Afternoon Tea At The Inn On The Lake

This restaurant was a disappointment and a huge waste of money. We went for afternoon tea as a gift for a family member and ended up spending over £170 for minuscule portions of food. We were all still hungry when we got home, despite not being big eaters. Additionally, when I informed the waiter that I couldn't drink tea or coffee for medical reasons, they rudely informed me that I couldn't substitute a soft drink without paying extra. This kind of service is completely unacceptable in modern times.

Afternoon tea booked for late afternoon. The place was virtually empty but we had a booking and seemingly they were expecting us. Service was fine but not friendly or warm, professional but cold. The good soon came and looked great but it did seem like the sandwiches were prepared earlier and had dried out somewhat. The scones were served cold and were as dry as could be. Not pleasant to eat and quite disgraceful for £32. It simply felt like we were the last to be served and everything had sat all day, the scones likely prepared a day or so before. When I paid I mentioned this as half the scones and sweets had not been eaten. The response was that she would feedback to the chef and did we want a take out box? Really? I just told you the food was dry and bordering on stale and the response was she thought we may want to take them home. In short, for £32 per head I think it reasonable to expect freshly made food and if you cannot deliver on that don't take the booking.

The ratings above are irrelevant as we didn’t get to go. My daughter had booked afternoon tea on 19th March. During the night she became ill as unable to go. She was really sick in so much we had to book another night away as we were staying in Keswick. I rang to see if we could move it to another day it had been prepaid and I wasn’t even asking for a refund. This was refused . I also asked if I could go and collect it this was refused too, they don’t have a take away license. If I sat at the table I could put it in a box. That doesn’t look good when people are enjoying their meal. I know there are terms and conditions but as my daughter was poorly I thought a bit of discretion could be taken especially as I spoke to the Deputy Msnager.

My wife and I returned once again yesterday, to partake of this hotel's superb afternoon tea. The quality and quantity would be difficult to surpass, and this combined with the friendly, professional staff and beautiful location, makes each visit special.

The Orangery is a nice bright circular room. Where you sit is important and we were fortunate to get a table facing the lake. We were attracted by the menu, with plenty of treats for our sweet tooth. However, the cakes didn't quite live up to the promising descriptions.