At Cowley Manor we’ve had some of the best, most fun, most wonderful times we’ve had as a family in all of the Cotswolds. And our Easter Afternoon Tea Picnic was one of those times. Matthew, Noelle and I rocked up on over Easter last year and thought we were in for a scrummy afternoon tea treat. And we were, sure, but little did we know that the always amazing staff at Cowley Manor had decided to work their magic and make our afternoon tea experience extraordinary… we should have known, of course, because they always go above and beyond.

On this beautiful and warm 18^th of April in 2019, the Cowley staff suggested we enjoy our Easter Afternoon Tea outside… on the lawn… picnic-style! Well, we needed no convincing, we were absolutely game so off we went to a take on a fun afternoon in one of the most beautiful and exciting gardens in the Cotswolds. As our afternoon tea was being prepared, we went for a walk… we started at the oversized swing, went on the little stream and the lion heads, then we walked past the big lake and on to the secret garden where it is believed Lewis Carroll was inspired to write Alice in Wonderland.

The gardens surrounding Cowley Manor are magnificent. You can spend hours and hours here exploring and walking and enjoying nature, something we have done on many, many occasions. On this day, at the end of our garden “expedition”, we went to the amazing hammocks on the lawn just outside the hotel, a perfect spot for relaxing, having a little snooze or just enjoying the spectacular views of the garden.

Then it was picnic time. A blanket was laid out and our Easter Afternoon Tea was served in a lovely picnic basket and then beautifully laid out for us. We chose our picnic spot, the left corner of the large lawn in front of the hotel, the perfect spot, we thought, as here we had a view of both the stunning hotel, the lake, the woods and whole of the garden. Wonderful!

The afternoon tea was so delicious. We’ve had quite a few themed afternoon teas and we love them… it’s always such fun to find out what special treats we’re being offered on any theme, and the Easter aspects of this afternoon tea was a super-delicious simnel cake, scrummy hot cross buns and a fun take on eggs and soldiers (a delicious tropical mousse being the egg, a thin shortbread being the soldier). It was delicious… all of it. And we enjoyed this Easter Afternoon Tea Picnic so much, we can’t wait to go back again every year at Easter time.

Mette ♡

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