Free entry to explore the marvellous gardens at Leonardslee when booking the Ultimate experience. A thorough wine tasting, brilliantly conducted by 'Simba', a true credit to his profession as a sommelier. Fabulous wines and that Sabre moment when the cork is 'popped', my friend did this with such distinction. An excellent, delicious Afternoon Tea followed, nothing waste much of a problem, photo opportunity, carrot cake a welcome extra but 'Simba' created the icing on the cake. Fantastic experience.
Andrew Hughes
A very special experience. From the beautiful gardens to majestic house, our experience as a family was truly first class. The staff are welcoming and friendly. The food is truly excellent, and the choice of teas... Well I have never seen such a list of teas. The ambiance and the continued attentiveness of the staff make you feel like royalty.
Idtill007
I booked the Ultimate Wine Experience with afternoon tea and based on the cost I was expecting this to be very good at the very least. I can 100% confirm it far exceeded these exceptions as it proved to be pretty much perfect! From the food down to the setting and service it was truly exceptional, in fact it was literally faultless. I can't not mention our waiter Simba whose wine knowledge coupled with his smiley easy-going nature was the icing on the cake. Lovely wine, delicious tea, wonderful food, and above all brilliant service. It's easily a Ten out of Ten experience.
Sam Ford
Absolutely fantastic afternoon tea. Every part of it from the savouries, to scones to pastries were genuinely some of the nicest I've had from an afternoon tea! Also a great chilled atmosphere with the self playing piano.
R8799RAandrewk
he afternoon tea and staff were lovely but we parked in the main garden car park and my wife pushed me in my wheelchair down the hill to the house. This hill is too steep and my wife had to stop several times to get her breath back. As you have plenty of empty car parking spaces by the house, it would be sensible to let elderly and disabled customers park by the house. If this doesn't happen, I regret to say we won't be back.
L4668ZVmc
Came here for a 90th birthday. When making the initial enquiry, the woman at reception was pretty apathetic and there was very little friendliness to the interaction from her part. I was additionally given an incorrect email address to make the reservation. When making the reservation I asked whether I could speak to someone about logistics as we were told we would need to be seated on two tables rather than one. I was directed (without my knowledge) to a premium number, which I am still surprised at given that the person that I was speaking to had another - regular landline - number that I could have called but yet choose to direct me to this premium number. When I discovered the charges I asked whether Leonardslee were aware they had directed me to a premium number. The answer was that "the premium number was in place for a number of reasons, but they were sorry for the inconvenience". As the call wasn't for too long I proposed that the £4 charge that I had incurred could maybe be subtracted from the final bill as a gesture of good faith. This email was ignored. The service from staff on the day was very attentive, and the woman with whom I corresponded (referred above) was also helpful and polite. The food was excellent. Such a shame that in the course of spending £500, Leonardslee couldn't find the impetus to recompense me such a small amount for a call that I never would have made had I known I would be charged. The place itself is really nice but when you are spending a lot of money you really don't want to have the basics missed off with emails ignored, sneaky surcharges, and unwelcoming first impressions.
Kelv C
Food was delicious, especially the sandwiches and scones. The dessert was nice but a bit too sugary for me! They have a huge selection of teas too, it was hard to pick one.Price was a tad expensive but service was great and the building, room we ate in was very nice, well decorated and taken care of.We overheard the staff talking about how nobody touches the lemon curd and were considering removing it. Please don’t, it was amazing!!
annacD4201QW
Leonardslee House is a beautiful, elegant setting in stunning gardens. Having a walk around the grounds before an afternoon tea, is a lovely way to spend an afternoon. The dining room is quite lovely, very elegant and special. The service friendly and attentive. The sandwiches and scones were delicious, the pastries also lovely. My only constructive feedback is regarding the children’s afternoon tea, which the children in our party found to be too ‘fancy’. The pastries, whilst undeniably works of art, were just too much for our children, who would have been much happier with a slice of cake. To be honest generally, I think a lot of people would like a lovely slice of cake rather than exquisite looking but rather complicated pastries. It’s something you see at lots of high end afternoon teas these days. Whilst I hugely admire the skills of the chefs and the beauty of the pastries, I personally think the option of more traditional cakes would be a good thing and welcomed by many. Just a thought. Despite the lack of ‘cake’, the afternoon tea at Leonardslee is very special and combined with a walk around the gardens, makes for a lovely way to spend an afternoon.
