Tiptree Tea Room in Colchester

As with all visits to Wlikins' tea rooms, the food was good quality. This time we had toasted sandwiches with tea to drink. The problem was with the service. It took around 20 minutes for our order to be taken; 20 more for the tea to arrive and then another 15 before the sandwiches came. By which time we'd finished the tea. They did offer us a free second pot, although when it arrived a different server gave us a bill for it (although this was retracted when I carefully explained). The issues were clearly that (a) not enough staff (b) staff covering too wide an area - there are three zones - inside, outside and the marquee- and staff appeared to be flitting all over the place. We weren't the only ones - st least two other couples walked out and one couple had a similar wait for their cream teas. And this was at around 2.30pm, not the lunch hour rush. Sorry it out, Wilkins We love your products but this has really put us off your tea rooms. Which is a shame.

Great food, but slow service. Toilets were filthy. We were surrounded by tables that needed clearing and cleaning. Staff seemed disorganised and chaotic. Luckily the food was good. Won’t rush back.

On Sunday we visited the open day farm show with lots of stands it was an excellent turn out plenty for the children to look at and do after we went to tearooms it was busy but we were greeted and seated and we didn’t have to wait too long to place our order the food as always was excellent quality and served with a smile There were a few new members of young staff who were very helpful and polite. It’s always a pleasure to go to the tearooms in Tiptree where nothing is too much trouble for their customers a special bolthole Well done to the Sunday team on a hectic day. Lyn and Peter Watts.

Arrived as arranged for celebration afternoon tea, squashed on a tiny table for two, asked for a larger table as lots vacant but told no. then 2 walk in's were seated at the larger round table next to us!!! asked again to be moved and reluctantly they moved us. Toasted sandwiches ok squashed onto the bottom of a stand. requested one plain and one fruit scone but two fruit ones came had to be changed, had to go to counter to get butter. The two cakes were both chocolate same cake different toppings, a bought Bakewell tart the other cake ?not sure what it was. Had to ask for refill of tea. When paying the bill with gift card acceptable for 2 years they wanted to charge me another £5 Wont bother going again very poor afternoon tea and service

Yet another delightful experience today Greeted with a smile which is always important they were very busy but the staff had everything under control and everyone was seated without waiting too long I had a delicious prawn 🦐 sandwich and for pudding a lemon tart and cream It’s always a pleasure to visit the tearooms and it’s a perfect bolthole ! Thank you to you all

My partner and I had delicious ploughman’s lunch followed by fab home made Victoria sponge. Staff were super friendly. Food reasonably priced. Will visit again .

Walked to the village with a friend and decided to have lunch there on the spur of the moment. Although we got there at lunchtime, the wait was under half an hour but we could see the waitresses were super busy. The food was hit and miss. My halloumi and tomato warm sandwich was nice although it was supposed to come with gooseberry chutney and came with onion relish instead but it was tasty nonetheless. My friend had the mozzarella, tomato and basil sandwich and he said it wasn't very tasty. I ordered a gin and tonic with their recommended English strawberry gin liqueur and it was a complete disappointment. There was no hint of the strawberry gin liqueur at all, to the point that I suspected they only gave me the tonic! The waitress told me it was normal as it's supposed to be very faint, not like regular g&t. I felt I'd been conned as I was really looking forward to trying it. We had lemon meringue pie with coffee for him and assam tea for me and this was nice but nothing special. All in all, although I was happy to help the local economy, the experience was nowhere near as good as I hoped. The waitresses were very nice but looked very tired. The little museum is interesting and the shop is ok but after having the tasteless gin liqueur I didn't buy anything.

I used to come here with my Mum and Dad and so badly wanted it to be everything it used to be. Sadly it is not. I think the biggest issue is that they are understaffed. Maybe. The food was a bit ropey at best. The quiche (which I specifically asked if it was served warm and was told it was served hot) was cold. I asked for it to be warmed up. It came back minutes later microwaved to within an inch of its life. The “salad” that accompanied the quiche was more garnish. The four new potatoes were probably the size of a grape. Coleslaw was nice. Overall it was really disappointing. The scone was nice but one scone is served with one pot of jam and two scones are also served with one pot of jam. Go figure. The mocha was very watery. The tea was nice. All in all not great but the museum and shop are both very good.

