TeaTime in Britain
$5,500.00 – $7,300.00
London and Lancashire, England
October 4–11, 2020
We’re taking TeaTime on the road this year and heading across the pond so you can be steeped in English tea wares, history, and traditions and learn recipes for classic British tea fare. This weeklong trip will begin and end in London, with travel to the picturesque English countryside.
Don’t wait! Register today.
What’s Included
- Hotel accommodations in London and Lancashire
- Breakfast daily at hotels in London and Lancashire
- Private coach transfers to/from all retreat activities and to Lancashire
- Tea tasting and classes with Jane Pettigrew
- Tours of Victoria & Albert Museum, Chitra Collection, Spode Museum, and Wedgwood Museum and Factory
- Baking class at John Whaite’s Cookery School
- Dinner with John Whaite in Lancashire
- Six afternoon teas
What’s Not Included
- Airfare/travel to London
- Airport transfers
- Most dinners and lunches
Sunday, October 4
Arrive in London and get settled into The Milestone Hotel, a luxury, five-star hotel featured in TeaTime’s January/February 2020 issue. The hotel is located in the Kensington neighborhood, adjacent to Kensington Palace and Gardens and close to Royal Albert Hall. We’ll have a proper afternoon tea at the hotel so you can meet TeaTime editor Lorna Reeves, London-based contributing editor Jane Pettigrew, Bake From Scratch editor-in-chief Brian Hart Hoffman, and your fellow tea travelers.
Monday, October 5
As our day begins, Jane Pettigrew will give an overview of British tea history, followed by a tasting of six rare teas she has selected exclusively for us. This will prepare us well for our private tea-themed tour of the Victoria & Albert Museum. Enjoy lunch on your own in the museum café and peruse other exhibits at your leisure. Later, we’ll partake of an elegant afternoon tea together at Claridge’s.
Tuesday, October 6
After breakfast, Jane Pettigrew will continue the discussion of Britain’s important historic role in the global tea trade as well as British tea traditions. A private coach will take our group to visit the Chitra Collection of exquisite tea wares, where we’ll enjoy an exclusive guided tour. We’ll take in a bird’s-eye view of London as we enjoy an early afternoon tea at Tîng in The Shard, the tallest building in the city.
Wednesday, October 7
Have breakfast and then check out of the hotel before boarding a private coach that will take us north to rural Lancashire to meet our friend John Whaite. (John is the winner of the third season ofThe Great British Bake Off, a cookbook author, and runs John Whaite’s Kitchen Cookery School.) Along the way, we’ll wind through tiny Tudor villages and picturesque landscapes before we check into the cozy Wrightington Hotel, Health Club & Spa. In the evening, we’ll have a very special dinner at John’s family’s home, which is adjacent to the cookery school on Tunley Lane.
Thursday, October 8
One group will spend the day at John Whaite’s Kitchen Cookery School for a hands-on afternoon-tea baking class that will feature traditional British scones, Victoria sponge, Battenberg cake, and tartlets, plus tips and techniques for making pretty and tasty tea sandwiches. The other group will spend the day in Stoke-on-Trent exploring the Spode museum and the Wedgwood factory and museum before having afternoon tea at the Wedgwood Tea Room.
Friday, October 9
Groups will switch activities, with one going to John Whaite’s Kitchen Cookery School and the other to Stoke-on-Trent.
Saturday, October 10
After breakfast, we will return to London and to The Milestone Hotel, stopping to explore the village of Woburn in Bedfordshire. (Anna Russell, the 7th Duchess of Bedford, is credited with inventing the practice of afternoon tea circa 1840, and the current Duke and Duchess of Bedford still reside at Woburn Abbey.) If you’re hungry, you might want to grab a quick bite of lunch, but you’ll want to be sure to save room for the closing afternoon tea we’ll have together in London in Fortnum & Mason’s stunningly beautiful Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon, where we’ll toast our amazing week together.
Sunday, October 11
Enjoy breakfast at the hotel before your noon checkout.
The full price of trip (100%) is due at booking. Your reservation will be confirmed upon receipt of payment. We accept payment by American Express, Visa, and Mastercard, PayPal, and Amazon Pay. Trip prices are in U.S. dollars.
Accommodations in London
Located in the Kensington neighborhood of London, adjacent Kensington Palace and Gardens and close to the Royal Albert Hall, The Milestone Hotel is a five-star historic hotel that’s steeped in British style and charm. Each room features fine fabrics, fresh flowers, antique furnishings, and rare artworks.
We have a limited number of rooms available for the evening of Saturday, October 3, if you plan to arrive in London a day early. To include one of those rooms in your package, place “Hotel add-on for Saturday, October 3” in your cart for checkout.
We will do our best to arrange for double-occupancy rooms with two beds, but due to the uniqueness of the hotels where we will be staying, we cannot guarantee separate beds. If there are not two beds, guests will be provided with two sets of linens on one bed.
Accommodations in Lancashire
The cozy Wrightington Hotel, Health Club & Spa is conveniently located about 5 minutes from John Whaite’s Kitchen Cookery School.
We will do our best to arrange for double-occupancy rooms with two beds, but due to the uniqueness of the hotels where we will be staying, we cannot guarantee separate beds. If there are not two beds, guests will be provided with two sets of linens on one bed.
Costs
The price of the trip includes all hotel accommodations, afternoon tea six days, all breakfasts, all tours, a full-day baking class, lectures, a tea tasting, and private coach transfers to/from retreat activities. It does not include airfare or ground transportation from or to the airport.
Single and double occupancy rates are available.
Since the trip is nonrefundable, we suggest buying trip insurance through a company like Travelex. You can also check with your credit card company to see if they provide travel insurance. If you don’t purchase travel insurance, you agree to indemnify us against any charges that might otherwise be covered by your insurance. You further agree that we are not responsible for any costs of cancellation by you.
Your credit card will be charged by Hoffman Media, the parent company of TeaTime and Bake from Scratch.
Cancellation
We reserve the right to cancel the trip if fewer than 16 participants have signed up by March 1, 2020. If Hoffman Media initiates the cancellation, we will refund all payments.
Have a question about this retreat? Contact us.