Lily's Secret Vintage Tearoom in Stafford

I order afternoon tea delivered to my elderly parent home as a treat. What arrived was a box of cakes - that's it for about £34 (can't remember the exact cost but that doesn't matter. No sandwiches, no pastries - just cakes! Granted, enough of them to make 2 people feel sick. Phoned and complained but got a 'that's what it is' response. Was told the owner would ring me but predictably she didn't. Anywhere that has as many negative ratings as good ones sends out a warning, pity I didn't see them before ordering.

Had tried to visit this place previously but think we were too early so delighted to find it open this time, lovely riverside setting and a very good menu. The smoked salmon and cream cheese bagel was delicious and very reasonably priced. A lovely place by the river to enjoy a relaxed lunch on a sunny day. There is quite a bit of space and some shade for those who don’t like the sun, a wide choice of food and drink and reasonably priced. My friend that was with me asked about Lily and she is alive and well and living above together shop!

The tea room was gentle and the food added to a perfect day. Good vibes from the rooms and staff. I recommend you try for yourself.

I like what they are trying to do here. The tea/ cakes are good. Sadly some of the old/vintage china has had better days. But a nice place on a wet afternoon when your sick to death of afternoon TV.

I booked 27 afternoon teas to be delivered to our school for the staff as an end of term treat. The food arrived an hour before giving us plenty of time to lay it out. There was more than enough food even for our hungry staff! Plenty of selection of cakes and sandwiches along with large sausage rolls. The fresh strawberries which were a surprise looked fantastic when we had arranged it. Would certainly use Lily’s again. The price was excellent as well. We’ve gone home with goody bags of cake as well!

I enjoyed a super lunch at Lily's today ... delicious minted soup (which Sarah had made) with multi-seeded bread and butter, loose leaf Earl Grey tea and a slice of beautifully moist damson and Earl Grey tea cake. (I was spoilt for choice with the cakes and tarts so I took a piece of damson and apple tart home with me!) Highly recommended.

Lovely tearoom where you won't be hurried and can enjoy a nice cuppa and a piece of cake. Nice range of cakes.

Me and the wife had just visited the nursery and thought we would call in for a coffee to support a local business. The chap watering the plants said the tea room should be open. We duly went inside and found it to be closed even though it was only 3.15 on a Friday afternoon and the closing time displayed was 4pm. Thank goodness Costa doesn’t close early!

We enjoy going here because it is such an unusual setting. The tea room is in a section of a nursery complex with a variety of vintage items and gifts on sale. The food and drink is good and prices are reasonable. Service is pleasant and prompt.

Because I live locally and Swanpit is such a fabulous nursery I thought I'd give the tearooms another chance. I've been disappointed in the past and was disappointed again. Had sausage sandwich and coffee. Two sausages plonked in the middle if a slice of cheap white bread. When I cut the sausages through they weren't fully cooked. The instant coffee was ok but the milk was off and curdled. The lady who was serving was too busy talking to a potential client than to pay attention to us/ the food and all this for £10!!!! Would give this a miss.

After eventually finding the site with no much help from the owner we found the empty tea room was in fact a cold greenhouse building with a very small choice of cakes. We therefore decided not to stay

We booked exclusive use of the tea room for a hen party. Sarah was perfect from Start to finish. The room was set out with quirky atmosphere. The food (which there was plenty of) was delicious, in particular we loved the quiche!!! The cakes were soft and fresh and the lemon drizzle was a big hit with the bride. The Coffee was fresh and the fresh pots kept coming! A perfect place for relaxing with girly friends. Thank you for helping to make her day so special!

I had an afternoon tea party for my 60th birthday with 17 friends. the food was lovely - excellent sandwiches, gorgeous warm scones and plenty of cake to finish with. As much tea and coffe as you could drink. We were so full after the scones that many people took their cake home with them to eat later! The tables were beautifully decorated and we stayed much longer than anticipated. I can thorughtly recommend this tea shop for small informal parties and the cost is very reasonable.

Three of us made a special trip to Lily's for afternoon tea, I bought it as a gift for two friends. The nursery itself was a bit dishevelled, and there was no customers there for the majority of time we were there. The cafe isn't what I was expecting, however it was really nice for a catch up with friends. The tea came in a huge pot for 2 of us, we should have asked for a pot of water (we were too busy chatting). The sandwiches were freshly made, i had a sausage sandwich, which was lovely. We then followed with a scone with clotted cream and jam which was lovely. The afternoon was then followed by a slice of cake, we were all too full so we asked for the cake to be wrapped for us to take home and the lady serving us was pleasant and wrapped it for us to take away. We were expecting it to be busier but it was great for a catch up for the three of us.

Called for coffee and cake. Coffee was instant and undrinkable. Lemon cake was soggy and although we ate it, we both had indigestion for the rest of the day. Shop itself was quaint and kwerky and girl was pleasant but not impressed with food and no fly deterrent!!