After trying to get in the previous week, but it was too busy ; we arrived before 12 this time as suggested in the website, due to all pre book-able spaces being taken for the whole week (!), and got a table immediately. The lunch starts at 12:00 and the crab sandwich special was delicious! We shared this, along with the cream tea. The little touches mattered, like bringing out our shared sandwich on 2 plates- each with crisps & dressed salads which showed that thought from the kitchen. The warm scone cream tea was also enough for 2. A lovely place & great to wander around the museum. Really pleased we came back the next week, was so worth it!

We were recommended this as a stop before we got to Five Lakes, and it didn't disappoint. I had the cheese ploughman's but didn't have the blue, so they gave me extra brie. My partner had the Ham and turkey salad but only with ham. So they gave her extra ham. Both are excellent. I then had a delicious lemon tart. My only criticism was my partners doughnut was stale sadly. We will return and recommend this place, though.

The three stars are for the staff who were great- the food which was a dessert and ice cream was disappointing- I’ve yet to be wowed by food from this chain

Used to be so lovely with the room decorated with pretty Tea cups . Now it is like a basic cafe with bare brown sticky tables. After requesting ours to be cleaned I had to hold the tea tray away so it was not sprayed too. The scones were dry and solid I only ate one of the two given as a cream tea . No choice of jam offered . The only positive of our visit was buying fresh strawberries in the shop that were so fresh . Staff stood chatting and one re did her hair while in the food area. Will not be visiting again.

really disappointed the food was tasteless tough and cold the bread used for toast appeared to be straight from the packet.Some money was deducted from the bill, the staff were excellent. From being a place I liked I am not in a hurry to return.

This place is now mass catering operation. Their quiche used to ge home made and delicious now it is bland shop bought and not worth the price tag. Partner had scotch egg salad which was OK. You que in a most drafty area waiting for staff to seat you. With so many very elderly customers this needs sorting although there are chairs for the que. Such a shame as we loved this place. Lost its character completely.

I love this place. I visit it usually over the weekend when is sunny weather during my walk to Hylands park. They offer solid cofee, good tea and if you choose well they have amazing cheesecakes. I mostly sit outside. They could have there more plants around but it’s only my personal aesthetic view on the terrace. Stuffs are smiley and friendly.

Very disappointing visit. Long wait. Cheese scones were cold and even though request to warm them and were very small. Not value for money.

Lovely lunch in comfortable surroundings with really great service. A good place to meet friends and have lunch or afternoon tea. Would recommend.

Excellent coffee and bacon sandwiches. We visited with two dogs- very dog friendly. Staff are very accommodating and friendly. Breakfasts had finished being served but obliged with bacon sandwiches. Very fresh fluffy bread and their own ketchup in a small jar...just filled the spot. Lovely jars of produce in sale at very reasonable prices. Great window seat in the sun for people watching! Would highly recommend

Visited the museum and tea room yesterday on our way back from Five Lakes. Musuem was small but informative and well documented. We then went into the cafe and ordered two coffees. There were at least five occupied tables. It seemed like people had been waiting for sometime for their orders. There was one waitress taking the orders and serving and yet there was someone behind the counter not doing much. Even when another waitress appeared the service did not improve. Our coffees were okay. I suggest someone with experience needs to take charge now and make changes to how the cafe is run!

Booked a table but then it wasnt explained that you didnt need to queue up outside and wait to be called in, Cheese Sandwich was very dry and almost inedible, and waitress was extremely rude that served us, all in all a very poor experience all round

have visited several times before and has generally been quite good. Yesterday (25/1/23) they were very short staffed. They cordoned off a section so as not to be used - instead of seating those queuing in the cordoned off area until their seat was available, they left people standing outside under a canopy. We waited at least one hour outside in the cold (0.5c). There were people inside at tables having a chat after finishing their food and drink - no effort was made by staff to hurry them along. When we eventually had our food and drink, the lady behind the till became very shirty when I told her the service was unreasonably slow. Could they not see their approach was completely wrong?? They did not even offer a cup of tea or coffee as a small gesture for the unreasonable inconvenience. Definitely will not be going back there anytime soon.

