Looking for somewhere to have afternoon tea in the Lincolnshire Wolds? Let us introduce you to the Vintage Tearooms, set in the charming village of Tealby. Surrounded by marvellous countryside and rolling hills, this is one of Lincolnshire’s prettiest villages, and the Vintage Tearooms is right at the heart of it. We went along to try their famous afternoon tea, and in this article we share our review.

Disclosure: we were given a complementary afternoon tea at The Vintage Tearooms so we could try out the experience. Views are our own, and we always give honest reviews and recommendations.

About the Vintage Tearooms, Tealby

The Vintage Tearooms is an independent tearoom created by local entrepreneur Jennie Fox, who has held a lifelong passion for baking.

After starting out as a pop-up tearoom in 2012, The Vintage Tearooms eventually opened its doors in Tealby in May 2016. It’s since become a real local favourite in the village.

Jennie uses a variety of local suppliers for the tearoom, including roast ham from Curtis of Lincoln, free range eggs from Primrose Hill Farm, smoked salmon from Smiths of Boston, and Lincolnshire Poacher cheese. Lincolnshire has some of the very best local food producers in the UK, and so you’re know you’re getting good quality here.

The Vintage Tearooms Tealby

Our first impressions

The tearoom is situated on Front Street, which is a quiet village road, and we didn’t have any problems finding a parking space right outside. You will notice the pale green painted window-frames, hanging bunting and playful hand-drawn pictures on the glass, a welcome sight when coming in from the January cold!

Inside, the tearoom is set across two floors. It was pleasantly busy downstairs on a Friday afternoon – a sure sign of the popularity of the place – but we had the upstairs floor all to ourselves.

The decor brings a slightly different feel on each floor. A bright and floral vibe downstairs is contrasted by a more moody art deco feel upstairs with rich mahogany furnishings, dark wooden floorboards and a tiled fireplace. There are clever subtle touches that accentuate the atmosphere, from tastefully placed flowers to carefully chosen pictures.

Afternoon tea at the Vintage Tearooms

You can enjoy a classic afternoon tea at the Vintage Tearooms, and at various times throughout the year Jennie also creates special themed afternoon teas. We were lucky enough to visit at one of these times, as the menu featured a Wonka afternoon tea, coinciding with the release of the new Wonka movie.

Jennie’s themed afternoon teas have drawn inspiration from the big screen before, such as a Harry Potter special, and she has also tailored afternoon teas to big events on the calendar like Hallowe’en and Christmas.

The theme isn’t just limited to the food and drink served, either. A long table in the upstairs room was laid out with Wonka paraphernalia, and the movie’s soundtrack was even playing from a pink retro-style radio.

The Vintage Tearoooms Wonka table
An array of Wonka trinkets to bring the themed afternoon tea to life at the Vintage Tearooms

A choice of hot or cold drinks

Afternoon tea is typically served with a warm drink, but at the Vintage Tearooms there’s also the option to accompany it with a chocolate milkshake. I couldn’t resist this to complement the Wonka theme, while Lisa opted for the more traditional pot of tea. (You can also choose coffee or hot chocolate if you prefer.)

The chocolate milkshake came in a tall mason jar glass with a generous dollop of whipped cream and marshmallows protruding from the top. It was the perfect decadent preparation for the mountain of delicious food that was about to arrive!

The Vintage Tearooms chocolate milkshake
Our drinks arrived first – I was glad I went for that chocolate milkshake!

Delicious, freshly made food

True to the tearoom’s name, our food came served on three tiers of vintage china plates. The lower tier was made up of sandwiches, sausage rolls and salad; the top tier neatly arranged with scones, jam and clotted cream; and between them on the middle tier was an extravagance of sweet treats.

These included chocolate cupcakes topped with a Lindor chocolate, a sponge cake with blackcurrant jam crafted to look like a swirl lollipop, and a shortbread biscuit with “Wonka” written in icing. Finally, we each had a skewer of marshmallows and fruit with melted chocolate for drizzling.

We had four different sandwich fillings to enjoy: cheese, ham, egg, and my personal favourite – smoked salmon and cream cheese! The sausage rolls are made with delicious Lincolnshire sausages from Uncle Henry’s in Kirton, near Boston.

Afternoon tea in the Lincolnshire Wolds: The Vintage Tearooms
The Wonka afternoon tea in its full glory
The Vintage Tearoooms Wonka afternoon tea
The freshly made cakes were delicious (we especially loved the chocolate cupcakes)

Every bite was an absolute delight! It’s the best afternoon tea you will find for miles around. We couldn’t quite finish it all, but Jennie was happy to pack our leftovers up into a box for us to take away, so we could continue our indulgence at home over the weekend.

We were seated at one of the window tables, which gave us a nice view out towards the countryside, and also the benefit of the low winter sunlight streaming onto the table, which added to the ambiance. We definitely recommend opting for a window table if you can get one, but the food will be fabulous wherever you sit.

Alex and Lisa having afternoon tea in the Lincolnshire Wolds
We loved this spot by the upstairs window!

How to get to the Vintage Tearooms, Tealby

Tealby is located in the Lincolnshire Wolds less than four miles outside Market Rasen. It’s easy to reach by car from Lincoln, and the drive typically takes about 40 minutes.

The quickest route is usually to simply take the A46 to Market Rasen and then the B1203 (Rasen Road) onward to Tealby.

The Vintage Tearooms is open Thursdays and Fridays 10:30am–4pm and Saturdays 10am–4:30pm. See the Vintage Tearooms website for more information.

More things to do in the area

We love walking in the Lincolnshire Wolds, and one of our favourite routes passes right through Tealby. Read our guide to the Lindsey Trail north route, which you could combine with a stop for afternoon tea at the Vintage Tearooms.

If you’re staying in the area over a weekend, you might also want to go for some food at the 14th-century Kings Head in Tealby, which is Lincolnshire’s oldest thatched pub. See our guide to places to stay in Market Rasen for local accommodation.

For more activity ideas, see our article on things to do in Market Rasen.

Have you been for afternoon tea in the Lincolnshire Wolds? We’d love to hear about your experiences in the comments below.

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Looking for afternoon tea in the Lincolnshire Wolds? Here's our review of a themed afternoon tea at The Vintage Tearooms in Tealby. #LincolnshireWolds #AfternoonTea #LoveLincsWolds

2 thoughts on “The Vintage Tearooms, Tealby: afternoon tea in the Lincolnshire Wolds

  1. Dodgy David says:

    I, too, am an enthusiast for the Tealby Vintage Tearooms. I usually visit in the morning for coffee and cake but I would concur with your comments. One small thing; Uncle Henry’s is in Kirton Lindsey, about 15 miles north of Lincoln. Also worth a visit.

    • Alex Trembath says:

      Hi David, thank you for the comment. We haven’t tried Uncle Henry’s, so thank you for the recommendation! We’ll definitely try it out when we can.

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