F5131DPritas
£60 a head for a sparkling afternoon tea which was on the whole a very run of the mill selection and not worth the money paid plus service charge on top. Even having a confirmation email stating our time was from 3 to 5.30 pm our party of 6 guests was reduced to under 2 hours as we were ushered out at 4.50 pm only to find the main exit through the garden centre locked, leaving us all wandering around the grounds trying to find our way back to our cars. Very distressing and totally unacceptable.
vikki
We came for afternoon tea last week and felt compelled to share our disappointing experience. For a place that charges like a London hotel1) the seats were covered in food2) we asked to change table as the table next to us has young children who were restless. The staff obliged to move us but left us at the table while preparing another leading to being asked multiple times to place our order with different staff and having to explain within earshot over and over that we were changing table. Eventually we just went and stood in the hall to avoid further awkwardness for us and the table with the children3) the seats at the new table were also covered in food4) the menu includes a slice of cake. We were never offered this despite having paid for it. The staff just left them at the side of the room and cleared our table once we finished the tea stand5) we emailed to inform them of the experience we had had as my Mum has been before and never had such a bad experience- they completely ignored us and never even acknowledged the email.Although the food is good, the high price and bad service means we will not return.***EDIT*** following Leonardslee’s eventual reply TWO MONTHS after my review (though never to my email)….1) I am sure we would still have considered the service prompt if our order had been taken 5 minutes later (as it eventually was after we excused ourselves to wait in reception and were then re-seated) rather than having to explain on multiple occasions to several different servers (in my opinion not prompt or efficient at all) that if we order they will need to bring it to a different table in front of the table we were asking to move away from.2) Nobody offered us cake…ever….at any point.3) We could see people having unfinished desserts and cake placed in white cardboard takeaway boxes around us, so this is a 100% lie.4) I am very sure i did not imagine the presence of food on the tables and sofas or the act of having to sweep it all off on to the floor before I could sit down!
Table cloth and inside of sugar bowl dirty followed by hair on food. Very expensive at £140 for 2 with 3 glasses of prosecco and 1 bottle of water. Room was very hot and we literally were placed right next to another couple so felt like we were at the same table. Couldn't have a private conversation. Have had much better afternoon tea at half the price elsewhere
Trudy Walmsley
Beautiful setting and a gorgeous tea. The staff were really helpful and friendly which made the afternoon very special.The team catered really well for dietry requirements without compromising on quality and flavour. Would thoroughly recommend. Thank you
Rob Clarke
It was nice. But overpriced and a few disappointments and mistakes. Firstly , for four adults and one child it was just under £300! Second we weren't served tea to drink. It was very odd and I had to ask at the very end after we had finished our desserts. The food was nice. The desserts were ok but some weren't very pleasant if I am honest. During booking we had to state if we were celebrating a special occasion. We were celebrating three things. My wife and my 10th wedding anniversary. Mother's day but also my in laws had just escaped Ukraine and we were treating them. But no mention was made of these so I don't know why we were asked this question on the booking form. All in all, it was nice. Overpriced. Wouldn't do it again but thank you all the same.
Beth Bagonza
Lovely food, well presented however when presented with the bill I expected to pay £45pp for a classic afternoon tea for myself and my mum for her birthday treat but the waitress handed me the card reader which had £11.25 added on as a service charge! The bill stated it was 'discretionary', so I queried it with the waitress explaining I was expecting to pay £90 not £101 and I had to whisper as other diners were sitting so close and could hear. I was extremely embarrassed to have to discuss this and she rudely replied "well, unless you feel the service was abysmal you should pay it!" I felt so embarrassed and she made me feel small I said no no it's ok I can pay the tip in cash if thats ok but I just felt it was already expensive and I wasn't expecting to pay even more. She stormed off and said well I'll have to go and check thats its ok that you dont pay it. My mum handed me back my cash and said she's definitely NOT getting a tip after the way she has treated you. I was made to feel I shouldnt be dining there! For that reason our experience wasn't a good one and we shall not be returning.
Jessica Roper
Best afternoon tea I’ve ever had. It was the perfect choice for my sister’s baby shower. Beautiful table settings, gorgeous patisserie and everything was delicious. I’m gluten free and was accommodated with absolutely no problems, which was much appreciated.