We went for afternoon tea, the tea room was easy to find with plenty of parking spaces. The Staff were very friendly and polite, and the service was excellent. The food was well presented and very nice, good value for money.

Was with some friends . My English background took a flashback when grand parents used to serve jams and tea . Nice service and very welcoming .

Lovely tea room to visit after the jam museum trip. Small and personal. Very pretty and good food and drinks menu.

Unfortunately the nice food was overshadowed by terrible service. The service was slow, one of the four dishes ordered was forgotten and the manager’s frosty attitude when discussing the issues we had suggest this is an ongoing issue. It took a long time have our...

Left to queue outside in the cold. lots of empty tables inside.Toasties dull unimaginative basic bread raw onion. Asked for salad dressing. None in entire place. Sachet of salad cream. Generally a very depressing vibe. Mr Wilkinson needs to pay a visit to his tea...

Shocking service we were showed to our table by the manageress who then ignored us for 20 minutes who claimed she never saw us when questioned. She managed to see the other customers who arrived after us

My partner and I travelled here today for a cream tea, we arrived at approximately 1:15pm so we decided to have lunch first. I ordered quiche of the day with salad and new potatoes, my partner ordered the ploughman’s lunch with salad and new potatoes...

We had a look round the museum and shop, which were very good, and then decided on a cup of tea. We then saw the afternoon tea and though the price was very reasonable and thought we would give it a go. It had good...

Returned to my home county to make a trip to Tiptree jam factory. The shop is well stocked with all of Wilkins products that are only a fraction over supermarket prices. The tearooms were lovely, polite friendly staff who were readily available when needed. The...

Went to Heybridge yesterday and it cost £40 for two of us to have lunch! We had a toasted sandwich and a Bakewell tart afterwards. We had a drink also

This place got maximum points for having a separate menu for gluten free choices and gluten free cream tea available! Lovely staff and really good range of food. We saw the ploughman’s platters which were beautifully presented. Very competitive prices and a little museum to...

Gets v busy and offten fully booked but helpful with walkins and great at looking after kids. Clean loos, nice food. Good priced hot drinks.

My friend and I visited this tea room today and were really impressed with the service and vegan options. We had the festive afternoon tea, mine was vegan but my friends was not. It was delicious, we couldn’t eat it all but were offered a...

The hot toasted tea cake was cold I made them aware they took away returned a few minutes later still cold They must leave it too long before delivery I pointed out on ordering could it please be hot. Thank goodness or it would have...

I took my mum out for lunch for her birthday on Saturday, along with my 3 year old. I was disappointed that they make you queue outside in the rain, much to my daughters disgust also. This never used to be the case so I...

Long wait , and then food took ages (food thankfully still good). Queried wait and told they were very busy which was absolutely untrue

Most tables still removed with low levels of staffing Covid practices still in place A very long wait Be a while before we go back

We visit tea rooms regular and can say food is of a good standard. But on this visit we thought we would have a prosseco afternoon tea. Normal afternoon tea £30 and extra £8 for prosseco what a disappointment we where given a 20cl bottle...

We have been there on many occasions over the years and had a fantastic ploughman’s lunch with thick cut ham, turkey, fresh homemade bread! Nothing like that on our return after COVID.. the same price though might I add. For £11.95, we got served one...

Arrived on a bicycle in pouring rain and went to the covered area outside. Went to order and when I said I was in the tent outside I was told by a member of staff that due to health & safety staff could not walk...

Having had purchased for me on my 70th Birthday 5/8/2019 a voucher for cream tea for two, which has I believe a 2 year life span, my wife and I have been trying to use it since that date with no luck whatsoever. We have...

Basic, very basic. £30 afternoon tea, 2 sandwiches, 2 scones and 4 cake samples + unlimited tea. Thursday lunchtime. Busyish - Seemed like an age for service - 45 minutes. Then another half hour for food. Serving staff not that attentive but pleasant.