Viajado un largo camino sólo para los refrescos por la tarde. Esperaba un cappuccino y pasteles, pero me dijeron que un paquete de café que estaba llena de azúcar debido a la leche en polvo. No diabéticos amable. No es un buen comienzo. Pasteles eran,...

We use the garden centre regularly but this was our first visit to the tea room. Initial impressions when entering were good with lots of interesting items on display. The women serving was friendly and helpful but the food and drink let the place down. My wife had a nice looking coffee cake and I had a slice of fruit cake/fruit bread. Both of the cakes were tasteless and hard. We suspected they were not fresh. Two wrapped pats of butter were served with the cakes but they had totally melted into a running mess before arriving at our table, obviously not refrigerated. There did not appear to be any sweeteners or lemon available for my wife's tea. Our tea and coffee , despite being served in attractive crockery tasted more like bulk catering and was very forgettable. Being in a greenhouse we found it very hot but we were able to move to an outside table, however the food on display was not able to escape the heat.I like to see small businesses like this succeed and will try one more visit before giving up as a customer. I hope they address the 'freshness of the food' issue.

We were at Swan Pit nurseries buying pot plants and decided to stop for a snack. It was an extensive menu but being mid morning we chose a sausage sandwich and pot of tea. The sandwich was served on nice fresh bread and cooked while we waited. The assistant was friendly and very interesting surroundings. Also nice cakes and scones for sale. Pat H, Stafford

Been a few times before and decided to have some lunch there. Unless something improves enormously, we won't be going back or recommending it to others.We waited half an hour from ordering to being served. Now if it is good, I don't mind waiting. This wasn't! Ploughman's lunch was a slice of packet processed ham, 2 small pieces of cheese -dry and mouldy! The portion if coleslaw had that slight fuzz to it, suggesting it was starting to ferment-ie going off. The pickled onions, tortilla chips and chutney were ok. The 'warm roll' was if it had been defrosted in a microwave - partly dry and hard, partly soggy. It was served with a butter that tasted sour.I pointed these things out when we paid. I refused to pay for mine (which is not like me-it has to be VERY bad). We were told that they couldn't understand why these had happened...... I can. They were either out of date and/or not been stored or prepared properly. An easy visual inspection told you it was not fit to serve.It could be (used to be) a lovely little place, but certainly wasn't today. Very disappointed.

Lily's Secret Vintage Tearoom delivered a fabulous afternoon tea to my workplace for my birthday. All delivered to the office. Lots of cakes, scones and sandwiches, we even had enough for the following day! Would definitely recommend to anyone looking for a local outside caterer. A great way to celebrate, many thanks.

Whilst visiting Swan pit nursery we decided to stop in the tea room for coffee. After looking at the menu we decided to have lunch there. I had a delicious cheese and onion toasted sandwich and other half had a bacon and cheese panini.. both were made fresh and were yummy! Coffee was lovely too. The cutlery,plates and cups are very quirky and quaint. Fab service,very relaxed and will be returning. Would def recommend.

We had a cream tea as part of a workshop at a local University. The scones were enormous and served with generous portions of cream and jam, they were so nice I took another one home with me! Will definitely visit when we are up that way on a walk perhaps on the nearby canal at Gnosall or Norbury Junction.

I recently visited Lily's Secret Vintage Tearoom with my husband for a cooked breakfast as a bit of a Sunday treat. I already knew where the Tearoom was, so not a secret to me. It is situated within a lovely family owned Garden Nursery and so no surprise it is housed to one end of the glasshouse, as are many Tearooms. The surroundings are pleasant and easily accessible, ideal for anyone with a wheelchair and mums with pushchairs, though not too many all at one. Although, in the warm weather there is plenty of room to sit outside. I would think it is also well situated for anyone walking or cycling (easy to keep an eye on the expensive bike!!). Anyway, the breakfast, freshly cooked for all was a real treat, very tasty, not at all greasy and excellent value too, with fruit juice and endless tea or coffee. We also wanted to buy a few plants, so it was an ideal location for us, with plenty of parking. We do go to other Tearooms/coffee shops nearby each offering different things, but we will be returning to Lily's Secret Vintage Tea Rooms again and spread the word.

I regularly pop along to Lily's Tearoom for lunch. Jackets are well filled with salad and slaw. Lovely hot drinks, and I love the coffee and walnut cake. Can't wait to go back again!

Just thought I would treat myself to a breakfast. The tearoom was absolutely freezing , there were a couple off heaters, but not enough to warm the place . The Farmhouse breakfast was ok, not great ingredients though. Sausages I think we're pre cooked ones! The lady was so lovely though. I was disappointed as looking forward to trying it . It definitely needs to be warmer and the breakfast ingredients upgraded

wide selection of cakes all home baked. Delicious home baked sultana scones and cheese scones. Freshly cut sandwiches on bloomer bread. Quality teas and coffee's. Quirky items for sale and lovely gifts. Visited on numerous occasions.

