Leaf at The Castle Hotel
18 High Street, Eton, Windsor SL4
+44 1753 851577 • castlehotelwindsor.com/dining/royal-afternoon-tea/
Windsor is probably the most visited town in Berkshire, and tourists throng the streets and the castle throughout the year. It is very disappointing, then, that there are no good tearooms to provide much needed pots of tea at some point during the day. So thank goodness for the Castle Hotel, which, as its name suggests, stands opposite the castle walls on the town’s main street and serves an excellent afternoon tea.
The Castle Hotel begain in 1528 as The Mermaid Inn, and in the early 18th century, the then-owner, Richard Martin, was awarded a Royal Warrant to supply the royal household with carriages and horses. He immediately renamed the inn The Castle Inn. Today, as The Castle Hotel, it is a very popular place to stay for those visitors who plan to explore the castle and all the nearby historic sites. The theme throughout the hotel’s ground floor is plants, and visitors can choose to eat in Leaf Bar, Leaf Restaurant, or Leaf Garden. Afternoon tea is served in the traditional English lounge, where the leaf motif continues in wall panels decorated with a green-on-white design portraying exotic birds and leaves of different plants. And there are cheese plants and rubber plants, ferns, and climbing plants all around the room.
Once visitors have settled in, they choose their teas from a menu that features Darvilles, a famous Windsor family business that has been blending and selling tea since 1860. Five generations have continued to supply the royal household and have held a Royal Warrant for 70 years. Here at the hotel, the list of their teas includes a full-bodied, strong English Breakfast blend, Earl Grey, Darjeeling, Japanese green tea, and jasmine-flavoured Chinese green, and a selection of infusions. Once the drinks have been delivered to the table, the afternoon-tea food is served on an ingenious cake stand that is fashioned in the shape of a golden crown. Arranged on two of its three tiers are a selection of sandwiches and wraps and scones with berry jam and clotted cream from Devon.
The top tier is dedicated to the sweet treats that include a lemon mousse in white chocolate, a pistachio éclair, a chocolate tart, and red fruit macarons. They look so luscious that it is tempting to skip the sandwiches and scones and tuck into the cakes and pastries first. The entire feast has been carefully designed by Executive Head Chef Suraj Lokhande and Pastry Chef Suhas Lokhande (they are not related) and is visually extremely impressive as well as truly delicious. The hotel also offers a children’s tea, which adds some fun with a Piggy Bank surprise, a fruit lolly cake, and beautiful red macarons. The menu changes according to festive occasions, such as Mother’s Day, Easter, royal weddings, etc. And for special diets, the kitchen staff will very happily adjust the menu to suit vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, and dairy-free, and any mix of those individual requirements. The alternative foods look and taste just as scrumptious as the classic selection.
Contributing Editor Jane Pettigrew, an international tea expert who has written many books on the subject, including her most recent, Jane Pettigrew’s World of Tea, is a recipient of the British Empire Medal. A former tearoom owner, she is a much-sought-after consultant to tea businesses and hotels, a conference speaker, and an award-winning tea educator who is co-founder and director of studies of the UK Tea Academy. Although her travels have taken her around the globe, she resides in London.
