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- 26th Jun 2026
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There’s nowhere quite like this for summer afternoon tea in Northumberland…
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Northumberland’s only five-star hotel, a grand fireplace commissioned for royalty, gardens in full summer bloom, and an afternoon tea menu that celebrates the season…
Some things just belong together. Long summer afternoons and afternoon tea overlooking lawns and gardens, for instance. If you haven’t yet experienced afternoon tea in the Drawing Room at Matfen Hall, consider this your sign to change that.
Matfen Hall is the only five-star hotel in Northumberland, and it earns that status in every detail. Set within 300 acres of Northumberland countryside, the hotel itself is a grand Victorian mansion with the kind of interiors that make you want to slow down and take it all in. The Drawing Room is its jewel: a space of bespoke furniture, enormous windows overlooking the gardens and golf course, and a fireplace that was originally commissioned for royalty. It is, in every sense, the perfect place for afternoon tea.
The summer afternoon tea
There is something about a summer afternoon tea that feels different to any other. Light pastries, fresh sandwiches and a glass of Laurent-Perrier Champagne catching the sun. It’s a version of an English summer that doesn’t require anything other than a couple of hours with good company.
At £45 per person, the Summer Afternoon Tea menu draws on local produce and real pastry craft to create something that feels special at every tier.
The menu
The savouries are seasonal: a Cumberland pork and fennel seed sausage roll, a tartlet of roasted heirloom cherry tomatoes with burrata and basil, and a crayfish roll with tarragon, lemon and salmon roe on brioche – summer on a plate.
There’s also smoked Yorkshire pastrami with wholegrain mustard and dill pickled on malted bread, and a classic Northumbrian Goodfellow free range egg mayonnaise sandwich that is simple and perfect.
Scones come in two flavours – a light lemon and poppy seed version with clotted cream and homemade jam, and a farmhouse cheddar scone with whipped salted butter. Both deserve your full attention.
Then come the pastries…
Three of them, each a small work of art. The Strawberry Flower is a pink peppercorn cake with confit strawberry and whipped bourbon vanilla creme fraiche that looks almost too beautiful to eat. Almost.
The Pistachio and Orange Blossom brings together pistachio frangipane, praline and orange blossom ganache in something that manages to feel both light and deeply indulgent.
And the Dark Chocolate Religieuse – choux au craquelin with bergamot curd and 64% chocolate ganache – is the kind of thing you will think about for days afterwards.
A seasonal experience not to miss
Summer has a particular way of making certain experiences feel even better than they would at any other time of year, and Matfen Hall in the height of the season – gardens full and green, light streaming in, nowhere to be – is one of those.
Summer Afternoon Tea at Matfen Hall is the kind of afternoon that doesn’t require a special reason. Wanting to is reason enough (and the lemon and poppy seed scone).
£45 per person. The team can accommodate dietary requirements and allergies – just let them know when you book.
Matfen Hall, Matfen, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE20 0RH
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