The Bridge Tea Rooms, Bradford-on-Avon is named 'UK's Top Tea Place 2009'

3rd April 2009

The Bridge Tea Rooms in Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire has been named as the winner of The Tea Guild?s prestigious Top Tea Place 2009 Award.

The UK Tea Council’s “incognito” Tea Guild inspectors have taken tea in tearooms and country and city hotels across Britain, to find the finest tea experience. The anonymous judges award points in fifteen different categories which include  the variety and excellence of the teas offered, efficiency and knowledge of service, décor, hygiene and cleanliness, ambience, presentation skills and most importantly the choice and quality of teas served.

The Bridge Tea Rooms, based in an old blacksmith’s cottage dating back to 1675, was voted into the top spot after it gained a near perfect score from The Tea Guild’s anonymous Inspectors who were hugely impressed with the exceptional tea expertise and the warm charm of the staff.

The perfectly brewed and presented teas are complemented by delicious food, exquisite homemade cakes and scones created by Owner and Chef, Alison Hayward. Visitors to The Bridge Tea Rooms are guaranteed a warm welcome and a cosy retreat, where they can enjoy a delicious and relaxed afternoon tea served by friendly, efficient, knowledgeable and helpful staff.

An “excellent range” of teas are served which are exceptionally well described on the tea menu to help customers choose a blend. The range of full afternoon teas includes many options and was judged to be extremely good value for money.

The Bridge Tea Rooms is famous locally for the style of the tea room which features
Victorian photographs, pictures and ornaments, together with staff dressed in Victorian-style uniform.

Summing up, one of the judges said: “On entering you are aware of a warm atmosphere and enjoy a friendly welcome. Despite being very busy there does not appear to be any rush. The service just seemed to flow.”

Commenting on The Bridge Tea Rooms winning The Tea Guild’s Top Tea Place 2009 award, Irene Gorman, Head of The Tea Guild, said: “The Bridge Tea Rooms is in a lovely location and is absolutely full of character, charm and atmosphere. The staff are incredibly helpful, courteous and friendly and the choice of tea and home cooked foods with Alison (an accomplished chef) in charge of the kitchen, is extremely impressive. Roy and Alison Hayward’s determination to offer the perfect location for tea lovers is very apparent and as parents of young children themselves they are delighted to welcome children who can even choose from their own menu!”

She added: “Each year the judges’ task of choosing a winner gets more challenging, as standards continue to reach new levels and this year’s competition was no exception. Across the country, Tea Guild members are busier than ever, serving tea and afternoon teas to an ever greater number of enthusiastic local and overseas visitors, business people, families, groups of friends and an increasing number of romantic couples, celebrating or just “catching up”. More and more people are taking time out to enjoy that ‘special afternoon tea moment’.

The success of The Bridge Tea Rooms is even more impressive considering that the current owners, Roy and Alison Hayward, only took over the establishment in December 2006. Roy said: “We saw that there was a huge amount of potential but we had to go back to the drawing board and think about what customers really wanted. We set about redesigning the menu and sourcing the best food and teas available. We also wanted a really welcoming, informal atmosphere where customers could drop in, relax and chat over fresh, delicious food and the perfect cup of tea.

As proud members of The Tea Guild we are absolutely delighted and thrilled to bits to receive this marvellous and prestigious award.  This accolade is a real honour and means everything to us. The team here have put an immense amount of effort into creating a place where the quality of food and high standards of service are paramount. More and more people are visiting us and the feedback from everyone has been fantastic. However, we will not rest on our laurels and have lots of plans for the future to offer an even better experience to our customers.”