We have spent many a' day in
All these Tea-rooms/ Cafes/ Eating places have been visited at least once within the last 12 months. 'The Gist of the Place' is only the opinion of ourselves as paying customers; it is not our intention to perturb the custom of any said establishment on the merits of its business, merely to inform the reader of our findings. The onus is on the reader to decide for themselves.
Boat House Tea Room
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Boat House Tea Room
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Boat House Tea Room, Priests House Museum, Wimborne Minster.
Corfe Castle Tea Room.
Great view of the castle from the tea room gardens and a good atmosphere inside with leadlite windows and wooden beams, giving a beautiful setting that some towns and cities fail to provide. As the Swanage stream trains hiss and whistle past, you can mill away a few hours and sample some local products.
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Corfe Castle Tea Room |
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The Gist of the Place |
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Entrance to Corfe Castle, Corfe Village, Isle of Purbeck
Country Store
It was early spring when we visited and the building is very shack-like with a nice shop and plenty of gifts. It is situated on a very busy route between Sandford and Wareham on the A351. It was once the Sibley Pottery which produced Sibleyware. You can still view the old kiln, which is structured from bricks, sand and braced with metal. The pottery closed in 1923, but it's great to sit, sip and learn its history.
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Country Store |
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Country Store, Sandford, Dorset
Courtyard Tea Rooms
(Old Town, Poole)
After a closure of nine years, it has been refurbished and reopened as a tea room again. Situated within walking distance of Poole Quay, the main High Street and the Dolphin centre. They offer demonstrations of Chinese tea serving and history plus tea tasting afternoons. You have a main tea room, a courtyard and a cozy little side room called 'The Snug'
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Courtyard Tea Rooms (Poole) |
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The Gist of the Place |
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Old Town, High Street, Poole
Ducking Stool Tea-room.
As it implies; at the end of Ducking Stool lane stands a 20th century replica of a ducking stool, which was a form of punishment meted out. This form of punishment and the 'stocks' was discontinued in the early 19th century. Delve into a Dorset cream tea whilst you're finding out more local history of Christchurch.
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Ducking Stool Tea-room |
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Ducking Stool Tea-room, Ducking stool lane, Christchurch.
Dylans
The Courtyard Centre is segmented by various different crafts; pottery, jewellery making, a nursery, camp site, pet shop and antiques shop are just some of the activities and shops found here. The main focus is on the Tudor Banquet Hall, but if you like good food, Dylans is the place to go.
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Dylans |
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Dylans, Courtyard Centre, Lytchett Minster.
Highcliffe Castle Tea Room
Situated within the castle grounds offers a great selection of homemade cakes including; Dorset Apple Cake and Highcliffe Fruit Cake. The castle itself is a wonderful structure and on a good day gives a superb view of the Isle of Wight and the Needles Lighthouse.
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Highcliffe Castle Tea Room
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Highcliffe Castle Tea Room, Highcliffe Castle, Highcliffe, Dorset.
Knoll T-rooms.
A National Trust car park serving Studland Bay, Isle of Purbeck. Great views of the Old Harry rocks as you're gently strolling along these golden sands or taking a dip in the refreshing sea. What better way to end your visit by having a beverage with a slice of cake.
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Knoll T-rooms |
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Knoll T-rooms, National Trust, Studland Bay, Isle of Purbeck.
Mary’s Tea Room
Mary’s Tea Room is sweet, a large wooden chalet in the middle of Cranbourne Manor Garden Centre. If you love gardening, then this is a place to visit. The Manor Garden is only open on a Wednesday, but the tea room and garden centre are open throughout the year.
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Mary’s Tea Room
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Mary’s Tea Room, Cranbourne Manor Garden Centre, Cranbourne.
Milestones Tea Room
Formerly a 17th century private chapel, the building has harboured a tea room for over 30 years. The Milestone Tea Room can't be ignored as you travel along the A350 to Shaftsbury, a Saxon hilltop town. Milestone's has a variety of set teas, but the Dorset cream tea is lovely with a pot of loose leaf tea.
