Bland sandwiches and forgettable pastries: I was disappointed by afternoon tea at Littleover Lodge

Taking afternoon tea should be a special experience, filled with dainty finger sandwiches, piping hot beverages and good times.

We visited Littleover Lodge Restaurant on Rykneld Road, 15 minutes away from Derby city centre, over the weekend for a spot of afternoon tea, for a much needed catch up with friends. 

I have visited the lodge before with mixed results.

But it was my most recent visit on Saturday afternoon that led me to add the restaurant to my list of Good-Bars-To-Visit-But-Not-Eat-At.

The lodge is on the site of a hotel and large eatery, with a bar towards the front and restaurant towards the rear. 

Vibes are smart casual and the restaurant is more sit-down, leaning towards the more stylish side.

Having pre-booked afternoon tea with our menu choices, we were seated by friendly waitstaff. 

The cost was £16 for a selection of sandwiches including smoked salmon and cream cheese, honey glazed ham, Derbyshire roast beef, and egg mayonnaise with cress.

I’m not a fan of meat or cold chicken. 

Besides, having dined at Littleover Lodge last year and being disappointed by the large dry cubes of flavourless ham on one of their pizzas, I stuck to salmon and cream cheese this time round.

There was an issue with the order, as despite one of the party (me) requesting just salmon sandwiches, this was construed as just one round salmon sandwiches for one diner and no one else.

This meant the other diners did not have salmon sandwiches and had to eat meat and chicken instead. 

We made waitstaff aware of this but they were unable to help.

Feedback at the table was general disappointment, as the sandwiches consisted of slices of unseasoned meat between buttered bread, no sauces, or other flavours, just plain meat.

The bread had also started to curl at the edges and felt dry. 

My salmon sandwiches were OK but I could have made them at home. They were nothing special.

The pastries were forgettable. The choux bun with dark chocolate crown was bland.

Scones were dry and the jam benign, which had no real flavour.

Cheesecake on shortbread was sweet, no hint of citrus or touch of vanilla to give it a lift.

The food overall was forgettable. If I hadn’t looked at my notes, I would not have remembered what I was eating.

The white chocolate ganache sponge was the standout pastry, which although had a super dense sponge, tasted great, as the flavours of white chocolate and raspberry worked well.

Freshly brewed tea, advertised on the menu consisted of us ripping open teabags at our table and steeping them in the teapot.

The coffee was tepid.

This may sound not very inviting, however with a few tweaks, the food offering can be improved by the kitchen.

Having horseradish sauce, or mustard is a must with the meat-based sandwiches.

Try using fresh bread in sandwiches. 

I would look at the pastry selection and look at introducing flavours, maybe a grating of fresh lemon zest in the cheesecake.

Perhaps add a little vanilla icing sugar to the choux pastry, to give it a lift and some life, instead of plain pastry and plain cream. 

Warm scones and homemade jam would be a real treat, whilst hot beverages, with teabags in the pot, not us putting them in the teapot, would make the dining experience a little more special. 

Littleover Lodge can be good. In the summer, it is a nice place to be, but on this occasion I expected more.

The eatery had a fairly quiet service, with just a few tables with diners, which meant it was an ideal location for a catch-up. 

The customer service was excellent too, so if a meet-up with mates, where conversation takes priority is what you’re after, it is worth considering Littleover Lodge.

Afternoon tea at Littleover Lodge is £16 per person.

Address: Littleover Lodge Bar & Restaurant, 222 Rykneld Road, Derby DE23 4AN

For more information about Littleover Lodge visit their website by clicking here.