Afternoon tea at Tea Time is four kinds of finger sandwich, a scone with strawberry jam and clotted cream, and three of the day's homemade cakes, served on vintage crockery Rosa collected herself. Through November and December you can book it for any half hour from 12 to 3, or 12 to 2 on Sundays, at 87 Market Place on the square.
What afternoon tea is covers how it differs from a cream tea and which order to eat it in. This post is the practical part: what is on the stand, how booking a December time works, and what changes around Christmas itself.
What is on the stand
The sandwiches are smoked salmon with Longley Farm soft cheese, Yorkshire ham and piccalilli, Yorkshire cheese and apricot chutney, and pastrami with coleslaw. The sweet scone changes with the season, and the cakes depend on what Rosa has baked.
In past years a festive scone has been on the counter from November to January, and December is when it sells most. Ask when you book whether it is on the stand that week.
Hot drinks are unlimited, and so are the iced teas and iced coffees. At the time of writing it is 24.9 a head, for a minimum of two, and the menu has the current price if the two ever differ.
Booking a December time
You choose a date and an arrival time online, at least 24 hours ahead, and pay in the cafe on the day. Allow about an hour. The table is yours for as long as you want it, and sixty to ninety minutes is the comfortable length.
The calendar runs sixty days ahead, so Christmas Eve opens for booking on Sunday 25 October.
Christmas Eve is the short day. We close at one, so the only afternoon tea that day is at 12. We are closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day.
Online bookings take two to six people. For seven or more, ring 01845 523869, or take the room upstairs for up to 20 and have afternoon tea brought up for everyone; the celebrations page has how that works.
Saturday is our busiest day of the week and Monday is the other market day. The artisan market is on the square from Friday 13 to Sunday 15 November and again on Sunday 20 December, if you want to fit both into one visit. Christmas in and around Thirsk has the markets and the pantomime, and the day planner fits the rest of a day around a booked time.
If you need to cancel, we ask for 72 hours' notice.
How much food it is
Four kinds of sandwich, a scone and three cakes each, so a 12 o'clock booking stands in for lunch.
Ask and we will box up whatever you cannot finish. It is served for a minimum of two, a serving each.
Gluten free and other swaps
Afternoon tea can be made without gluten-containing ingredients with at least 24 hours' notice, in a kitchen that handles flour every morning. Ask about vegan cakes and swapped sandwich fillings when you book, so the kitchen has notice.
If an allergy is serious, the dietary page sets out what we can and cannot do. Read it, then ring us before you book.
As a Christmas present
Gift vouchers come in 25, 50, 75 and 100, and each is valid for 12 months from issue, in the cafe or against a booking. A 50 voucher covers afternoon tea for two at today's price, and a 75 covers three.
They can be posted to the person with a handwritten note or emailed as a code. For now you order one through the contact form or by ringing 01845 523869, and the gift vouchers page has the tiers.
Booking
Pick a date and a half hour on the booking page. To change a date or cancel, ring 01845 523869.
