When you dream up the perfect day out in Cornwall, surely it should include a traditional Cornish cream tea by the sea? While our sea-lashed county has scrubbed up its image to become one of the UK’s most stylish coastal destinations, it’s still a land associated with crumbly scones topped with lashings of strawberry jam and Cornish clotted cream. And where better to tuck into this delectable afternoon delight than footsteps from the beach with the sea in sight?
Huge fans of filling up between beach adventures and dinner time, here’s our top spots for a Cornish cream tea by the sea. We’re talking about scones still warm from the Aga, jam that’s packed with locally-grown strawberries, and cream made from cows grazing in pastures beside the Atlantic. We might even add a glass of bubbles to toast the occasion. Just remember to spread the jam on first.
Whether you’re fresh out the surf or have been padding along St Ives Bay’s three miles of pearly sands, seek out this unique little ‘jam pot’ shaped café inside an old coastguard lookout tucked in the dunes behind Gwithian Beach. Whether you hunker inside from the weather, or bask on the picnic benches spilling towards the cliffs, enjoy a quintessential Cornish cream tea peeking out to glorious bay views and all the action in the surf.
Slip away from the busy shore at Porth Beach, into the historic Gwenna Tea House, in a stone cottage that dates back to at least 1646. Duck inside, or take a seat in the sub-tropical water’s edge garden, to sip English Breakfast Tea from bone china cups and tuck into warm scones with homemade jam and Cornish clotted cream. If you hopped here on the Atlantic Coaster open-topped bus, why not add a mini bottle of Prosecco to your spread? And if you’re really hungry start with a Cornish crab sandwich. If you’ve got any dietary requirements they also serve vegan cream tea with whipped oat cream.
How fitting that you can dine on a decadent afternoon tea overlooking Cornwall’s most famous surfing beach. Hit the waves with the experts at Surf Sanctuary, hunt for sea glass on Little Fistral, stomp to the edge of the headland and back, then take in the majestic views from The Terrace at Newquay’s landmark Headland Hotel. Whether you linger inside or out, the coastal panorama will vie for your attention as you indulge in homemade scones with lashings of jam and cream, in a location where lavish tea parties have been thrown for almost a century. Glam it up with a flute of Champagne or opt for the full Afternoon Tea spread with finger sandwiches and sweet pastries. There’s even a ‘Free From’ alternative to cater for plant-based diets.
Hemmed by jagged sea cliffs that collapse onto a rocky shoreline, Crackington Haven is one of our favourite beaches off the beaten track. Stray a mile south along the shoreline and you can stand beneath Cornwall’s highest cliffs, that tower a mighty 224 metres above the sand at The Strangles. Whether you adventure at sea level or climb to lofty heights to take in the views, you’ll have earned a traditional Cornish cream tea back at The Cabin Café, where sandy paws, salty locks and messy kids are welcomed in to fill up on scones topped with Roddas Clotted Creams and Boddingtons Strawberry Jam, washed down with pot of Tregothnan Tea.
The tiny Rest a While Tea Garden, tucked just off the South West Coast Path at Hawkers Cove, only has outdoor seating, so it’s entirely weather dependant. But when the sun doth shine, there are few better locations for just-out-of-the-oven scones served with a view. There’s traditional, savoury, gluten free and vegan cream teas available, all served from a little hatch at the perfect pit-stop on a coast walk between Padstow and Stepper Point. Or you can just park up in the Hawker’s Cove car park for a short cut to a cuppa beside this sublime white-sand cove.
Nudging the cliffs just a pebble’s skim from the southerly tip of Britain, Wavecrest Café doesn’t have to try hard to serve up lashings of dramatic coastal scenery with its Cornish cream teas. You might even get to spot seals, cormorants and choughs from your clifftop perch. But this pretty wooden chalet with indoor and outdoor seating isn’t just famous for its views. It’s been serving traditional cream teas since the 1930’s, so its worked hard at perfecting the the warm, crumbly texture of its scones. And the result is definitely worth toasting with that extra glass of Prosecco.
If you want to make afternoon tea a romantic occasion in an adult’s only sanctuary beside the sea, dust the sand from your toes and head to the Scarlet hotel, overlooking Mawgan Porth beach. The location and ingredients pay homage to the natural environment on the doorstep, with the traditional spread of scones, jam and clotted cream, accompanied by finger sandwiches delicately filled with Cornish ingredients, sweet pastries and Champagne. It’s a stylish setting, and one you can dress up for, or even make it part of a spa day that includes a dip in the clifftop hot tubs and a sizzle in the sauna.
Whether you want to mess around on boats like Ratty from Wind in the Willows, browse the boutiques and bookshops, or take in giddy estuary views from the Hall Walk, Fowey has it all for a day out in Cornwall. Take in the grandstand views from the terrace of the palatial Fowey Hall Hotel, with a cup of loose-leaf English tea, homemade scones and jam that’s packed with berries grown in nearby Mevagissey. If the weather sails in with the boats in view, head into the elegant dining room, and if you’ve got children in tow they can order their very own kids’ cream tea with sandwiches and cupcakes.
This family-run working farm isn’t bang on the beach, but as a pick-your-own strawberry farm that makes its own jam to dollop onto home-baked scones, it’s the most authentic spot for cream tea in North Cornwall. A family favourite after a day on any of the beaches around Polzeath and Rock, there’s a huge lawn with tractors, petting animals and a play park for the kids, as well as a large indoor restaurant and farm shop; so you can stock up on all the ingredients you need to make another delicious cream tea back at home.
For a not-so traditional cream tea by the sea experience, head to Adam Handling’s Ugly Butterly restaurant, where you can take a culinary tour of your surroundings while swooning over views of Carbis Bay and St Ives through floor-to-ceiling windows. Here, afternoon tea is split into savouries, sandwiches, sweets and scones, with a strictly no-waste approach to fine dining and ultra-local ingredients such as smoked salmon from the nearby St Ives Smokehouse, tart made from just-picked sea buckthorn, and tea leaves grown on the Tregothnan Estate in Tresillian.
Where’s your favourite spot for a Cream Tea in Cornwall? Get in touch and let us know.
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