Afternoon Tea - Wiltshire

My family and I (two adults and a child) recently visited Whatley Manor for afternoon tea 09/10/23. Unfortunately, our experience fell far short of expectations, prompting this review. Despite booking a regular afternoon tea, we were charged £43.50 instead of the confirmed £37.50, citing a festive surcharge. Disappointingly, there were absolutely no noticeable festive elements to justify this added cost. Upon arrival, we were seated at a stark white, unadorned table, devoid of any seasonal decorations or even water glasses. The music being played just after we arrived wasn’t festive either. Our initial drinks and food were served promptly but for £140 (the entire amount of food in the attached photo), the value was awful. It consisted of three stale items, the Battenberg slice if you’re interested, accompanied by minimal service (no follow up on food and additional drinks and we had to go and find staff to ask to pay the bill) and a complete absence of the promised festive ambiance which after all was what the surcharge was for. Overall, this was an expensive and unsatisfactory afternoon tea experience. We have since had the festive surcharge refunded which we appreciate but I wouldn’t go back again or recommend the afternoon tea as an experience I’m afraid.

Food quality was fine as was the service. That said, the web site featured sausage rolls which did not exist! Furthermore, we pre requested savoury dishes in preference to sweet items; request was acknowledged but ignored! The Ops Mgr and F&B Mgr were very apologetic and tried to help. Savoury canapés were provided by way of an apology. Sadly an apparent lack of internal communication!

We primarily went to see the gardens and learn what David Pearce had in mind for their evolution. The afternoon tea was booked as sustenance and a reward for our efforts. Although the guided garden tours were not available, Mr Pearce graciously shared some time with us and we all determined that we must re- visit once his night garden has been brought to life. Each staff member we interacted with hit the mark for courteous and efficient service. The building is very well maintained and the furnishings are comfortable and appropriate. The afternoon tea itself was of generous proportions and my granddaughter’s request for plain ham sandwiches readily granted. I would catergorise the food as above average. We did all remark that while it was good, it was not great. While all six of us greatly enjoyed our little outing, it was the overall experience that delighted us more than the tea itself Comparing just the afternoon tea to other similar it is not a stand out and lacks an elegance that would be more in line with the surroundings. It would be lovely to see a more innovative presentation, including featuring some of the garden products as ingredients. Thinly sliced sandwiches would be preferred. Substituting the slightly damp slice of quiche with a few different individual savoury (mini) pastries, and dramatically reducing the size of the individual scones would also improve the visual presentation. Given the gardens, the excellent staff and the very pleasing surroundings, we will return for a longer stay.

Myself, my partner and mother-in-law attended afternoon tea here on a Saturday afternoon. The house is beautiful with lovely well kept grounds and the afternoon tea itself was also nice. However, I have been to various afternoon teas at luxury hotels and always been offered extra sandwiches/ scones at no extra cost. This was not the case at this establishment. When we politely asked for a couple more sandwiches, we were declined by one of the waitresses and told we would have to pay extra. We were surprised at this fact, at £37.50 per person, declining a couple of extra sandwiches feels frugal and so we felt a little uncomfortable. My partner asked another waiter to clarify that this was definitely the case, and the waiter actually said that the waitress was mistaken and of course we could have some more sandwiches (not mentioning an extra fee). When the bill came, we had been charged for these extra sandwiches in the end! We didn’t make a fuss and paid the full bill as we thought we had contributed to the confusion, and it was only an extra £8. However upon returning home and reading one of the responses from management regarding a similar issue, we shouldn’t have been charged and quote ‘we really are happy to offer more sandwiches at no extra charge. We have spoken to our team to ensure all are fully aware of this fact.’ As a result, I am disappointed at the service we received. We still had a nice time and would consider returning, but I hope that future guests don’t get caught up in this lack of communication between staff members.

Received a voucher for sparking afternoon tea for two so booked for Springtime Sunday visit . The building was poorly signposted and nodirections for disabled access or disabled car space near to entrance . Had to negotiate many , many steps . Yea was laid out on very low table and low chairs which were too low to sit in and I could no5 reach the table . We asked to move and we’re placed in a window seat with two tables pushed together with no legroom to get near to table . It was very cold snd the staff resolved this by bringing me a blanket ! Wr were very uncomfortable . The bread used was stale and scones very sweet . The void was a long time arriving and the sparkling wine was forgotten completely . None came to ask us if everything was ok . My husband spilled tea and ended up eating his food from beside him on the window seat . We asked for our bill as I was so unhappy and left the rest of our food , When we complained about the non arrival of the sparkling wine I was asked if I would like it the nex5 time I came . No chance whatsoever,