Foxcroft and Ginger

This month's scone blog is a bumper edition with six reviews and breaking with tradition it's including some of the places I visited while holidaying in Torquay. However before we do a Devon detour we start with Foxcroft and Ginger in London’s Soho.

I've been wanting to visit F & G for a while as it is one of the cafes I feature in my new London Cake Walk  and I went along planning to have their banana bread but was distracted with their scones when I went to the counter to order.  The large raisin scone was very cutely presented on a board. It was delicious, served warm and had been toasted like a tea cake which worked very well. It was accompanied with a portion of butter and a small cup filled with raspberry jam. The scone and jam cost £3.50 and there was an additional cost for the pot of elderflower and ginger tea. In addition the service was friendly and the café has a quirky interior with a vaulting horse.

Ratings:  Scones: 2,   Accompaniments: 2, Service: 2, Ambience: 2, Overall:  8/11

Grand Hotel, Torquay

Earlier in September I visited Torquay to attend the Agatha Christie Festival and stayed in the Grand Hotel, where Agatha and Archie Christie had spent their honeymoon. While there I enjoyed high tea in their comfortable Compass Lounge, which has breath taking views of Torquay's seafront. The tea included finger sandwiches, pastries and a pot of tea of your choice. The scones were served on a three tier cake stand and arrived warm. There were two scones one plain and the other raisin. They were accompanied by generous portions of strawberry jam and Devonshire clotted cream which was a lovely golden yellow colour. The scones were delicious firm on the outside with soft interiors. This was one of the nicest afternoon teas I had, the food was delicious, the views amazing, excellent service and the high tea was also fantastic value at £12.99.

Ratings:  Scones: 2,   Accompaniments: 2, Service: 3, Ambience: 3, Overall:  10/12

Torquay Museum

As part of the festival I attended two talks about Agatha Christie at Torquay Museum which included in the £10 cost a cream tea. The tea was served in the museum's café and there was the option to choose a plain or a raisin scone, so on my two visits I managed to have one of each. They were accompanied with strawberry jam and clotted cream and a large teapot which was refilled. The scones were very nice and the service was great and very friendly. The museum is the only one to have a permanent Agatha Christie Gallery where they have furniture and props from the Agatha Christie’s Poirot TV series and for that alone I highly recommend a visit to the museum.

Ratings:  Scones: 2,   Accompaniments: 2, Service: 2, Ambience: 2, Overall:  8/11

 Burridge's Tearooms, Torquay

My scone highlight of the month was one evening discovering Burridge's Tearooms which overlook Torquay's harbour. I was initially attracted by their Agatha Christie themed window display but then I saw a notice saying they did daily speciality scones so I knew I had to return when they were open. Returning the following day I ordered their Devon cream tea which came with two scones one lemon and the other white chocolate and cranberry. They scones arrived warm and beautifully presented on a cake stand accompanied by a generous portion of strawberry jam and clotted cream. The lemon scone had a delicate lemon flavour with a sprinkle of sugar on the top which gave it both a sweetness and a crunchy texture. The white chocolate and cranberry was very fruity but also had the right balance of white chocolate so I could taste and enjoy both flavours. It was served with a pot of lose leaf tea of my choice and an additional pot with hot water. The Devon cream tea cost £4.25. The service was warm and friendly and the interior included Victorian church pews to sit on. Overall it was a wonderful experience and I decided I must return there before I returned home.

Ratings:  Scones: 3,   Accompaniments: 2, Service: 2, Ambience: 2, Overall:  9/11

Burridge's Tea Rooms

On my last day I returned to Burridge's Tea Rooms for some more speciality scones. The daily speciality that day were raspberry and white chocolate and also maple and pecan. The raspberry and white chocolate scones were delicious, they were very fruity with a sugar sprinkled topping. Again neither flavour dominated the other. Regarding the maple and pecan scones OMG they were amazing. It's a great flavour combination but made into scones it really had that wow factor. Regarding everything else it was like the review above. Burrudge's are the best scones I've had all year and I just wish they would open a branch in London.

Ratings:  Scones: 3,   Accompaniments: 2, Service: 2, Ambience: 2, Overall:  9/11

 Torre Abbey Tea Rooms, Torquay

One of the highlights for me at the Christie Festival was attending A Garden Party to Die For at Torre Abbey. The afternoon tea was in 1930s style and included an enormous spread of sandwiches, cakes and scones served on the lawn. The delicious scones were beautifully presented on cake stands already prepared with jam and cream and cut in half. The whole afternoon was delightful with a live band playing and a fascinating talk by Ali Marshall, the head gardener about Agatha's use of potent and poisonous plants in her stories.

Ratings:  Scones: 2,   Accompaniments: 2, Service: 2, Ambience: 3, Overall:  9/11

Wellcome Cafe

For my final scone review for this month I've returned to London and the Wellcome Café at the Wellcome Collection. After researching for a new walk in the library I went to the café in search of some refreshments when serendipity struck and I saw Carla Valentine, Barts Pathology Museum Curator, so we took the opportunity to have a nice catch up. The cream tea consisted of a wonderfully large, misshaped scone and a pot of tea.  The very tasty scone was served cold and accompanied with an individual pot of strawberry jam and clotted cream. The café is self service and the staff are friendly and makes a great place to rest after an inspiring visit to the Wellcome Collection.

Ratings:  Scones: 2,   Accompaniments: 2, Service: 2, Ambience: 2, Overall:  8/11

Until next time...

If you enjoyed this blog you might like to read about Scones of the Year 2013 or other editions of Scones of the Month.

The author of this blog is a qualified City of London and City of Westminster Tour Guide who leads guided walks combining world famous landmarks with hidden treasures often missed by the crowds

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