a lovely, relaxing atmosphere and historic surroundings - excellent all round!

Off the beaten track in a lovely location, hidden behind the Abbey Church in historic Elstow, this place is a little quirky and a touch eccentric with its cottage garden full of tents, sheds and gazebos but marvelous value with great food and decent tea. A very enjoyable experience at a sensible price so it doesn't have to be only for special occasions.

I thought i would take my wife for nice treat after some retail shopping.Having discovered elstow tea room on trip adviser and reading the reviews we set of to find it.I Put the post code into the sat nav which took us straight there just a tip to any one going. Park in the large car park Go though the church gates and keep to the right of the wall.

What a hidden gem , and very good staff the food was well presented, The church was my old school church and is also worth a visit, in fact Elstow village is also worth walking round. We will def be going to the tea garden again.

What a delightful place. Definitely want to visit again and again.

best place for miles ..dog and child friendly..excellent service..beautiful surroundings..friendly helpful staff and owner..comfortable chairs ..excellent food who coyld ask for more ..thank you for a lovely aftetnoon

If you want tea and cake in an English country garden then this delivers. Excellent cake and a friendly owner. Adjacent to a picturesque church in a historic village

Came across by accident .nice stop off

Had afternoon tea several times here. Best value for money option I have had. Pretty gardens and child friendly.

Having discovered this hidden little gem two years ago I thought I better wrote a review! I absolutely love this place! The garden, food (and tea) is superb and excellent value! I have been there often twice a week over the past few months as I can't get enough of Joyce and her wonderful garden! I visit with family friends and my new baby Harrison (I'm sure he will be scoffing the cakes and ice creams soon enough)! Come rain or shine nothing can keep me away from this place! I love the afternoon tea especially as each time I have it (which is often) the sandwich fillings differ as do the cakes!! You must visit this place! You will not be disappointed!

what a pleasent experiance smiling friendly faces even when we had to grab our lunch and run into the marque out of the rain could not have been more fun very nice lunch so good we went back for afternoon tea

Hidden away behind the church and besides the abbey ruins, this is a little gem of a tea garden. As such, it is clearly weather dependent. The food is simple, sensibly with a limited menu, with friendly service and genuine hospitality. Quirky, quintessentially English, we hope it continues for many summers.

We have lived in Bedford for 2 years & have only just discovered this place. It is literally a couple's garden which is open to the public for cream teas, afternoon teas & other food. Their garden is beautiful with a huge pond & plenty of seating, in a marquee or beneath trees. We had the afternoon tea & considering we arrived an hour before closing time the bread was very fresh.

Lovely afternoon. People are so friendly. Nice tea and yummy food. Beautiful gardens. Also fantastic value for money. Took our grandmother who loved it! Will be back soon.

Hav been meaning to visit for ages. Fab private garden behind elstow abbey church. Lots of seating sunny and shaded areas staff very friendly service very good too. Plenty to choose from on small menu. Daughter had raspberry milk shake and a slice of cooked cheesecake I had a a cream tea. Lovely fresh scone jam cream and fresh strawberries with pot of tea all went down very quickly and very reasonable price will definitely go again. Will recommend to friends. Only down side only open Friday to Monday. Parking at back of church. Toilets in portacabin. Afternoon teas catered for looked really nice

This delightful tea garden is an hidden oasis. A little tricky to find, but a walk round the back of Elstow church one is rewarded with the most idyllic of situations. We were there from Scotland visiting our two grand children (oh and their parents) and spent a happy hour sipping tea and delicious carrot cake. Excellent young waiter and friendly owner. We will return.

I was working in the area with a colleague and having a bit of time to spare called in for tea and muffins. Although quite busy, with a party of walkers, the service was quick and the tea good and strong, what more can one ask for? :-)

Atmosphere is great, as are the staff but only serves 'gateaux' not the kind of standard cakes you expect at a tea room like this. Would go much more often if this improved.

After visiting the abbey we stopped off at the tea room. Lovely garden to spend your time in. Safe fish pond, toys for younger children. Yummy cakes with tea and coffee and even Sunday lunch If you book in advance.

My husband and I were cycling from Priory Marina to Elstow and found the Elstow tea garden a perfect break to relax for refreshments before continuing with our route to Cardington village. The garden is delightful with lots of tables and a modern summerhouse where they prepared pninis. They also do cooked lunches lasagne etc prepared in the house. With the fishpond, marquee for children and attractively decorated surroundings it is a real find.

beautiful garden very comfortable seating,warm welcome.our host was able to accommodate the 9 of us quite easily and served us quickly

This is a hidden gem, friendly and cheerful staff, the gardens are amazing and the pond is fab. They serve tea, coffee, cakes, sandwiches and hot lunches too. We had a cream tea and it was lovely. Very reasonably priced, will be going back!

Set in beautiful surroundings..lovely staff so friendly ..the food is really nice from afternoon tea to a lovely roast dinner.

Very pleasant and relaxing environment. Great choices of food and drinks all lovely! Defiantly will be back again!! :)

I was visiting the abbey and spotted the signs for the Tea Garden. I went to investigate and not knowing what to expect I was very pleasantly surprised to find a beautifully laid out and an extremely well kept garden. There were a range of tables, some outdoors with parasols and some under cover, and even some deckchairs to choose from. Some quirky touches too and it reminded me of visiting an Open Garden. I thought it was a really lovely place and it is obviously very well cared for.

