Cream Tea at Canons Ashby, Northamptonshire

One of my suspicions is that anyone who hasn't lived in Northamptonshire is a little resentful of the fact - as if something in his life is a little bit incomplete.  The county signs proclaim that this is the Rose of the Shires.  Indeed.  Ok, so Northampton itself isn't exactly Oxford or Bath, and the same could no doubt be said of some of the other larger towns in the county.  But Northamptonshire is one great place.

One of its great treasures is Canons Ashby.  Even if the cream tea served here were execrable (which it certainly wasn't) Canons Ashby would be a fantastic afternoon or morning.  Mrs Countrycreamtea and I found it to be absolutely marvellous.  The only problem with Canons Ashby is trying to find fault with it.

Now I should admit that I am to Architecture what Johann Hari is to fact - so people will need to go elsewhere to verify what I'm about to claim.  Canons Ashby is an Elizabethan gem.  It doesn't show much sign of having been trashed or improved by Georgians or Victorians - and since the Cream Tea Circuit is dominated by these two ages, to visit Canons Ashby makes for a singularly wonderful experience.

"Just shut your cream tea hole and tell us about the cream tea!" I hear my readers say (that's if the blog had any readers).

Location 10/10
Everything in its place - the slightly faded bunting on the right gives the impression that there recently took place a rather naughty but nice do to which only the best people were invited as if to say "this is all terribly proper here but we know how to do a good do".   Another terribly appealing aspect is the correctly unkempt foliage over the wall and around the windows which goes a considerable way to undermining the National Trust's image as a place where everything is annoyingly Versailles and without a blade of grass in the wrong place.  Then there's the appropriate garden furniture, sturdy, functional, safe, but not looking as it was purchased at a Habitat (or worse - Ikea)..

It's all tremendously civilised and the place wasn't pullulating with visitors. The above is a view towards the house itself.

The Scone 19.5/20

Upon my word - what a beautiful pair of scones.  There's something both wonderfully old fashioned and modern about them.  They immediately struck me as solidly traditional but I couldn't help but notice that one is plain while the other has fruit. 

Should it have fruit or should it not - discuss.

I've always wrestled hugely with these questions: Is freedom delivered by the State or is freedom freedom from the State?; is it always a good idea to serve Claret with cheese?; what exactly is a sin against the Holy Spirit?  These are three of the great questions of life but an equally important question must be - should a scone have fruit?  As is the case with the other three questions - what makes them great questions is not so much the answer you reach as the method by which you reason your way to the answer.  This last question will, in due course, be in receipt of its own post.  For the moment what will suffice is the supreme confidence of the Chef in presenting both varieties on one plate - as if to say "I can do either with impunity and with perfect results".   What confidence!
As far as taste was concerned - we were eating the labours of a true genius.  I'm fairly certain we were dealing with a high butter content which introduced a distinct sense of shortbread to the proceedings. This introduced a wonderful crispness which was a wonderful foil to the creaminess of the, ahem, cream.

The Cream 8.5/10
Fantastic clotted cream of the right temperature which wasn't served in the pot in which it arrived at the kitchen.  A joy.

The Jam 8/10
If I had any readers of this blog they would know by now that I've become increasingly vexed by the naff little jars with gingham lids which pervade the cream tea circuit.  Take a look at this.

How wonderful to encounter two satisfying blobs - one of cream, the other of Jam.  This is pure joy.  The main reason cream tea aficionados love it like this is because you get a more satisfying amount of cream and jam.  Look at the way that enormous helping of Jam has collapsed into two sub portions.  This may not be the finest homemade jam, but the considerable sensitivity of the sous chef has given a touch of je ne sais quoi to the whole proceedings thus ensuring, among many other things, a few extra marks. 


The Tea 10/10
Impossible to fault this fecund offering.

Service and Miscellaneous 9.5/10
Not a busy place (mercifully) but the chance to enjoy one's cream tea right at the heart of the place rather than near the car park under the watchful guidance of the best staff is a delight.


Value for money  19/20
Absolutely brilliant.

Prejudice Corner


1) Is the local MP a liberal democrat?
No he isn't so well done and one point scored.

2) Now it's a well known fact that Canons Ashby has its own rather marvelous church.  Was the precious body of our Lord reserved therein?
Not that I could tell.  No points.

3) That's not good.  But at least one could be sure that there wasn't any piped music played?
Afraid not.  There was a hideous sound system playing selections of Gregorian Chant.  It's hard to fathom the depraved mind that came up with such an idea.  While this might be just about excusable in a place such as Notre Dame de Paris where some method of benign crowd control is necessary to dampen the enthusiasm of vile hordes of school children there cannot be any excuse in a church in Northamptonshire.  No points.

4) You mention children - were there throngs of badly behaved children at the tea rooms?
Certainly not.  Only my own impeccably behaved child.  One point.

5) Was it possible to get 3G reception in order to keep abreast of the goings on at Egbaston?
Mercifully yes. 1 point.

6) Were there any coffee drinkers lurking about behind the agapanthus?
Not that I could see - it's good to know that these schismatics are not being given any quarter. 1 point.

7) Was this a place which would describe itself as inclusive of vegetarians and vegans?
While it is true that they weren't actively pilloried (a great shame) I could not see that they were being courted. Long may this continue - with one point to aid the effort.

8) You've struggled to find fault with this place.  Surely there were a plethora of irritating things elsewhere?
I searched high and low.  Yes the shop was annoying - all NT shops are - that stench of Lavender and unreadable books and naffness is ubiquitous in these places. With the exception of the shop not a single false note.  1 point here.

9) Did you see anybody smoking?
Fair cop on this one.  We've got to dock points somewhere.  NO points.

10) Would a reasonable person describe this as being trendy?
Impossible. 1 point.

Total and Summary 91.5/100
A stratospherically high scoring cream tea which deserves ever single nano-point. Better than an Alasdair Cook double century.