Free entry to explore the marvellous gardens at Leonardslee when booking the Ultimate experience. A thorough wine tasting, brilliantly conducted by 'Simba', a true credit to his profession as a sommelier. Fabulous wines and that Sabre moment when the cork is 'popped', my friend did this with such distinction. An excellent, delicious Afternoon Tea followed, nothing waste much of a problem, photo opportunity, carrot cake a welcome extra but 'Simba' created the icing on the cake. Fantastic experience.
A very special experience. From the beautiful gardens to majestic house, our experience as a family was truly first class. The staff are welcoming and friendly. The food is truly excellent, and the choice of teas... Well I have never seen such a list of teas. The ambiance and the continued attentiveness of the staff make you feel like royalty.
I booked the Ultimate Wine Experience with afternoon tea and based on the cost I was expecting this to be very good at the very least. I can 100% confirm it far exceeded these exceptions as it proved to be pretty much perfect! From the food down to the setting and service it was truly exceptional, in fact it was literally faultless. I can't not mention our waiter Simba whose wine knowledge coupled with his smiley easy-going nature was the icing on the cake. Lovely wine, delicious tea, wonderful food, and above all brilliant service. It's easily a Ten out of Ten experience.
Absolutely fantastic afternoon tea. Every part of it from the savouries, to scones to pastries were genuinely some of the nicest I've had from an afternoon tea! Also a great chilled atmosphere with the self playing piano.
he afternoon tea and staff were lovely but we parked in the main garden car park and my wife pushed me in my wheelchair down the hill to the house. This hill is too steep and my wife had to stop several times to get her breath back. As you have plenty of empty car parking spaces by the house, it would be sensible to let elderly and disabled customers park by the house. If this doesn't happen, I regret to say we won't be back.
Came here for a 90th birthday. When making the initial enquiry, the woman at reception was pretty apathetic and there was very little friendliness to the interaction from her part. I was additionally given an incorrect email address to make the reservation. When making the reservation I asked whether I could speak to someone about logistics as we were told we would need to be seated on two tables rather than one. I was directed (without my knowledge) to a premium number, which I am still surprised at given that the person that I was speaking to had another - regular landline - number that I could have called but yet choose to direct me to this premium number. When I discovered the charges I asked whether Leonardslee were aware they had directed me to a premium number. The answer was that "the premium number was in place for a number of reasons, but they were sorry for the inconvenience". As the call wasn't for too long I proposed that the £4 charge that I had incurred could maybe be subtracted from the final bill as a gesture of good faith. This email was ignored. The service from staff on the day was very attentive, and the woman with whom I corresponded (referred above) was also helpful and polite. The food was excellent. Such a shame that in the course of spending £500, Leonardslee couldn't find the impetus to recompense me such a small amount for a call that I never would have made had I known I would be charged. The place itself is really nice but when you are spending a lot of money you really don't want to have the basics missed off with emails ignored, sneaky surcharges, and unwelcoming first impressions.
Food was delicious, especially the sandwiches and scones. The dessert was nice but a bit too sugary for me! They have a huge selection of teas too, it was hard to pick one.Price was a tad expensive but service was great and the building, room we ate in was very nice, well decorated and taken care of.We overheard the staff talking about how nobody touches the lemon curd and were considering removing it. Please don’t, it was amazing!!
Leonardslee House is a beautiful, elegant setting in stunning gardens. Having a walk around the grounds before an afternoon tea, is a lovely way to spend an afternoon. The dining room is quite lovely, very elegant and special. The service friendly and attentive. The sandwiches and scones were delicious, the pastries also lovely. My only constructive feedback is regarding the children’s afternoon tea, which the children in our party found to be too ‘fancy’. The pastries, whilst undeniably works of art, were just too much for our children, who would have been much happier with a slice of cake. To be honest generally, I think a lot of people would like a lovely slice of cake rather than exquisite looking but rather complicated pastries. It’s something you see at lots of high end afternoon teas these days. Whilst I hugely admire the skills of the chefs and the beauty of the pastries, I personally think the option of more traditional cakes would be a good thing and welcomed by many. Just a thought. Despite the lack of ‘cake’, the afternoon tea at Leonardslee is very special and combined with a walk around the gardens, makes for a lovely way to spend an afternoon.
