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UPDATE FROM JOE ELLIS

Thursday 02 June 2011

The last blog entry was done in February 2011 and a lot has been going on since then!

I undertook another English tea room tour during Easter 2011 and visited over 17 English tea rooms over a four day period. The weather was lovely and the tea rooms visited were great and none were listed under ‘not my cup of tea category’! A video slideshow of the tea rooms visited has now been uploaded to the main website and the reviews and photographs will go live shortly.

I still think that some of the independent English tea rooms need to tighten up their act a bit with regards to their opening and closing times. Some open late and some close early, despite opening and closing times clearly on display.

I am also saddened by the closure of many English tea rooms over the past few months. The Sarre Windmill and their tea room in Kent has now closed and went to public auction. Other tea rooms closed for various reasons, some of these have traded for many years; deeply worrying, I must say and I am now sure that I can no longer claim that 10 English tea rooms a week are closing. I think the figure is now a little higher.

I take my hat off to Karen Kerly the owner of Wades English Tea Room in Herne Bay, Kent, which is very local to me. She decided to move premises and by doing so, increased her customer base. The tea room has a lovely back outside area and the new premises is rather pleasant; I am about to update the review on the main website shortly.

The latest issue of the Time For Tea magazine was much bigger than the first issue and I am pleased with all the good feedback received. I promise the next issue will be better and I am currently working on it as I write this blog.

I have recently undertook an English cream tea by post pilot scheme, whereby I sent an English cream tea by post to some selected people. I want to develop this further over the coming months, as the feedback was exceptional.

Please visit the main website regularly. I am about to develop the research and health benefits of tea section and make this more substantial over the coming months.

Finally, enjoy the summer and Part 4 of my English tea room tour will probably be doe on the Isle of Wight.