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Milestones Tea Room |
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Milestone Tea Room, Compton Abbas, Shaftsbury, Dorset.
Pampered Pig Pantry
On the side of a hill with a beautiful view below, the ‘Pampered Pig Pantry has loads to offer anybody with a preference for organic. This working farm slaughters and produces its own meat and is very rustic in appearance; a small selection of plants for sale, plenty for children to see; sheep, goats, turkey, rabbits and cows. The kids and calves are cute and they also have hog roasts with entertainment on selected dates. Plus; you can enjoy a Dorset Cream Tea.
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Pampered Pig Pantry
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Peacock T-Room.
In the heart of Upton Country Park, where you can get a taste of the country life, have a relaxing stroll around the grounds or view white peacocks within their aviary. Enjoy a cream tea of whatever takes your fancy from this converted barns menu.
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Peacock T-Room |
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Peacock T-Room, Upton Country Park, Upton
Pine Lodge Tea Room
Plenty to see on this farm - Zorbing is where you insert yourself into a giant clear ball and roll downhill - We also saw an Abbot with a 104mm gun; they also have a Chieftain tank. Plenty of farm animals surround this delightful tea room; which serves a Sunday roast that you would need to book. Home produced products and freshly baked bread.
Follow the yellow Zorbing AA sign past Kingston Maurwood College.
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Pine Lodge Tea Room
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Pine Lodge Tea Room, Bockhampton, Dorchester DT2 8QL
Stables Restaurant
(Kingston Lacy)
The converted stables are within the grounds of Kingston Lacy Estate. A lot of the products served are local or from the estate itself. It was quite a novelty sitting where horses were once tethered, drinking tea and enjoying a slice of Dorset Apple Cake in this National Trust Tea Room.
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Stables Restaurant |
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Kingston Lacy, Wimborne, Dorset
Sticky Bun Tea Room
Sticky Bun Tea Room falls right on the borders of Dorset, Hants and Wiltshire, confusing to say the least, but it merits being a Dorset tea room and promotes being such. Surrounded by Wolvercroft World of Plants, it’s a great place to refresh in the lovely little patio area with a deep wishing well to throw a coin and wish away. We were surprised at how deep the well is, after throwing a coin through the safety grill.
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Sticky Bun Tea Room
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Sticky Bun Tea Room, Wolvercroft World of Plants, Fordingbridge Road,
Alderholt SP6 3BE
The Georgian Tea Room
Situated down an alley in the centre of Blandford. Ideal, if you’re shopping and want somewhere quiet to rest your aching feet and quench your thirst. Take in the local art ‘for sale’ within the tea room. It’s somewhere to briefly pause and refresh.
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Georgian Tea Room
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The Georgian Tea Room, Georgian Passage, Blandford.
The Salt Cellar
Seems very popular, at the very top of Gold Hill, under the Gild Hall. This restaurant / Coffee house has been converted from the old salt cellar, hence the name. Gold Hill has outstanding natural beauty and has appeared in many films and TV programmes, best known for the Hovis advert.
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The Salt Cellar |
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The Salt Cellar, Gild Hall, High street, Shaftsbury.
Woodland Tea Room.
The bowling green clubhouse is an ideal place to relax and watch the local teams' measure up and strike it out as you're tucking into the Tea Room menu. You are equally welcome to grab a refreshing brew after a stroll along Southbourne cliff top.
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Woodland Tea Room. |
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Woodland Tea Room, Bowling Green Clubhouse, Southbourne.
Worth Tea Shop.
Worth Tea-room is well worth the visit (if you'll excuse the pun), after hiking down to 'Winspit' caves and crawling back to the top. You can relax with a 'Dorset Cream Tea' or a 'Dorset Honey Cream Tea' on a slab of Purbeck stone used as a table in the Tea-room gardens. We love character and this place has character with a capital 'C'.
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Worth Tea Shop. |
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Worth Tea Shop, Worth Matravers, Swanage.