Dales tearoom launches ‘ultimate teatime experience’

A TEAROOM at the heart of the Yorkshire Dales is launching a special Afternoon Tea for those
who enjoy a taste of Yorkshire tradition but want it served in style. West Winds Yorkshire
Tearooms at Buckden near Skipton re-opens fully for the summer season on Saturday 28 March
when its new Luxury Yorkshire Afternoon Tea for two will be on the menu, drawing in large
measure on local Yorkshire produce and recipes.

West Winds has already carved out a reputation for providing traditional Yorkshire food in an
authentic old fashioned atmosphere while using local, organic, in-season and Fairtrade produce
wherever feasible. The Luxury Yorkshire Afternoon Tea adds a note of gentle indulgence.

The teatime spread arrives on a beautiful china cake stand. The lower tier carries sandwiches
with fillings of roast beef, roast ham, Wensleydale cheese and egg, all sourced from farms or
businesses in the Dales, garnished with crisps from the Yorkshire Crisp Company and fresh
organic salad. The brown bread for the sandwiches is specially made for West Winds by a farm
bakery at Cracoe, using organic flour. Moving up a tier, there are generous pieces of four
traditional Yorkshire cakes: Yorkshire curd tart, Yorkshire ginger parkin, Dales cut-and-come
again cake and sticky brandy fruitcake, the last two served with a wedge of Wensleydale
cheese. Traditionally, Yorkshire fruitcake is eaten in the same mouthful as Wensleydale cheese.
Buttered Aga-baked scones squeeze onto the top tier of the cake stand and separate dishes of
whipped cream and two different jams (home-made or provided by a local jam-maker) are
provided. Accompanying the food is unlimited Fairtrade tea, Earl Grey tea, organic green tea or
organic Fairtrade coffee, served in the tearoom’s best bone china. As if that was not enough,
the final ‘icing on the cake’ is a presentation box of Whitaker’s chocolates, made in Skipton and
specially packed for West Winds.

West Winds Yorkshire Tearooms is run by Lynn Thornborrow and Stephen Hounsham. Stephen
said: “We wanted to come up with the ultimate teatime experience to reflect the very best of
Yorkshire, something that people would want to savour and linger over.”

The tearooms at West Winds offer traditional Yorkshire food in an authentic old fashioned
atmosphere but in a way that recognises today’s priorities, including helping to keep the
environment healthy. As well as using local, organic, in-season and Fairtrade produce wherever
feasible, Lynn Thornborrow and Stephen Hounsham have focused on running West Winds as
soundly as possible, cutting energy wastage, recycling as much as possible, composting green
matter and improving the garden for wildlife. However, they are conscious there is still much
more that can be done and their policy is to constantly look for ways to improve.