Here we visit a small teashop in Dorset. In this short article there are a few pictures and an introduction to the sort of foods you might find in a teashop. 

This little tea shop has been created from some of the old farm buildings belonging to Manor Farm in the village of Studland, Dorset. It is called 'Manor Farm Tea Rooms.' Have a look in the Town and Country section to see an article about the Open Gardens of Studland, which I visited on the same day.

The entrance to the tearooms is in the corner of this farmyard. The building looks like an old stable block. There are tables outside for fine days, but the day I visited it was overcast and it fact it rained heavily later.

Inside the tearoom the decoration was quite simple, but newly painted and looking very fresh. I liked the old tiled floor and the exposed wooden beams of the ceiling. The walls were a traditional cream colour - to match the fresh cream they were selling no doubt. On the walls were some old photographs of the local area, showing the history of the area.

Most of the customers were people visiting the Open Gardens that day. However this is also popular walking country ( there are some lovely walks along a range of nearby hills, or along the coast) and I noticed a few people arrive wearing walking boots.

The menu was typical of this type of cafe,  just snacks and 'light' lunches, but most of the food was homemade and looked delicious. Just what you need after a walk in the countryside.

When soup is on offer you need to ask what flavour it is, as it varies from day to day. Often it is vegetable soup, but it could be tomato, leek and potato, or mushroom. Or maybe something more unusual. If the soup is homemade it is a good choice, but some cafes use powdered soup mixes that they buy in bulk, so it is always worth checking if the soup is homemade too. 

We discuss ploughman's lunches in the British foods section. 

Baked beans are difficult to explain! You purchase a tin of baked beans and heat them up to put on toast or eat them with a meal. The beans are in a tomato sauce. Quite often they are served with an English fried breakfast.  They are very popular with children, but adults eat them too.

Do let us know if you have any questions about items on the menu.

I had a toasted sandwich - in fact, this one! It contained cheese and tomato, but you could choose any combination of cheese, onion, tomato and tuna. 

Some of the dishes are available 'with salad', but this small amount of lettuce and tomato is not what they mean. This is a salad 'garnish'. If you order the 'quiche with salad' for instance you get a plate full of mixed salad, a much bigger portion than this.

Here is the other side of the menu. Often in cafes you can only order ' a pot of tea' rather than a cup of tea. Each customer receives a small individual teapot and there is usually enough tea and milk provided for at least two cupfuls per person.

If you order a pot of tea (rather than a cup) you usually receive both a small teapot, plus  second small pot containing hot water, which you can use to top up the teapot and have a second cuppa from the same teapot. 'Cuppa' is slang for a cup of tea. 

You order ' a pot of tea for one' or ' a pot of tea for two'. If you order for two you normally get one larger teapot which you share between two people, plus a jug of hot water. 

The cream tea is also explained in the British foods section.

The cakes here were all home made. There was a large wooden dresser on one side of the room with lots of cakes displayed. You just chose which one you wanted and the waitress would cut you a slice and bring it to your table. I shared a large slice of Victoria sponge with my friend.