£60 a head for a sparkling afternoon tea which was on the whole a very run of the mill selection and not worth the money paid plus service charge on top. Even having a confirmation email stating our time was from 3 to 5.30 pm our party of 6 guests was reduced to under 2 hours as we were ushered out at 4.50 pm only to find the main exit through the garden centre locked, leaving us all wandering around the grounds trying to find our way back to our cars. Very distressing and totally unacceptable.
We came for afternoon tea last week and felt compelled to share our disappointing experience. For a place that charges like a London hotel1) the seats were covered in food2) we asked to change table as the table next to us has young children who were restless. The staff obliged to move us but left us at the table while preparing another leading to being asked multiple times to place our order with different staff and having to explain within earshot over and over that we were changing table. Eventually we just went and stood in the hall to avoid further awkwardness for us and the table with the children3) the seats at the new table were also covered in food4) the menu includes a slice of cake. We were never offered this despite having paid for it. The staff just left them at the side of the room and cleared our table once we finished the tea stand5) we emailed to inform them of the experience we had had as my Mum has been before and never had such a bad experience- they completely ignored us and never even acknowledged the email.Although the food is good, the high price and bad service means we will not return.***EDIT*** following Leonardslee’s eventual reply TWO MONTHS after my review (though never to my email)….1) I am sure we would still have considered the service prompt if our order had been taken 5 minutes later (as it eventually was after we excused ourselves to wait in reception and were then re-seated) rather than having to explain on multiple occasions to several different servers (in my opinion not prompt or efficient at all) that if we order they will need to bring it to a different table in front of the table we were asking to move away from.2) Nobody offered us cake…ever….at any point.3) We could see people having unfinished desserts and cake placed in white cardboard takeaway boxes around us, so this is a 100% lie.4) I am very sure i did not imagine the presence of food on the tables and sofas or the act of having to sweep it all off on to the floor before I could sit down!
Restaurantji Recommends
Table cloth and inside of sugar bowl dirty followed by hair on food. Very expensive at £140 for 2 with 3 glasses of prosecco and 1 bottle of water. Room was very hot and we literally were placed right next to another couple so felt like we were at the same table. Couldn't have a private conversation. Have had much better afternoon tea at half the price elsewhere
Beautiful setting and a gorgeous tea. The staff were really helpful and friendly which made the afternoon very special.The team catered really well for dietry requirements without compromising on quality and flavour. Would thoroughly recommend. Thank you
It was nice. But overpriced and a few disappointments and mistakes. Firstly , for four adults and one child it was just under £300! Second we weren't served tea to drink. It was very odd and I had to ask at the very end after we had finished our desserts. The food was nice. The desserts were ok but some weren't very pleasant if I am honest. During booking we had to state if we were celebrating a special occasion. We were celebrating three things. My wife and my 10th wedding anniversary. Mother's day but also my in laws had just escaped Ukraine and we were treating them. But no mention was made of these so I don't know why we were asked this question on the booking form. All in all, it was nice. Overpriced. Wouldn't do it again but thank you all the same.
Lovely food, well presented however when presented with the bill I expected to pay £45pp for a classic afternoon tea for myself and my mum for her birthday treat but the waitress handed me the card reader which had £11.25 added on as a service charge! The bill stated it was 'discretionary', so I queried it with the waitress explaining I was expecting to pay £90 not £101 and I had to whisper as other diners were sitting so close and could hear. I was extremely embarrassed to have to discuss this and she rudely replied "well, unless you feel the service was abysmal you should pay it!" I felt so embarrassed and she made me feel small I said no no it's ok I can pay the tip in cash if thats ok but I just felt it was already expensive and I wasn't expecting to pay even more. She stormed off and said well I'll have to go and check thats its ok that you dont pay it. My mum handed me back my cash and said she's definitely NOT getting a tip after the way she has treated you. I was made to feel I shouldnt be dining there! For that reason our experience wasn't a good one and we shall not be returning.
Best afternoon tea I’ve ever had. It was the perfect choice for my sister’s baby shower. Beautiful table settings, gorgeous patisserie and everything was delicious. I’m gluten free and was accommodated with absolutely no problems, which was much appreciated.