Tea in Cambridge

July 25, 2023

Parker’s Tavern

42–52 Regent Street • Cambridge CB2 1AD

parkerstavern.com • +44 1223 606266

The University Arms Library combines contemporary art with traditional furnishings in wonderful warm colours to create a stylish sense of quintessential British design. Photograph courtesy of Parker’s Tavern.

At the opposite corner of Parker’s Piece stands another of the town’s historic buildings. University Arms, the city’s first hotel, opened in 1834 as a coaching inn where travellers heading to or from London could break their journey and spend a safe and comfortable night. After a four-year, £80 million restoration and restyling, the transformed building re-opened in 2018 as a luxury hotel that also houses Parker’s Tavern, a British brasserie restaurant, bar, lounge, and library where afternoon tea is served. Guests enjoy the tranquillity and comfort of the early 20th-century décor with its leather- and velour-upholstered armchairs and sofas in rich ruby reds, golds, and tawny browns. Shelves bearing a selection of carefully curated books line the walls, and in winter, guests love the cosy warmth of the roaring open fire. The atmosphere recalls an early 20th-century stately home or the interior of dining halls and studies in historic Cambridge colleges.

The impressive afternoon-tea menu created for Parker’s Tavern by Chef Tristan Welch was inspired by the long list of famous academics who once studied or taught in Cambridge, and there is an interesting story behind every dish. Photograph courtesy of Parker’s Tavern.

Glazed apple mousse is named for Isaac Newton’s discovery of gravity in the garden of Trinity College. Photograph courtesy of Parker’s Tavern.

Parker’s Tavern’s chef, Tristan Welch, has created an afternoon tea that pays tribute to the city’s long list of famous academics and personalities. The trio of sandwiches pays homage to the 4th Earl of Sandwich, who studied at Trinity College and is said to have invented the perfect finger food. The Crayfish Pastry Boats recall the Oxford versus Cambridge boat race that takes place every year on the River Thames between teams of the best rowers from each university. Plum pudding scones come next and are served with caramelised apple butter, raspberry jam, and thick clotted cream. The apple butter is in memory of Sir Isaac Newton, an alumnus of Trinity College, who is said to have “discovered” gravity when an apple fell on his head as he sat under a tree in the college garden. The apple theme is repeated in Sir Isaac Newton’s Apple, a glazed apple mousse with an apple compote center. Parker’s Football Truffles commemorate the invention of the rules of modern football [soccer] on the green expanse of Parker’s Piece immediately outside the Tavern. Duke of Cambridge Tart pays homage to the present Duke, Prince William, and all previous Dukes of Cambridge since 1660, when the title was created. The Iced Saffron and Rose Cake reminds us that saffron was once produced in the nearby town of Saffron Walden; and the Rice Pudding Macaron is made in honour of Bernard Charles Saunders, a chemist at Magdalene College, who helped investigate chemical weapons being used against Britain during the Second World War. With no official facilities available at the time, he tested the chemicals on himself and the only food he could face at the end of a long day in his lab was rice pudding. This favourite pudding has stayed on the menu at Magdalene College ever since. To accompany this wonderful selection of afternoon-tea foods, Tristan Welch’s deliciously warm, malty, signature tea blend, P’T Tips, heads up an extensive tea menu while giving a playful, tongue-in-cheek nod to PG TIPs—one of the UK’s commonly purchased teabags. Afternoon tea here is full of historical references, respect for past personalities, and very clear and innovative flavour combinations.