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| Tiffins, Petworth – a brilliant teashop and caff |
Petworth in West Sussex is one of those towns where one can
wander around, looking at antiques and admiring (during the summer months) the
splendid hanging baskets that seem to be everywhere.
There's a fair smattering
of eateries here too in the shape of pubs and cafés and tearooms, everything
you might expect, and let's not forget Petworth House, a stately home the town
can be proud of; and while I haven't been there for some time, I expect that
it too has a café and a gift shop – for me the highlight of any stately home
visit. Let's be honest, if it wasn't for the tearoom and the gift shop, it would be incredibly boring.
But this review is not about stately homes, it's all about Tiffin's Tea Room, a place I
stumbled upon a year or two ago and one I keep coming back to with my family as
it's perfect in every sense and never, ever disappoints. There's a touch of
Miss Marple too, a key ingredient of any self-respecting tearoom thanks to its mis-matching cups and saucers – a touch
of the Margaret Rutherfords, perhaps – it's all here, but couched in a bright and breezy
environment with friendly staff and pleasant customers.
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| Four cheese ciabatta with onion marmalade...tops! |
Tiffins' key attribute is the friendly staff. All the best
tearooms and caffs have a 'larger-than-life lady and Tiffins is no exception. I
don't mean 'large' in the physical sense, but in presence and while I don't
know the name of the woman at Tiffins, I get the impression that she's in
charge. What I like about her is she knows what she's doing, she knows the
menu, she knows everything and she takes control, which is great. It's important to have somebody there, guiding you through the menu, helping you make that all-important choice and backing up whatever decision you make. It's part of the experience.
I was at Tiffins yesterday (Saturday). We had decided to
drive to Petworth and a trip there isn't complete without a visit to this
great tearoom. The larger-than-life-lady greeted us like old friends, which was
great, we took a seat, a waitress approached and we ordered. I had a
three-cheese ciabatta with onion marmalade plus a pot of tea, we ordered two
carrot and coriander soups, which always includes a slice of crusty bread and
butter, and a jacket potato with tuna and beans, plus another tea. In fact, it
was tea all round and a hot chocolate for my daughter.
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| A bright and breezy interior at Tiffins... |
The food here is wonderful. The soups are flavoursome, the
ciabatta was just what the doctor ordered and the jacket potato an ample size,
but not over the top (as they can be in some establishments). The tea was
pleasant too, it always is, and the other clientele quiet and well-behaved – no
babies having their nappies changed in here – although I don't want to give the
impression that Tiffins is in any way 'stuffy', it isn't. Quite the contrary –
it's a bright and breezy place with specials advertised on a colourful wall on the left as you walk in; they sell their own jams, chutney and honey for £3.50 a jar, there are
home-made cakes.
We ordered a Victoria sponge and a rhubarb and ginger
sponge. The latter was iced. Both were perfect!
Off the top of my head, I can't remember the final price, but it would have been reasonable – it must have hovered around the £18
to £25 mark as we were a party of four and I don't begrudge paying that sort of money if the food is good and the service impeccable.
It goes without saying that whenever we're in Petworth we find our way to Tiffins for one simple reason: it's perfect in every way. Service with a
smile always, decent food and beverages, reasonable prices and a pleasant, bright and breezy
atmosphere. It's what a British tearoom is all about after all.
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