The Old Kitchen Tearoom

This is a great little tearoom for light lunches and cakes. Delicious quiches served with good salads. Welcoming staff and relaxed atmosphere.....so good we stayed on for tea and lovely cakes! A hidden gem in the village.

Service was non existent! My elderly mother waited for her soup while we ate our dinners…they forgot all about her……we told them and eventually got it. We waited AGES while chatting after finishing our meal and one waitress elderly lady sat behind us the whole time doing nothing!!!! We wer gonna stay for scones and another coffee but as the service was so bad we decided to leave…upon leaving she charged us £45!!!! For soup 3 drinks (non alcoholic teas and coffees) and 2 bits of quiche…..charged us way too much and charged us wrong !!! Dia- bollocal

Chawton House is a favourite place of ours to visit and when we do we always enjoy the tea rooms in the old kitchen. They are very welcoming and the food is good. Would especially recommend the ploughmans, the scones and any salad they have on specials board. Our last visit was in January. We had tried to take my elderly mum to another place that was full up, it was pouring with rain, I called Chawton as we were about 30 mins away and I wanted to check they were open. They reserved us a table put a radiator close to it for mum and were so welcoming and friendly. Mum struggles with her memory but the waitress chatted to her about past times and joint memories of post war London and it really made her day. Thank you.

A break in the weather so we walked up to the house admiring the setting. On arrival, the door to the tea shop had a table in the way see photograph. A waitress popped her head out the door and looked at me as if she wondered what we were doing there. 'Are you still serving....cake? ' says I. 'Yes, take a seat ' and she gestured to one of the courtyard tables. We took a table the only customers (or so we thought). The waitress came to take our order I was so looking forward to a slice of cake. Imagine my disappointment when the only offerings were shortbread, brownie or scones. So we plumped for a cream tea (no fruit scones available, only plain) and a brownie. Now it is a pretty courtyard...but not in the pouring rain. Being British, we sheltered under a parasol to enjoy our tea. Unfortunately, the scone was microwaved and they forgot the brownie, but served two cream teas?! When my jeans started to get wet, we decided not to hang around and so I went to settle up. On paying (at the doorway) I looked to the left and saw another couple sitting at a table INDOORS ...all warm and toasty, plus lots of empty tables. I asked the waitress why couldn 't we have been seated indoors. Her reply 'They were reserved '. Really? We had been there 15 minutes and no one had arrived or left. It was 3.15 on a wet and windy Friday afternoon. I really felt as if we had been an inconvenience.

It was lovely to be able to sit in the courtyard after walking around the grounds. Friendly efficient staff. We both had a slice of cake and they were extremely generous portions and tasty. Very good value for money.