Afternoon Tea - The Pier, Cleethorpes

Last week I had the pleasure of having afternoon tea with a friend at The Pier in Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire. This former nightclub was recently transformed into a restaurant and tea room so I can imagine it to become extremely busy in the summer months with the tourists!



source

The Victoria Tea Room is situated at the front of the pier, allowing views of both the beach and boardwalk. With floor to ceiling windows, this light and airy restaurant is a pleasant environment to indulge in some afternoon tea.

The service was just 'ok'. Hot drinks were forgotten about and we had to prompt the waitress, to which she had forgotten our orders.

The food itself was of a good standard, however I have had better. The sandwich fillings were typical for afternoon tea, cheese, salmon, egg mayonnaise etc. Both of us aren't fond of salmon so were able to choose an alternative filling. The quality of the fillings didn't blow me away but they were still nice enough.

Initially, although there appeared to be huge amounts of food, everything was of a bite size portion and manageable. I did feel like everything was bulked out with the jars of jam and cream, as well as the strawberries so the quantity I found deceiving. The scones were a little hard on the outside, and I felt the choice of desserts lacked inspiration and variety. I felt there were too many sponge type cakes, some being very flat and bland in flavour.

There were a few unique savoury items that are not usually found on afternoon teas, such as sausage rolls (which were delicious!), and a quiche-type slice.

Because of the setting, I really wanted to like this place, but unfortunately I won't be rushing back any time soon. I will however be sampling an evening meal in the restaurant instead.

Please note: I have had many afternoon teas over the past 3 years so my expectations/standards maybe a little higher than some, so please don't let this affect your decision in visiting places in which I review.