Peacocks Tearoom – Ely

It was mothers day, so my mum and I decided to pop out for a spot of lunch. 

Being the owner of the Cream Tea Tasters Facebook group, it was no surprise that she wanted to go out for afternoon tea. 

There are few places which can beat Peacocks for cream tea. Not just for the place itself but the river side views and the stunning city of Ely which comes with it. A visit to Peacocks is an entire day out in one of the most beautiful places in the country, especially on a hot spring day.

Peacocks does not allow bookings, so we had to risk it and queue outside. I was a little anxious as Peacocks is very popular which meant the queue could have gone on for miles. Luckily we only had to wait 15-20 minutes, which I thought was good considering it was mothers day and a sunny Sunday afternoon. 

There are a selection of books available outside for people to read while they waited – which was a nice touch. There is also an ice cream van outside too, in case you have grizzly children with you who aren’t used to waiting.

The staff were great at managing the queue by keeping an eye on the number of people in your party and fitting them around which sized table was available. This meant that for people who were at the back or middle of the queue you could get to the front quicker than expected, if a table which fitted your party size became available. 

Upon entering, we noticed that the interior decorating is very traditional. I can see why the tourists love it here as it is very English. My mum and I joked about how it reminded us of my nanny’s house. I even noticed a stunning aga in one of the rooms which gave it a very homely traditional vibe.

I regret not taking any photos but it was quite busy and did not want to get in the way by standing in the middle of the room while people are trying to get by. If you want to get a better idea of the style and decor of the place then check out their website here. 

There was an impossible amount of tea on the menu. You name it, they had it. There was two entire pages of every style of tea you could possibly want. I felt terrible ordering an English breakfast tea as it felt like it was an insult of their glorious selection of teas available.

Everything came out in good time and was presented excellently. Once again, in that traditional style which almost seems lost in time. In my opinion this will never go out of style. I can see the old English style still being popular in 2100.There was a mothers day special on the menu but it was not quite what we wanted, so we decided to go for their classic “full monty” afternoon tea for £20pp. This was a selection of finger sandwiches, a fruit scone with cream and jam, and a slice of cake. 

The best thing about Peacocks is that they give you a choice of different jams and dessert so you can cater to your own tastes. It was great ordering a set menu as it had everything from sweet to savoury and tea in once package. As the towers came out they looked fantastic. Served with the sandwich fingers on top, scones in the middle, and the cake at the bottom. The sandwich fingers were all different. From memory there was a ham and chutney which was absolutely incredible, a cheese and cucumber, an egg mayo, and a lovely salmon sandwich. Not all sandwiches were not to my taste but I could appreciate that they were all made very well if you were into that sort of thing, so I would consider the sandwiches a big success. The scone was fantastic and still warm upon arrival. The thick cream was served with a strawberry slice on top. The strawberry jam was also top quality, no cheap stuff from a jar for me this afternoon! My moca cake was absolutely out of this world. It had to be one of the richest creamy cakes I have ever had…Utterly lethal for anyone on a diet! 

The bill was reasonable and easy to calculate as the set menu was £20 a head.

The staff were also fantastic here. They were chatty, engaging, and all the food came out in good time. Considering how busy it was, I was expecting delays but there was none of the sort here. It is the staff which really make Peacocks what it is.

Both my mum and I thoroughly enjoyed it at Peacocks, as we always do. This is not the first, nor the last time we will visit. I can see now why Peacocks is constantly voted one of the best tea rooms in England.

Afterwards, we walked along the river, across Jubilee Gardens, past the cathedral, and on the way home. A perfect Sunday afternoon.

Thanks for reading.