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Monday, April 16, 2007

The Old Bakery Tea Rooms, Berrima

scones with jam and cream

A Devonshire tea in essential in any small country town.

It's been quiet around here because last weekend was spent on a road trip to Canberra for the annual Balloon Fiesta. We hit the road at 8.15am on Saturday with a scheduled pit-stop at Berrima in the Southern Highlands.

roadtrip
On the road

general store
Berrima General Store

Berrima
is a picturesque little town, population 879, located 122km south west of Sydney. There was only one mandatory destination in mind, I just had to follow the sign:

sign

A former bakehouse forms the site of the Old Bakery Tea Rooms. You can still see the woodfire oven in the back room preserved as a mini-museum.

old bakery tea rooms
The Old Bakery Tea Rooms

Downstairs is a quaint little tea room, lined with cottage knick-knacks and flanked by a wall filled with old-fashioned crockery.

tea room
The downstairs tea room

crockery
Tea plates, tea pots and tea cups

We sat outside to enjoy the warm morning sunshine though, feasting on a hearty brunch that was hearty and delicious. My flat white was very impressive (strong and robust with a layer of crema) although the latte was a little too generous with the milk.

flat white coffee
Flat white coffee with freckle petit four $3.25

latte
Latte $4.00

pumpkin soup
Homemade pumpkin soup with thick toast $8.50

The pumpkin soup was sweet and not too rich, scattered generously with dried thyme. Thick wedges of toast were soft and fluffy in the middle.

big breakfast
Bacon, sausages, eggs, mushrooms, tomatoes and toast $12.50

We attacked the hot cooked breakfast with gusto. The G-man, J-girl and I had decided to go thirds in everything - a perfect way to try more things on the menu. The bacon was my favourite, pan-fried until crisp on the edges.

meat pie
Meat pie with mushy peas, chips and gravy $12.50

The meat pie was slathered generously with a thick layer of pale green mushy peas. The chips were a golden crunchy colour, perfect carriers for the thick brown gravy.

meat pie innards
Meat pie innards

And of course we had to finish things off with a Devonshire tea.

scones
Devonshire tea $7.80
Tea with two warm scones with jam and fresh cream


Served warm, the scones were very light and fluffy, perhaps not so light after we spread them thickly with a thick strawberry jam and airy clouds of whipped cream. These rated fairly highly, but the CWA scones from the Easter Show still win with their unbeatable balance of density and fluffiness.

mrs oldbucks
Mrs Oldbucks Pantry

We rolled ourselves back to the car with a brief wander through the Berrima landmark, Mrs Oldbucks Pantry.

jams and preserves
Jams, preserves, sauces and honeys

bullseyes
Bullseyes boiled sweets

Next stop: Canberra

The Old Bakery Tea Room
Wingecarribee St, Berrima
Tel: +61 (02) 4877 1343

Mrs Oldbucks Pantry
Old Hume Highway, Berrima
Tel: +61 (02) 4877 1489

Related GrabYourFork posts:
Canberra Road Trip Part 1: Berrima
Canberra Road Trip Part 2: Canberra
Canberra Road Trip Part 3: Balloon Fiesta Nighttime Spectacular
Canberra Road Trip Part 4: Dinner at Les Rendezvous, Manuka
Canberra Road Trip Part 5: Balloon Fiesta at dawn, Old Parliament House
Canberra Road Trip Part 6: Breakfast at The Pancake Parlour, Civic
Canberra Road Trip Part 7: Lunch at Lynwood Cafe, Collector
7 comments - Add some comment love

posted by Anonymous on 4/16/2007 10:58:00 pm


7 Comments:

  • At 4/17/2007 12:09 am, Blogger Jess (fushmush) said…

    Mmmm I love Devonshire Teas! On our Easter Weekend in the Cotswolds I kept seeing signs for "Cream Teas". It's what they call Devonshire Teas over here. Weird that they don't call them Devonshire Teas, don't you think?

     
  • At 4/17/2007 1:34 am, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    Ahhh Berrima... I love the 'things in jars' shops there, and I once had the best damper I have ever tried from a shop there too. Great pictures... you almost convinced me to go to the Easter Show for the scones, but I remembered that I don't like children just in time!

     
  • At 4/17/2007 3:24 am, Blogger Brooke - Little Miss Moi said…

    Dear helen. That food really does look deliciouso. The pie and the pumpkin soup especially made me drool!

     
  • At 4/17/2007 6:10 pm, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    if I indulged in a meal like that followed by scones with cream and jam, I would definitely be rollin' rollin' rollin'.

    If yuo're ever in Melbourne, try Miss Marples in the Dandenongs for a great Devonshire tea. THE highest, hughest scones I have ever seen!

     
  • At 4/17/2007 11:15 pm, Blogger Jess K said…

    Dear Helen,

    yummy meal..will be good with my teacuppa.com TGY oolong tea!

     
  • At 4/18/2007 10:44 am, Blogger mira said…

    Jess - You wouldn't call it a Devonshire Tea in the Cotswolds because the Cotswolds aren't in Devon. If you visit Devon they are called Devonshire Tea's (but don't ever ask for a Devonshire Tea in Cornwall, they will refuse to serve you!). There is also technically a difference – one is scones with jam and thick cream and the other one has clotted cream.

    Helen – you can get English Breakfast Tea and Irish Breakfast teas in specialist Tea shops but the general café thinks it is worldly just serving Earl Gray. We English mostly just like plain strong tea. If you make it to Harrogate or York in the UK, go to Betty’s Tea Rooms.(http://www.bettys.co.uk)

    As for these Tea Rooms, I am off the Bundanoon is Brigadoon in a couple of weeks in the Southern Highlands will have to call in here to check it out.

     
  • At 4/18/2007 10:41 pm, Blogger Jess (fushmush) said…

    Granted. But Australia isn't in Devon either and we still call them Devonshire Teas and not Cream Teas.

    I'm just interested in the etymology of words and expressions :D

    I had been wondering if they called them Devonshire Teas or Cream Teas in Devon. Thanks for clearing up that question.

     

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