My grandmother made a spontaneous decision to come to Warwick with me after I drove to Yorkshire to celebrate my sister’s 20th. I felt duty bound to take her to my favourite tearooms in Warwick town: Oken Tearooms.
Built 500 years ago by Thomas Oken as his then home, this tea house stands firm. Anyone who has read this blog knows I have an unreasonable weakness for aged oak beams. Oken have them as far as the eye can see.
I wish I could show you the divine cakes found therein but my grandmother and I ate them too quickly. I can only say of the carrot cake that it was prepared to perfection. Soft but not to the point of crumbling. Cream filling rich but not past the bounds of taste. In all, a true British treat.
Quaint would be an understatement. Oken Tearooms embody and exude Britishness.
The Oken cream teas are the stuff of legend. As is the crockery team’s choice of fine china. What extraordinarily adept craftsmanship. What delicate shading. That’s to say nothing of the details on the ceramic-embedded table (pictured below).
But something in this tearoom which set them apart from others is that they sell alcohol. Do not adjust your spectacles, they do indeed sell booze. I have enjoyed many a cider here. Not all in one visit, mind. Alcohol does not feature in my roster of addictions. All their alcohol, to the best of my knowledge, is locally sourced. I laud most highly businesses which support the local economy.
In summation, Oken Tearooms provides nourishment as exquisite as the service one receives from the charming waitresses. I recommend it for those of you longing for a touch of forgotten British glamour. The place has an enigmatic charm which never fails to impress me.