Friendly service and proper homemade cakes lovely smell of cakes cooking while eating a traditional good breakfast will visit again

Oh dear! What a pity! I returned hoping the owner had taken on board my previous (constructive) comments. Sadly not. The tea room was almost empty and it will remain thus if the owner does not make improvements. The bread roll was frozen, then defrosted and was like granite, it was so hard. The scones looked delicious and I ordered one with clotted cream and jam. The clotted cream was lumpy and did not have a good appearance. I think it had been frozen too long. But the fruited scone was like cutting cardboard and when it was returned it I was told it had been baked the day before!Now when I was at catering college we were always told that scones should be freshly cooked because they go stale very quickly due to the minimal butter content. I feared for my teeth and passed on the scone and cream. Avoid! Last time I visited I commented that the sponge was dry, with little filling. In an almost empty tea room I was surprised to see plate upon plate of sliced sponge cake unwrapped and drying out nicely. It was a toss up which would have been the drier - the scone or the sponge cakes.Not recommended. Pity proprietor has failed to heed comments.

First visit to cafe, as we always buy our plants at this lovely local nursery so we decided to have drinks and cake. We asked the lady behind the counter what coffees does she serve and she proudly announced Americano or Cappucino so based on the coffees we have in Costa and Starbucks we ordered an Americano and pot of tea. It arrived we were disappointed to find that it was just the instant variety, looked terrible and tasted of mud, undrinkable and disgusting, and served with milk that came with my wife's tea, no cream and tea was one teabag in an oversized pot so very weak. Would not go back again or recommend to friends or neighbours.

First visit here and it was really nice. Formed from the back half of one of the greenhouses at Swan Pit Garden Centre, this is a cute little cafe. A good cuppa, lovely cake (although my wife said hers was just a bit dry) and friendly staff. Enjoyable.

Ample parking space and there is a garden centre ajoining this tearoom, The menus were bitty and not geared to our taste. So we choose a snack.My husband was not happy with his scone although it is home baked. He said he was comparing it with mine! I don't bake now as I have diabetes so maybe he is remembering with rose coloured spectacles! He also said his tea was weak. My tea-cake was toasted as I requested ie very well done.There are lots of vintage things to buy. A good place to pop in and buy your plants at the same time.

I do understand that the tea room is set in a part of the nursery and is not a smart, beautifully furnished village tea room. But for us it worked. The tea room is advertised as 'vintage' and it was just that, so met our expectations. The light lunch was well presented and certainly value for money and the pot of tea really hit the spot. We could have easily drunk another one! The only comments I gave is that a slice of home cooked ham rather than the wafer thin one served with our lunch would have vastly improved it, as would a little more jam on the sponges and perhaps a bread roll without such a hard crust. I would happily have paid a little more for these small improvements which would have given this review maximum score.Dear owner, none of these suggestions spoiled our lunch and we will return but comments are essential in any business to use to make improvements. You have a lovely idea with the vintage tea rooms and I was certainly taken back to the middle of the last century.

What a lovely discovery! We were enjoying our visit to Swan Pit Garden Centre, but the rain started, so we sought sanctuary in the tearoom. We enjoyed excellent coffee & home made cakes (I can particularly recommend the coffee & walnut), which were served in delightfully eccentric vintage china. Interestingly, they have a selection of vintage items for sale and also run craft workshops too.

Despite the obvious effort that is being applied to provide a fascinating environment and yummy home made fair, I was pleasantly surprised to be served a perfectly made cup of proper coffee! Made all the better by being served in vintage china too.

Lily's is a wonderful surprise to find tucked away in a garden centre. It's got a delightfully eclectic atmosphere with lots of different seating styles pulled together by a quaint vintage theme. The clock is turned back when tea is served - elegantly mismatched crockery adds character to the freshly baked cakes and light lunches on offer. Well worth a visit ... but make sure you come prepared to sit back, relax and enjoy the time out.

We were on our Sunday walk and looking for a cafe for a Pre-walk breakfast and had located this cafe on the web; but we couldn't find it - must be the secret. It of the name! So, we went to a local garden centre, knowing that they usually have refreshments, & guess what, the secret isn't a secret anymore! The Secret Ta Rooms are actually part of the garden centre!The breakfast we had was lovely, just basic, but that's what we wanted; the food is served on old fashioned crockery & so full of character with nice little touches.However, the tea rooms are in a sort of conservatory that is part of the garden centre and is a bit tatty and run down; only my opinion, but the tea rooms would be better in a village location in a nice room and setting, maybe Gnosall, but may be too many cafes there already?However, there was an advert for a pop up tea room and so maybe could be hired if you were having a function at home or village hall etc?Oh, just another point, we saw one website say the post code is ST20 2EE - this is wrong and not recognised by SatNav - it should be ST20 0EE!