Mrs. Bridges’ has been on my list of places to visit for a couple of years now. It’s quite a drive from Middletown (one hour and fifteen minutes) so I saved the trip for a special occasion. Today is my friend Barbara’s birthday and as she likes all things British I thought this would be great for her birthday. The cafe interior is cute, lots of teapots, commemorative plates and English paraphernalia and the staff are friendly. We ordered tea sandwiches – cheese and chutney and cheese and tomato. They were excellent. Nice tasty cheddar and they used Branston Pickle (extra points for that). There’s an extensive tea menu too. We chose an Assam and an Oolong with orange blossoms, both were lovely. Barbara chose a scone with Devonshire cream and lemon curd for dessert and we were a little disappointed that the scone was served piping hot, rather like an American biscuit. That grinding noise was my dear old Gran turning in her grave!

On the whole, this place is sweet but I was expecting a little more, especially after driving such a long way. Maybe I’m being harsh, my years of visiting National Trust tea rooms back in England might be clouding my judgement.  As always, go and judge for yourself.

Website: www.mrsbridgespantry.com