We had a lovely afternoon tea, 5 of us aged 3 to 88. All of us had a lovely time enjoyed the food..... Great scones! All the staff attentive and smiley. Super popular, easily accessible for oldies, tinees and 4 legged friends. This was my...

I can only describe the lunch my husband and I had as very poor value, We both had Ploughman's lunches and, as can be seen in the attached photo, these consisted of one slice of 'plastic ham', a small quantity of cheese, a soft roll...

Coffee wasn’t the best but the service from the lovely young staff was friendly and warm. Coffee needs to be improved and warmer. Scones delicious

I'm on a mission to eat at every Tiptree cafe (don't ask...) in Essex, and Tiptree was next on my list. Plenty of parking, with a shop and museum alongside if you wished to spend further time, I arrived and met with my cousin. There...

I Had a Cream Tea Delivered to my Daughters Birthday She said it was Delicious and Delivered on time Thankyou and Good Value 👍

Placed a large Christmas gift order and had to call three times to sort out the delivery as they had sent it to the wrong address ina different city. Took over two weeks and now giving my money back. No explanation from them or apology....

The breakfast wasn’t bad although I think they could make more of promoting their jams to have with toast. The toast was made from standard supermarket bread. Not the best to showcase such good jams. Tiptree sauces not really available with breakfast - personally I...

Always busy , very good lunch and cream teas , had the quiche with salad very tasty , the cream tea is yummy . Good service and friendly warm greeting

Visited recently for lunch. Had to queue outside in the rain to wait for a table. Once inside found tables adequately spaced. Had a delicious Brie and bacon toastie. Friends had macaroni cheese and gluten free toastie which they enjoyed. Good service and felt safe. One way system in place.

Brought my friend here to have the traditional afternoon tea for her birthday. Delighted to say it lived up to Tiptree's usual high standards.Clear processes in place for social distancing. The tea room doesn't take bookings but we only had to wait about 20 mins for a table. Very helpful & pleasant staff. We were asked for our choice of sandwiches (we went for brie & gooseberry chutney and ham & mustard). Scones were delicious & light. Sad to say we were defeated by the cakes & couldn't finish them all, but a box to take the last 2 home was readily available.

We visited here for the first time this summer, we visited as a family of four adults.There is a queue outside for indoor and outdoor seating, so be prepared to wait up to half an hour, but there are chairs dotted around for those who struggle to stand up for a long time.Masks are required in the small jam shop, the small shop is full of Tiptree memorabilia (postcards, prints, posters) and several different varieties of jams and preserves, so well worth a look!The tearoom has a beautiful hidden garden, (just behind the jam factory), with wooden benches which is amazing in the summer. There is also indoor seating available per request.The small museum located next to the tearoom is indoors so masks are required. It was so interesting to walk around it and read all of the history behind the company. The museum is only one room and not very large, so don't expect it to fill a whole day of exploring!The service was excellent, with both of our servers being very knowledgeable about the food and the museum, which was nice.We visited for lunch and enjoyed four cream teas, all of which were of excellent quality. The clotted cream was of good quality, as were the scones and Tiptree jam which were provided. We also ordered a slice of lemon cake which was very good.Cream teas are reasonably priced, considering the atmosphere and high quality of the food, I feel the price is justified.This is well worth a lunch time visit if you are in the area!

Myself and 3 friends had a lovely lunch here today. The food was delicious and staff were very friendly. However, my friends and I were disappointed when we were told that a table couldn't be moved for us into the shade under the canopy in the garden. We were told that we could sit inside if we preferred, however given the covid situation we all felt safer outside. Because it was very very hot and there wasn't sufficient shade under our parasol, we actually ended up having to sit closer together in order to be out of the sun, which isn't ideal given the increased risk of spreading/catching the virus. We were told that there would not be enough staff to cover the tables if one more was set up, however we couldn't understand why a table couldn't have been marked as 'out of use' instead in order to keep the number of tables the same? I know that it's difficult for businesses now, but there was only one table under the large shade canopy in the garden, so plenty of room for more. I think a little bit more flexibility during a heatwave for outdoor seating would have been good!

