Classic English tea-gardens are a corner of earthly paradise

Martin Hesp enjoys cream teas and sunshine in his search for the perfect Somerset setting

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If you were playing host to a foreign guest who had never been to the UK before, which unique British delight would you be tempted to show them at this sunny time of year? A country pub with a garden, perhaps? Well, you can never go wrong with a country pub, but other countries have bars or restaurants that are similar to pubs in many ways.

The classic English tea-garden, however, represents a little corner of earthly paradise which is hardly ever seen elsewhere.

If this were the middle of winter, I might rephrase that to say “tea-room” - but, given the fine weather, it’s time to celebrate that very English experience that can be found outdoors across our green and pleasant land.

We're talking about those little places - basically, private homes - where the owners have thrown open their gardens so that visitors can enjoy a classic cream tea, or some other culinary delight of the lighter and less substantial kind, out among the lawns and herbaceous borders.

They come in all shapes and sizes. Some, indeed, are not private homes at all, but popular tea-gardens belonging to large organisations like the National Trust. Others are to be found attached to cafés in little oases of peacefulness and greenery in the centre of villages or towns. You'll find many exquisite versions of the genre set in the grounds of luxury or boutique hotels. But my favourite type of tea-garden is the kind of place you stumble across in out-of-the-way corners of the countryside. I’m talking about somewhere that’s literally someone's private garden where they've simply scattered around a few tables and chairs and they serve a very limited menu from the cottage door.

This kind of tea-garden scores even more points for me if there’s some kind of country walk to be enjoyed nearby. You need the ability to burn off all those calories to be found in a classic cream tea.