An great way to start our day out in Bath
ESTEL FARELL ROIG travels from her home in Bristol to sample the afternoon tea at the stunning Bath Priory hotel
IAM probably not the only one who, when thinking of Bath these days, Bridgerton quickly comes to mind. e hit Net ix series has many of the city’s Georgian stone buildings as a backdrop, so being invited inside one of these stunning buildings in the historical city felt exciting.
But I wasn’t going to any building; I was going for afternoon tea at the Bath Priory, a 5-star hotel along Weston Road. Tucked away within four acres of gardens and terraces, the rst thing that surprised me about the hotel is how peaceful it felt despite being so close to the city centre (a ve-minute drive, a 30-minute walk).
e sta were friendly and polite, accommodating my request of being half an hour late without any problem (rush hour tra c). We were taken to the terrace, overlooking one of their gorgeous gardens, and I immediately felt a lot calmer after a busy day in this quintessentially British environment.
We started with the tea menu, being able to smell all the di erent ones on o er which was a nice touch. Shortly after our drinks, the afternoon tea arrived and it looked truly stunning, with a lot of attention having clearly been paid to the presentation.
While the spring onion made the egg sandwich a bit di erent to what you may expect, the coronation chicken one was very avoursome; strong in curry avour and with the raisins bringing some sweetness.
We both enjoyed the sausage roll, which tasted fresh, as well as the salmon sandwich, which was delicate. Moving over to the cakes, my absolute favourite was the macaroon with gin and lime. I nd macaroons can be very hitand-miss, often disappointing, but certainly not this time; this one was delicious, crisp on the outside and soft in the middle. We were also big fans of the pastry cases with fresh strawberries and cream; but I guess you can’t go wrong with such a delicious combination.
e scones with jam and cream were the perfect ending to an excellent afternoon tea but, already being full, we sadly only managed one.
We accompanied our afternoon tea with a glass of Laurent-perrier Champagne (Laurent-perrier Champagne Afternoon Tea, £70 per head) which made it feel like a real treat.
Having enjoyed a few afternoon teas, the Bath Priory’s is among the best I have had and, especially in the summer enjoying their terrace on a sunny day – it felt perfect for a special occasion.
e hotel has 27 rooms, with the majority having views over the award-winning gardens.
Each room is unique and the six suites are named after the distinctive architectural crescents found in Bath, as well as featuring handcrafted wood panelling and bespoke furniture. At the heart of the hotel, there is a three AA Rosette restaurant, with magni cent views across the hotel’s beautiful gardens.
One of the most distinctive features of e Bath Priory, though, is the spa, with the hotel having the rst and only spa by L’occitane in the UK. Despite there being so much to choose from within the hotel itself, in our case, we nished our evening by heading into Bath city centre. Not having been out in Bath that much in the evening, I was pleasantly surprised by how much there was to do. We went to a couple of bars for some drinks, followed by a game of bowling and one of mini golf.
Despite Bath being so close to Bristol, I feel it is a place I have not explored that much apart from the odd day visit for the Christmas Market and to take friends visiting the area. However, I had a fun afternoon and evening with friends and I hope to be able to come back soon to explore some more.
An afternoon tea at the Bath Priory was an excellent way to start our day out in Bath and I would love to see what more the hotel and the wider city have to o er.
You can nd out more about the Bath Priory on its website thebathpriory.co.uk