Today was our first meal out since... & it was a really nice experience. We sat in the newly opened gardens & were served by the very friendly Matt. The breakfast was delicious & the atmosphere was relaxing, despite the safety measures (which are unobtrusive & reassuring). All in all an Excellent Secret Garden Experience.

Excellent food, friendly service, very safe. What more can you want? We did have to queue for 10 minutes but we were here bang on lunch time

We visited here as it was near to a pub we had just eaten in for lunch .. We didn’t eat in the tearoom (we had already eaten ) On walking through it was full up with a que of people waiting .. so it must be worth the wait.. We went into the museum.. (Free entry)It was great! We watched the tv screen and read information and looked at the pictures and machinery around .. Very interesting indeed . I took my elderly parents and my son and we really enjoyed it . We went into the shop where we brought some lovely Tiptree Jams .. Wow what a selection . Not just Jam but Gins , sauses, and other gifts to buy.. Staff friendly and chatty .. A must visit for all families. It was for us a short but sweet visit .. Was nice to visit somewhere unusual ... Will go again if we are over that way again .. Maybe we won’t eat before so we can enjoy a lovely looking cream tea .. Yummy x

On visiting family in Essex it always has to involve a visit to the tea rooms in Tiptree. Plenty of car parking space and a great menu. Whether a full English breakfast or a cream tea you will not be disappointed. Lovely area, and if you have time a museum to visit. Excellent staff, and a shop next door for a great selection of jams.

Was going to another Tiptree tea room but couldn’t find it so we carried on to here Seated straightaway just had cake and drink but always worth the visit Museum had changed a bit and Red Bus in car park which I’ve never seen before no doubt will visit again when weather is better

For my mums birthday a group of us, my mum, aunt, gran and cousin, met up for lunch at the tea rooms. My first ever visit and I am telling you straight up, I'm definitely going again! The food was delicious, it's a basic menu you can see online but the ingredients are perfect. The staff were friendly and can tell are working their hardest to please all customers. The facilities were clean and they catered to disabilities. We didnt do the museum but we did look in the shop,so many tasty items, diabetics can shop there too!! Definitely a 10/10 experience!!

I've just moved into the area and have been here about 4 times, each time I have been I have eaten something different and have not been disappointed.

Fabulous place for Lunch or Tea! Wonderful service, fresh food nicely presented and very reasonably priced. Nice variety on menu and charming little shop if you wish to browse. Both of us purchased vouchers as gifts and will definitely be back!

We were seated reasonably quickly even though there was a queue. The waiting staff were polite and helpful.The food was of a poor standard. I’m not sure what has happened as the food on trip advisor looks lovely. My husband had the ploughman’s. His salad and mine consisted of a little bit of coz lettuce some roughly cut cucumber and one slice of tomato. What has happened to the peppers and cress and salad leaves in the pictures ? My husbands bread was an uninteresting white blob and not the interesting cob that used to be served. I had salad and broccoli quiche. A few bits of undressed coz lettuce is not a salad. The quiche was tasteless which was a shame as I was expecting more. I find it hard to believe that it was homemade? I had the chocolate brownie and ice cream and my husband had the scone and jam. I was charged extra for the ice cream. Why ?This is a popular tea room so I’m unsure what has gone so wrong recently ? I have eaten here before and the standards have slipped. It’s not all about making money. Customers are not easily deceived. I don’t think we will be returning.

As a party of five we had a long wait be seated. Whilst waiting we saw some lovely Ploughman's lunches being served with great looking baker's buns as shown on the menu. One of our party ordered this and was disappointed with the pale, flat and uninviting supermarket bap they received. Their disappointment was even greater when we saw later guests getting the nice Baker's buns. There were other problems with advertised items missing from the dishes served and delays in getting the drinks order to the table. We mentioned the problems when paying but received no recompense, just a grudging apology.

