The Hunts Post asked its readers which venue in Huntingdonshire serves the best afternoon tea and you told us it was The Willows in Brampton.
After visiting the coffee shop/bakery on Wednesday (August 9), I can now see why it received so many votes.
It’s a chilled peaceful venue with a lovely atmosphere for anyone who walks through the doors.
The Willows, which has been open now for seven years, is run by Claire and Megan Hardwick.
They were both “really proud” to hear they had won The Hunts Post’s Best for Afternoon Tea 2023.
“It means we’ve done right,” said Claire.
Claire originally opened The Willows as more of a café but since lockdown, it has become what it is known for today – a coffee shop and bakery where everything is homemade on the premises by the pair prior to opening.
“I’m a confectioner by trade so I always wanted more of this side of the business,” said Claire.
When asked why she believes The Willows’ afternoon tea has been rated the best in Huntingdonshire, she said: “Everything we do is homemade and with our afternoon tea’s you get sausage rolls and quiches as well as the traditional sandwiches but then you also get your scones and around seven selections of cakes, so you do get a lot!
“It’s all miniature of what we do in the shop as well so you can also just buy what you want."
As with all afternoon teas, there is always the controversial question of whether jam or cream goes on the scone first, and Claire says it’s the jam first for her.
As well as afternoon tea, The Willows caters for a vast menu. On the day I visited, there was a selection of 35 tarts right through to savoury options up for grabs!
They also do a lot of outside catering for events such as hen parties.
“Our selection varies every day. Each week is different. We do the baking on a Tuesday and then top it up during the week,” said Claire.
“We also do gluten free and vegan options, so there’s something for everyone.”
I also spoke with Claire about how The Willows coped with the pandemic, and how the cost-of-living crisis is affecting the business.
“In a way, the pandemic did us good because we ended up making it more of a cake shop, so we did everything from cheesecakes right through and everyone really loved it because of the fact they could get something different,” she said.
“We opened three days a week and just spent hours baking and trying different things out.”
Claire and Megan originally decided they were not going to reopen after lockdown and were going to keep the shop as takeaway only, but residents wanted the coffee shop, so they changed and decorated it in February and put all the money from the grants they received back into the shop.
“It’s lovely the way it is now, especially the atmosphere with the afternoon teas, we’ve really pushed that since we changed over as we were a busy café with a lot of food before, so it’s paid off,” said Claire.
“The cost-of-living has been hard as a lot of what we use is what is going up, but we decided to push it for six months and see how we get on, and we’re still here today.”
The Willows is located at 79 High Street, Brampton, PE28 4TQ and also has a garden area.
You can see more about the coffee shop/bakery by visiting their Facebook Page – The Willows.
You can find out the places which came second and third for best afternoon tea in Huntingdonshire here: Hunts Post readers tell us the best place to have cream tea
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