Elstow is a very quaint village and the tearoom is set in a gorgeous cottage garden at the side of the Abbey. It was the perfect sunny afternoon with a gentle breeze, perfect for a light lunch. Everyone was so helpful and friendly. I had a freshly prepared salad and Earl Grey tea. My husband had a freshly prepared sandwich and tea and the homemade cakes and icecreams such as 'Knicker bocker glory' looked amazing. We will visit again soon as it's the perfect tearoom to unwind and enjoy the atmosphere of historical Elstow.

This is our 3rd visit and we were once again delighted. As it was rather cold we sat in the gazebo. Two of us had lunch and two of us had afternoon tea. All were delicious. Staff were attentive and efficient without being "in your face". Can't wait for our 4th visit- hopefully with a little sunshine.

The setting is perfect for this tea garden. Absolutely beautiful well kept garden and on the day we visited the weather was just lovely for late Sept . I was there for a £7.50 cream tea during this event of a retirement party.I have looked at the other reviews for this venue and it has been rated very good. Unfortunately my visit proved to be very disappointing and didn't live up to expectations. The reason for this would be mainly the the quality of the cream tea and amounts. The scone portions were a half scone with only 5 very tiny halves each with a small dollop of 'cream ' and jam for six people on the tables . When this was pointed out to the young server the response was a mumble of 'oh' and then a considerable amount of time later we overheard the same server tell a older server pointing to our table telling her we said their wasn't enough scones,the older server just grunted and ignored it all. There were 6 people on our table and 1 cream tea tier to share. I do have to mention the quality of the food was disappointing . There was very cheap looking/tasting Swiss roll cut in half and thin as possible and to add insult to injury they were dried out along with some other kind of cake of the most tiniest size . Sandwiches were basic but passable although meagrely filled and not enough as mentioned. On the positive side the pot of tea was nice and coffee was available.The tea cups were stained inside. The servers curiously did come around with a tray of micro small cocktail sausages,sausage rolls and scotch eggs asking if we which we would like (?) . Anyhow in a nutshell lovely gardens/venue .....we enjoyed the lovely company we had for the afternoon and the event it was meant for. Sorry Elstow Tea Gardens ... You had a lot of potential custom that afternoon it seemed like you didn't care.

One of Bedfordshire's best kept secrets ! The best way to spend a Sunday afternoon, beautiful gardens , a lovely relaxing atmosphere and perfect hosts. The food is great too !

Such a lovely venue, the gardens are beautiful and it was lovely to see all my work friends old and new, but unfortunately having paid £7:50 each for the afternoon tea I have to say it wasn't a lot of food ,I certainly didn't expect to be sharing one cake stand of food between 5 people, it was very irractically served, and we had to ask for our tea, then asking for more seemed to be asking for the earth, the young bigger built waitress that served us was so miserable I'm not sure if she knew the concept of a smile. Then to be asked if we wanted sausage ,sausage roll or mini egg, what did you mean or....for that money I expected it all. We could of had a roast dinner for that!!!. I see on trip advisor what we had should have been between two. You must of been quids in on Sunday!

This was a lovely unexpected pleasure. Great garden, with lots of chairs, gazebos and a friendly welcome. Bit tucked away round the side of the church but go hunting and enjoy this delightful Tea Garden.

Only open from April - September, this beautiful garden is ideal for a weekend afternoon when all you want to do is relax away from the world's madness! Set right next to Elstow Abbey, the tea garden is best ride out in fine weather - although they do have a smallish marquee.

We visited here on a Saturday afternoon for a friends 30th Birthday and took advantage of the Champagne Afternoon Tea. Joyce could not have been more helpful from our initial contact via email and this continued throughout the afternoon. The food was amazing, not to mention excellent value for money. We were left to relax and enjoy the afternoon in the stunning garden and never once felt rushed. A huge thanks to the team for their excellent service and we will certainly be back!!

What a little gem to have afternoon tea.The gardens are stunning and Joyce and bill are very welcoming.We had Joyce's homemade cheesecake and my thirteen year old son had a super knickerbocker glory which he said was "amazing".We will be back with the whole family.

An amazing setting for a vintage afternoon tea party/hen party. The owners Joyce and Bill made us so welcome and all the staff including the waitresses went out of there way to help and make it a memorable day for my daughter and guests.The assortment of food was first class and thoroughly enjoyed by all. Some of our guests have since been back and made a return visit as they so enjoyed not only the food but the beautiful gardens. If you have never been, it is well worth a visit.Keep up the amazing work and thank you for helping to make it a special day.

From steaming teapots to scrumptious scones, Elstow Tea Garden is an oasis of calm where you immediately feel relaxed. fantastic value and a beautiful way to unwind on a summers day.

We have just followed our renewal of vows by having our guests join us for afternoon tea in the gardens.

A wonderful afternoon in a most beautiful place. The food & drink were lovely. The service was very friendly. Would love to stay there all day.

We called in on a Friday afternoon and had the £7.50 afternoon tea. Very good value including a pot of tea, sandwiches, a prawn canape, scones with clotted cream, strawberries and jam plus cakes. Its very tranquil and obviously a tea room that's opened up in someone's back garden. We enjoyed it and would visit again.

A quintessentially afternoon tea and a lot more. Beautiful gardens behind the Abbey with a very comprehensive menu. We had afternoon tea which was both fresh and plentiful.