ArrivalArrived to have lunch with the family, so needed to wait for a table.As we were a table for five the wait was expected, so no problem.However, when I asked if it we could have a drink whilst we waited for it table, and to have the drinks outside, I was informed by our server that it would not be possible to save our place in the queue for the table if we waited with a drink outside. Not the most welcoming of services when you have a group of elderly that can't stand to long.Luckily for us or table became available very soon after my request.FoodMostly acceptable, although our party noticed the following with two of the meals :Prawn sandwich came with no butter, so bread was a bit dry overallTuna pasta bake, burnt in the microwave around the edges, so only the middle could be eaten.Mixed ploughman's was presented nicely, but the board used had a dirty great split in it, so goodness knows what bacteria was living in it. They need replacing, although I've survived the experience.Fortunately you can't ruin desert, which we all enjoyed.Service; although there are plenty of staff, they are not very attentive, had to request someone came to clear and take dessert order.

I would have liked to been able to have more than one flavour of sandwich although the sandwich was gorgeous. I felt there were a lot of staff but no one seemed allocated to a particularly table. The restaurant was very loud.

Only found this last minute looking for attractions nearby and was 10mins from our hotel. Fascinating place, was free to enter, and lovely gift shop. Sadly didn't have the afternoon tea which looked great. Was very busy.

Mum bought me here for a birthday treat, we don't go out very often together so she wanted it to be special. When we walked in there were about half a dozen tables which required clearing and took about 20 mins to be done. Not a great impression at all. Also when are food was served 3 out of the 4 plates were chipped. I would not eat off chipped plates at home and definitely am not happy to pay to do so.

Went here today for lunch. Although the car park was full, there was hardly any queue at all. On our previous visit about a month prior, we noticed that there was a new menu. We realise that although the old menu was very good for us, the new menu may have been better for other people, and we do recognise that things have to change. One of us had the gammon with veg from the specials board and the other had cheese and onion quiche. Although the gammon was tasty, the whole meals seemed a bit on the small side. The cheese quiche was the same. Previously, you used to get lots of ingredients in the salad, but this is no longer, and you also don’t get very much either. You certainly don’t go here if you are looking for a cheap lunch, but we don’t mind paying if you get a proper amount for your money. It seems that since the menu changed, although food is still of a good quality, portion size is a lot smaller. We have contacted the company by email previously about this. It is a shame, as we have been going here on a regular basis for many years, but as this has not been a good experience on two consecutive visits, we are going to give it a miss for a while. Perhaps by then, the negative comments on Tripadvisor will have been taken on board and they can go back to how they were. A great shame.

Very impressed , will certainly go back again. Found the whole experience fascinating, great for children as well !

We’ve been coming here for years but today will be our last visit. Service was not good and the waitress looked visibly annoyed when we asked to condiments. They made several mistakes with our order but that would have been forgiven if the food had been good but we all agreed it was very poor and expensive for what you got. One of us ordered the special crab salad for £12.95, which was very overpriced for what you got. The crab itself tasted good although it was very small. It was accompanied by a thimble of seafood sauce and the salad consisted of a huge pile of salad leaves, and a couple of slices of tomato and cucumber with a big blob of greasy coleslaw. Previously here there would have been red onion and peppers etc and made to look much nicer than it did today. Half of the plate was taken up by 2 slices of bread. We were all disappointed and all agreed that we would not come back. It used to be a special treat to come here but it has certainly been dumbed down.

What a shame they have ruined the business by being greedy. The menu has changed, which means you get less than before for more money. You can no longer get a small size meal because the new size is the same as the old small one. The meat salad no longer has onion, cress and peppers and the picked onion that was supposed to be there wasn't and no crisps. I won't be returning, such a shame.

Nice place food is always good but fairly expensive, The service is always bad...waiting times, waiting for for the table to be cleared etc

Visit the tea rooms on Friday lunchtime, the party included my four year old grandson. We sat on the outside terrace as it was a nice warm afternoon. The staff were very accomodating for my grandson, bring an extra plate so he could share for the adults, they also willing brought us extra crisps a generous bowl full at no extra charge.

