Jane’s Enchanted Tea Garden definitely lives up to its name! It’s the epitome of enchanting but it’s also so so much more – wacky, majestic, fun, endearing, peaceful – the list goes on, which is why it’s no surprise that it is fully booked for the whole of 2021!
About Jane’s Enchanted Tea Garden
Jane’s Enchanted Tea Garden is a pop up cafรฉ that opens every year over the summer months (approx. May – September) to deliver delicious afternoon tea in a stunning setting. It’s hidden down a small road adjacent to the canal in Kirtlington and could easily be missed if it wasn’t for the vibrant pink and purple arch entrance prettily entwined with a waterfall of colourful flowers.
Jane has a Facebook group where she posts regular updates about the garden and available dates for booking a table/cancellations. Booking is on a first come first serve basis and is done by contacting Jane directly – you can either send her a text or give her a call. Bookings are secured by transferring a ยฃ10 deposit per person, which is then deducted from your bill on the day. Jane is already fully booked this year (yup, that’s how popular this place is!) however, she plans to start taking bookings for next year after she’s wrapped up 2021, so keep your eyes peeled on the Facebook page towards the end of the year!
The Enchanted Tea Garden Experience
On entering the garden, we found ourselves weaving our way down a charming archway of twigs draped with bunting, flowers and foliage – with the occasional teasing glimpse of the seating areas and the canal. The dรฉcor was an eccentric combination of fairy lights, chimes, tea pots hanging from branches and the occasional random fake cat and milk churn – it was so random, so wacky and I LOVED IT!
The dรฉcor and buzz of customers was accompanied by live folk music being played by the marquee.
Our table was ideally located on its own by the water with a great view of the barge moored up alongside the decking. There was also seating in the beautifully adorned marquee and alongside the barge.
The crockery mirrored the dรฉcor and boasted a mishmash of different vintage plates, cups and saucers. It had a very homely, Alice in Wonderland vibe – rustic but oh so charming!
This year Jane has curated the ‘Full Jeeves’ menu, which is ยฃ29.50 per person and includes all of the afternoon tea essentials – sandwiches, scones, cakes, tea/coffee and a welcome glass of prosecco. Once we were settled in at our table and dietary requirements had been checked, we were swiftly bought over our tower of goodies. There were three vegetarians and three non vegetarians so we had a cake tower for each.
The veggie sandwiches included coronation quorn chicken, cucumber, cream cheese and mint, cheese and chutney and egg mayo and cress. Whilst the meat eaters had the additions of roasted chicken and cranberry, ham hock with mango chutney and tuna mayo and rocket. We all then had a scone each and a delicious selection of homemade cupcakes including caramel, chocolate and strawberries and cream. It was the perfect amount of food to fill you up but still leave you with room for plenty more glasses of prosecco (which is a bargain ยฃ16 a bottle btw!)…
The service was very welcoming, friendly and relaxed and Jane popped her head out a couple of times to check in on how we were doing (and to deliver us more prosecco…). The service was a tad slow at times however, we were drinking at a record speed and it was their first weekend of being open, so they were understandably getting back into the swing of things.
We all had such a lovely afternoon! It was amazing to be out post lockdown and even more amazing to go somewhere so fun, unique and special.
The Verdict
Well, it’s safe to say there is nowhere quite like Jane’s Enchanted Tea Garden in our area, which is why it’s so popular! It’s a unique experience from the moment you enter the garden to the moment you leave – it’s a whimsical jumble of fun dรฉcor, excellent home cooked food and relaxed service. The Tea Garden is the definition of a hidden gem and I can’t wait to return again next year to experience it in the evening – imagine all those fairy lights lit up!
To stay up to date on bookings for 2022 or any potential cancellations in 2021, head over to Jane’s Facebook page.
