Flo: Best Cream Tea in Oxford

Oxford is the land of many a funny old tradition – the graduation ceremony makes you more painfully aware of this than ever. This also makes it a great spot for cream tea, and there are many places to indulge in this decadent English treat.

I finished my finals in June 2011 and didn’t get round to my official graduation until a couple of weeks ago. At this point I was faced with a dilemma – which cream tea is the best or most celebratory to follow my graduation? Which, indeed, is the best for anyone visiting Oxford?

St. Peter's girls marching

The shortlist for most Oxford students is as follows, along with my opinion on each:

The Grand Café – fun, buzzing but very hard to get a table for a big group. Would definitely recommend if there are just a few of you.

The Rose – just not my cup of tea and quiet enough to realise that it is opposite a busy road

The Old Parsonage – great traditional tea, pretty setting and great service. You definitely need to book in advance for graduation tea though.

Quod – rather reliable but awful art

I did not choose any of these but a venue that is somewhat overlooked by the student crowd, probably because of its relatively recent existence. My winner was….

The Ashmolean Museum Rooftop Cafe

Since reopening in 2009, the Ashmolean features a rooftop restaurant with a view right across Oxford and some rather good cakes and scones.

Having had a champagne brunch in college and more champagne at the Ashmolean, I unsurprisingly forgot to take any photos. I was however kindly given some scones to take home which I photographed the next day.

Take away scones

Now, I know that raisins divide the great scone-lovers of the world and I myself am not a raisin fan. Despite this fact, these scones are heavenly. The sandwiches and tea were pretty good too and each full tea is definitely enough for two. You get a generous slice of cake of your choice on top of that. I sampled the chocolate, bakewell and carrot cake and was impressed with all three.

heavily loaded last bite

So there you have it. This is my winner, and unlike any of the other venues, it boasts the most incredible collection of antiquities down stairs as well.

Oh, and if you want a D.I.Y version with Oxford-based Lewis Carroll inspiration,  see my Mad Hatter's cream tea recipes here...

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