We decided to pay the Tea Room a visit as we had a gift voucher and had never been before. A really lovely experience. Ordered Mixed Ploughmans and Butchers Ploughmans and both were really lovely. Plenty of food and well worth the money too. Whilst there we noticed the afternoon teas which looked absolutely lovely too. Will definitely go back.

Lovely tea rooms but disappointed with our sandwich beautiful filling of Turkey coronation but cheap white bread (which was stale) spoilt the sandwich.

We made a return visit as we enjoy the place, this visit was for Brunch. We chose scrambled eggs on toast and it was very nice, good helpings and lovely toast. We also decided to have share a cake for " pudding " and it was delicious, Good service and friendly staff make the difference, however the only thing I would try to do next time is ask for a table in the back room as it can be very noisy due to high ceilings causing an echo in the front. But that is a small point.

Came here on a Friday afternoon and it was great to see it was busy and had a good atmosphere. Before we sat down for a cheeky cream tea we had a look around the museum and the shop to see what the Jan was about and what jam we could buy!

This is a good place to pop in for a quick lunch or afternoon tea. They have a good variety of sandwiches and baked goods. The staff were very friendly. There’s a garden area but it was too hot to sit outdoors. The service was very good, we got served immediately. My sandwich was good. Sadly didn’t have room to try their baked goods as I was full up.

We popped in for a cream tea and were delighted. Hot scones, Tiptree jam and clotted cream with fine tea. What more could you want. The shop has a fine selection of produce and the museum is also worth a look around.

Vegan specific menu with a selection of savoury and sweet dishes.Table staff friendly. Scenic location.

What a shame we came here last year and was great. Today couldn’t be more opposite. We waited 10 Minutes to be seated, which is expected here sometimes. But once seated Service was so slow. Tables around had plates on and other people were piling more on as none in the seating area we were being collected. Staff were just walking by and ignoring them even when empty handed. One table had plates on our entire time in there. Toasted sandwiches were burnt but tasted ok. My sons fish fingers and mash was in bowl swimming in beans. Maybe we will try again but won’t be anytime soon.

Have visited several time. Always busy, but you will get a seat. Staff very helpful. Can sit outside picnic benches and watch the water. Food is always good what ever and opportunity to buy some Tiptree products as well.

I ordered a jacket potato. As I am a vegan I requested no marge, coleslaw or cheese but instead to substitute more beans. They charged me £1.50 for extra beans! I had less on my plate than a regular portion and they charged me more!!!! The vegan options are severely limited, with the only other option being avocado salad (without the mozzarella) and no salad dressing for the same price as the jacket potato. The salad which came with the potato consisted of raw onion, raw pepper, iceberg (or cos), cucumber and cress with no dressing. Personally, I think this is a little old fashioned and could have been made a little more interesting with a few different leaves, beetroot or toasted nuts/seeds and it certainly needed a dressing. The museum was interesting, though, and the shop sells the whole Tiptree range.

A traditional tea room with wait at table service. Of course had to have the scones and Wilkins Strawberry Jam and Tea which was fine but nothing special. However the Museum at the rear of the Tea Rooms was really interesting telling the history of the business, the family and what the future holds so worth a visit just for that. Free parking but be prepared to queue for the Tea Room at peak times.

We were a party of four that visited this restaurant on Sat 23rd March. We only wanted drinks. When the drinks came bottle of beer, coke, coffee, bottle of tonic these drinks were placed on table by a young girl and then she walked away.

Extra special afternoon tea and amazing food, friendly staff, lovely place to visit. Plenty to see and do, lovely shop selling local produce. A great afternoon out.

Firstly we were left standing at the wait to be seated sign for a full three minutes, this is a VERY long time for at least 5 staff to avoid eye contact. One person even came and put menus away right in front of us and walked off again!

It was my birthday and as a last minute decision we decided to take a drive out to have a late Lunch and afternoon tea.

All the food at the tea rooms is excellent, fresh local food, lovely staff pleasant surroundings. Also has the advantage of a shop selling the famous Tiptree jams and chutneys. Breakfast is especially hood as is the afternoon tea.

Stopped by for a lovely lunch break.

