Walking along the cobblestone streets and basking in the Georgian architecture, the city of Bath evokes a sense of tranquility found within a Jane Austen novel. One can find themselves emerged into the city’s historical legacy, experiencing fine dining, shopping, and the iconic filming spots scattered across the landscape. This distinct social atmosphere in Bath can only be experienced through attending Afternoon Tea at the Roseate Villa hotel. With decadent house-made cakes, cleverly named loose-leaf blends, and tea-infused cocktails, Roseate Villa provides a twist on a British tradition.

The Roseate Villa is a 5-star boutique hotel located in the heart of Bath. This provides visitors direct access to historic landmarks such as the Bath Abbey and Jane Austen Centre. Additionally, the location of this converted Victorian house makes the hotel a prime spot for enjoying various social activities. In fact, the hotel offers both a Traditional and Vegan Afternoon tea experience as well as a Tea Cocktail menu. This allows one to spend an afternoon engaging in playful conversation over tea and small treats, a historic British tradition.

Afternoon Tea whether it be the Traditional or Vegan experience is offered Monday through Sunday between the typical hours of two to five-thirty. The dining room which hosts Afternoon Tea contains an air of light femininity with blush-tone walls and light wood tables.  Moreover, golden tones found on the base of the tables and the lighting fixtures adds a sense of chicness. This chicness provides a suitable room to enjoy one’s afternoon.

The Collection

Roseate’s Traditional Afternoon tea is anything but ordinary as its loose-leaf collection contains both traditional and innovative blends. Each tea blend offers options for a wide variety of palettes. The collection begins with the beloved English Breakfast and Earl Grey. The moue then shifts focus to more unique blends, creatively named for their cultural origins. For those who are a fan of the novelist Jane Austen, the menu features a  Jane Austen Blend. It’s a combination of three Chinese teas with origins from the 18th century, best served without milk due to it’s delicate profile. For those who are a fan of the show Bridgerton, The Lady Whistledown Blend combines black tea, rose petals, rosehip, and blackberry leaves. This combination of rose and fruit notes creates a delightfully floral-driven tea.

Afternoon Tea Options

After choosing one of Roseate’s carefully crafted tea blends, guests can revile in the indulgent sandwiches, scones, and cakes offered. The sandwiches offered each play on ingredient combinations to ensure a well-rounded yet flavorful balance. The goat cheese and caramelized onion sandwich, for example, utilizes the savory notes of the caramelized onions to cut through the creamy and earthy flavor of the goat cheese. Another delectable sandwich is the traditional Coronation chicken which is a flavor explosion of creamy and spicy notes from the curry sauce. Shifting the focus to the more decadent items, the freshly baked raisin and plain scones served with clotted cream and strawberry jam are exquisite with the tart yet sweet nature of the strawberry jam providing the acidy needed to balance the soft interior of the scones.

For those who are Vegan or Vegetarian, enjoying afternoon tea can be difficult as many sandwich and bakery options cannot be substituted without sacrificing the flavors and textures of the selections. The Roseate Hotel solves this issue by providing a separate Vegan Afternoon Tea menu, carefully crafted to provide guests with the same high-quality experience as found in their normal Afternoon Tea menu. The menu begins with a wide variety of freshly made sandwiches that guests can choose from. A Vegan applewood cheese with carmelized onion sandwich for example contains the smoky flavors of applewood to accompany the savory and sweet notes of the caramelized onion. Each ingredient provides a nice balance between flavor and texture for each satisfying bite. Next on the menu are freshly baked plain and cranberry scones which come with vegan butter and strawberry jam. The addition of vegan butter to pair with the scones is a truly inclusive concept, as the inclusion of vegan dairy products is often amiss from menus. Last but definitely not least on the menu are pastries inspired by the seasons including delectable options such as the blueberry tart or the cherry cake with oat cream.

Innovative Tea Cocktails

An edgy twist to the Afternoon Tea experience is Roseate’s cocktail tea menu allowing guests to indulge in craft cocktails that combine traditional tea flavors with an alcoholic spin. This bold addition to an Afternoon Tea experience introduces creative cocktails such as the Early Grey Martini and Bath City Punch. The Early Grey Martini as the name suggests utilizes a blend of bergamot and black tea, pairing these flavors with gin and a spiced orange aperitif.  The depth of the bergamot and black tea contrasts the warm acidity of the spiced orange aperitif allowing the gin to subtly shine through. Moreover, the Bath City Punch achieves a similar twist on a classic by combining a hand-blended Bath City tea with sweet vermouth which has a slightly spicy and bitter finish. Both selections along with their other tea cocktails add a youthfulness to the Afternoon Tea concept by changing the preconceived notions of what an Afternoon Tea can encompass.

Afternoon Tea at the Roseate Villa is a bold and chic experience that combines the past and present into one. The hotel keeps the traditional concept of an Afternoon Tea experience with its general concept of tea with sandwiches and small treats but then twists this idea into something new and culturally relevant. Their cleverly named loose-leaf teas reference beloved cultural references such as their Lady Whisteldown tea which speaks to a new generation of tea lovers. Moreover, their unique design of crafted tea cocktails, infusing their tea collection with alcohol, adds a new level of excitement to the experience. For those who want to experience Afternoon Tea reimagined, afternoon spent at the Roseate Villa in Bath is a must.