okay, so i didn't exactly get to eat finger sandwiches with a fictional character, but i DID get to enjoy tea at the Jane Austen Centre.
there is a little tea room called the Regency Tea Rooms on the 2nd floor that has an array of tea, sandwiches, pastries, and other drinks to choose from. though it's quite tiny, it's very cute - the waitress dresses up like a maid, and there are white tea sets on each table. everything looks cozy yet pristine..definitely makes you want to keep your pinky up!
i ordered Fanny's Favourite (£5.50), which consisted of 2 crumpets, choice of tea, and clotted cream & honey.
though you could easily make this for yourself for about half the price, i figured it was all part of the official tea experience. the crumpets were nice and toasted, and they give you a HUGE ramekin of clotted cream.
to be honest, i ate the entire meal thinking that this was butter - there IS a difference, but i guess i'm not experienced enough to tell yet.. it's definitely less salty than regular butter, and lighter in flavour - though it's still very, very heavy.
i tried to use as much as i could, but i barely leveled the top. i'm not sure who would use that much cream on 2 crumpets! i normally dislike honey very much, but since the cream itself didn't have a very full flavour, i had to pair the two. it actually tasted better than i expected, though i would have much rather preferred jam instead.
i chose to get a light mix of Chinese black loose leaf teas.
i figured since it was later in the afternoon, i didn't want to be up all night for no reason at all. the pot of tea came, and it was seriously the lightest tea i've had in a while. good, but very light.
we left the place very happy and very full of tea. i think i downed (okay, not proper "tea language"..) sipped about 4 cups of it. it made the 6 hour trip back home quite painful..we'll just leave it at that.
if you're ever in Bath, definitely stop by and take a look, especially if you're a Jane Austen (or Mr. Darcy!!) fan. it's worth it!
Jane Austen Centre - Regency Tea Rooms
40 Gay Street
Queen Square
Bath, BA1 2NT