Visited on a Sunday afternoon for the afternoon tea. Friendly staff and you can select the sandwiches which you have from the menu. Sandwiches freshly prepared and a couple of other cakes ( per person) and a scone each is included. Reasonably value for money. There was s good selection on the menu of other meals / snacks. It was good to visit the gift shop which is attached to the tea room.

Having visited Tiptree Tea Rooms on a number of occasions I have never had cause to complain either about the food or service. My experience today however means that I will be looking elsewhere for a breakfast treat. The waitresses were surly and did not bestow a smile to myself or any of my party. Having been asked for our order three times within the first five minutes of arriving when we were ready to order two waitresses simply ignored my nods of 'we are ready now' with one continuing their conversation with another member of staff. I had to approach the waitress to have our order taken. When my scrambled egg on toast arrived, my toast was thoroughly burnt on the reverse side, something I had not noticed when it arrived.I was dismayed that the staff felt it acceptable to serve it anyway (unfortunately I only thought to take a photo after I had returned it.). In addition, when the replacement arrived, there was no apology. The lady who took our payment was the only one who I felt offered a good standard of customer service.

I came here with my husband for afternoon tea. The food was lovely, especially the scones which were warm and tasted delicious. We had a choice of sandwiches so we chose a mature cheddar with onion relish plus smoked salmon with prawns in marie rose sauce. Both were really good and made with really fresh bread. Altogether a lovely treat.

My daughter took me to the Tiptree tea rooms for afternoon tea for two on Monday 29th October .When we arrived it was busy so we waited in the queue to be seated for about 15 minutes. We were then showed to a table for two at the back of the main dining room where we sat waiting for another 10 minutes until the waitress came back and took our order. We had moved to the table next to us as our table wobbled whenever one of us moved only to find that one of the chairs was wobbly and had to swap that too.The waitress brought our pot of tea and plates and we thought our food would follow quickly. By then a couple were seated at the wobbly table next to us and we saw them place their order and continued waiting for our food which consisted of four small sandwiches each ,one scone each with clotted cream and jam and two small fancy cakes each all served on a three tiered cake plate! The couple next to us were served their food and we were still waiting. I had ordered egg mayonaisse and cress sandwiches ,my daughter brie and gooseberry chutney, how long would that take, certainly not this amount of time . At last our food arrived and I hungrily bit into one of the tiny triangles of bread only to find the filling was icy cold.There were big pieces of the white of the egg in all four sandwiches and just one or two specks of yellow egg yolk. At the time I was so disappointed that it didn't register with me that there was no cress either. I mentioned how cold my sandwich was to my daughter but not wanting to upset her by complaining to the waitress, after all this was her treat for me I said no more.When I saw that the cost for the afternoon tea for two was £30 I resolved to write this review .How can they charge this amount for so little food, cold food at that!, poor service, served on wobbly tables and chairs ! You can get a very substantial hot meal with drinks for less than that in any pub. It is such a shame that my daughters lovely gesture was spoiled for me by those cold egg sandwiches and poor service but I will never let her know about my disappointment. just you who are reading this...In my opinion they make far too much profit on their afternoon tea for two and should spend more time on providing quicker service and room temperature sandwiches..

Came in for breakfast on a Saturday morning. We had scrambled eggs on granary toast and tea. Staff were very friendly and the food was excellent.

Visited with Dutch friends on the way to Stansted. The exhibition was excellent with some very interesting articles and visuals. Unfortunately the cafe experience was a disaster. Cappuccinos were awful, far too much milk and virtually no coffee, undeterred we ordered 4 duck with noddles. It was dreadful! Dry duck on a bed of noodles with a few vegetables between the two. A lot of customers were served before us and after 25 minutes I asked about our food. It eventually came. We all took one bite and I asked to see the manager. She readily agreed to take away our food and asked if we would like something else. We declined the offer and were excused payment.

We attended the Tea Room for an afternoon tea and it was excellent. We had a choice of sandwiches and the scones were excellent. The staff were friendly and attentive. I would recommend the tea room to anyone in the area.

I have absolutely no complaints over the food, the scones & sandwich were lovely....