Afternoon tea at the Regency Tearoom

Tea had found its way to England in the17th century, but it was rather expensive and considered a great luxury at that time, something that only the royalty had. But as all traditions do, this one too trickled down to the masses, and soon the demand began to grow and tea was smuggled into England. It was only in the 19th century that the concept of ‘afternoon tea’ began.
The Regency Tearoom is on the second floor of a Georgian townhouse and just above the Jane Austen Centre. It is well-maintained, beautifully decorated and is yet another place to sink into the spirit and character of the Georgian period. They offer around 15 varieties of tea to choose from, fresh coffee, delicious cream tea and the famous ‘Champagne Tea with Mr. Darcy’. It is somewhat heartening that they used the image of Collin Firth as Mr. Darcy from the BBC version of Pride and Prejudice as for most people he is the ideal Mr. Darcy. The menu has many links to Pride and Prejudice, so you could enjoy ‘Tea with the Austens’ or go a notch above with ‘Lady Catherine’s Proper Cream Tea’ and if you wish to eat then try out Mr. Bennet’s Rich Tasty Toasty’s or Crawford’s crumpets. If you have had enough of Pride and Prejudice and Jane Austen by now, you can simply settle for ‘A Lady’s Afternoon Tea’.