Afternoon Tea at West Lodge Park

Hertfordshire’s Latest Dining Hotspot

If you’re on the hunt for the perfect afternoon tea, then look no further than West Lodge Park Hotel!

Hertfordshire boasts lots of great locations to eat out, and there are so many places where you can sit down to an outstanding lunch or dinner. What about an afternoon tea though?  It offers the best of both worlds – a little bit of something savoury, then some sweet treats, all accompanied by the nation’s favourite drink! There are so many places offering afternoon tea in Hertfordshire right now, so West Lodge Park Hotel needed to pull out all the stops to impress.

The location

First things first, let’s talk a little about the hotel itself. Set in stunning grounds in the Hertfordshire countryside, West Lodge Park is advertised ‘your country retreat’ – and that it certainly is! You instantly feel at home and relaxed in the beautiful dining area, with its views of the gorgeous trees and plants that are abundant in the grounds. In total there are 35 acres of grounds to explore, so we did that before settling down to our afternoon tea. There’s a lot to see, so we certainly worked up an appetite.

The food

What you’re really curious about is the food though – and the cuisine on offer at West Lodge Park is just as beautiful as the surroundings. The chefs at the hotel pride themselves on basing the afternoon tea menu around fantastic local produce. The jam comes from the famous Tiptree farm in nearby Essex, and the free range eggs come from nearby Hertfordshire farms. The cheddar and chive quiche really stood out from the savoury options, and the scones were simple but so, so delicious with lashings of jam and cream. We still had plenty of room for the beautiful cakes though – and the glazed fruit tart was a real treat.

The alternative menus

A member of our party on the day is careful to follow a gluten free diet, and has been let down by afternoon teas before. Here though, they were spoilt for choice! With dairy and egg free menus too, as well as a vegan afternoon tea, we’re sure that whatever a person’s dietary requirements they’ll be able to cater to them here. That makes it ideal for occasions where you want to get a big group of family and friends together.

The service

Of course, a good meal can easily be ruined by bad service. Thankfully, the service at West Lodge Park only elevated a beautiful meal to greater heights. The waiting staff were friendly and knowledgeable, and were happy to answer any questions that our party had about the menu. Another thing that really stood out was that the staff were fluent in a number of different languages. We can only imagine how much easier this would make the dining experience for guests visiting from abroad.

A return visit is on the cards!

All in all, our visit to the West Lodge Park was a real success. We just stopped by to sample the afternoon tea (be sure to book in advance!) but we’re sure that it would be a lovely thing to do during a stay at the hotel. Who knows, we might return as a special treat! If you are looking for a great value dining experience in a gorgeous setting, then look no further than this Hertfordshire gem.