Tea And Vintage
After all the rich food we’ve been having, a simple cup of tea and a piece of homemade cake is perfect. As you know, I love any opportunity to check out vintage shops and I have wanted to take a look at these two for some time. So, just before Christmas; armed with my Christmas gift money, I took a look at what two vintage store cafes had to offer.
Lassco 'Three Pigeons'
Lassco
Lassco began life as a door stripping company and gradually expanded its architectural salvage business, until they filled a wonderful old church in Shorditch in East London. That was where I first discovered it. I was doing up an old house and this was the perfect place to find victorian fireplaces, original 19th century door handles and reclaimed wood flooring. Lassco has now expanded into several sites, but the one I went to find was just outside Oxford.
Chandelier, Model Plane And Stair Spindles
Amidst an array of enormous chandeliers, museum display cases and fabulous statement fireplaces, is a cosy cafe. Perfect for coffee, lunch or a simple tea. Instead of the usual smell of dust and damp, there was a wonderful aroma of home cooking. The sweetness of onions and fresh-made soups with the underlying sharpness and spices of mulled wine. Off cuts of slate announce the various choices on the menu. These are spread randomly around the two very different eating areas.
Glass And Ginger Cake
A small space furnished with moraccain style mosaic tables and simple wooden chairs in front of a gargantuan fireplace with a roaring log fire. Or a plainer area, cordoned off the main shop space, by a Cornish Georgian dresser and a five foot by ten foot carved stone freize. No less impressive for it’s being repro. Beside my table in this cordoned off area, was a bright, polished copper, wood burning stove. Warm and cozy, amidst wonderful chandeliers and stained glass windows. The voices of the chefs could be heard discussing the lunch menu, scallops, pasta and the best way to prepare pastry. A light banter that added authentic flavour to the cafe.
Cafe With Statement Lighting
Before sitting down to a cup of Earl Grey tea and a slice of ginger cake with cream cheese icing. I explored the outdoor items on offer. If you’ve ever had thoughts of building your own palace, but not been sure where to start, perhaps this turret topper would be a good place. This is where you go if you want to buy a stunning entrance for your home. Not just the doors but the masonry that goes with it. An onion shaped gazebo, a pair of wood and steel doors from Nat West Bank or perhaps a filigree header to go above your gates. This is the place to buy a statement or just a good piece of cake in fun surroundings.
Turret Topper
Rummage In The Reclamation
Home And Colonial
Home And Colonial
Home And Colonial Attic Tea Shop
My next cup of tea is in the Attic Cafe in Home and Colonial in Berkhamstead Hertfordshire. With a thirteenth century church and a nineteenth century Gothic Town Hall, Berkhamstead has plenty of history. Amongst these buildings is Home And Colonial. A four story collective of antique and vintage dealers. The owners vet the items for sale, ensuring there’s a consistent quality and sense of style about the products. On the top floor is The Attic Cafe.
Window Display With Bakerlite Napkin Rings
Working my way up from the lower ground floor and being rewarded with Tea seemed the obvious thing to do. Anyway I couldn’t wait to see all the gems on offer. There are victorian pieces of furniture, some re-upholstered in contemporary fabrics or teamed with 70s textile cushions.
Victorian Re-Upholstered Chair
A pile of vintage material, including Liberty prints and haberdashery items, compete for space with 20s, 30s and 50s, dresses. The staircase is stacked edge to edge with pictures – watercolours, oils and prints.
Vintage Haberdashery
As I move from floor to floor I find Ercol furniture, midwinter china and Danish 70s cutlery. Interspersed in all of this is period jewellery and some modern pieces that compliment the vintage stock on show. Tea towels, measuring cups and antiqued painted items.
Re-Upholstered Ercol Sofa
I head on upwards drawn to the aroma of baking cakes and fresh brewed tea. Unlike a garret, this is a space flooded with light from the three huge sash windows that give a view across the rooftops of the historic town. There’s a very definite vintage feel to the tea rooms pretty china and the use of old furniture, with a sixties and seventies style. Uniformity is achieved by sanding each of the tables to the same shade.
Stained Glass Panels
Artisan and antique miniature stained glass panels vie for space in the windows, casting glass tinted colours across the room. To one side is a scrubbed pine dresser, topped with cakes on glass topped stands. There’s constant coming and going with lively service. The menu is varied, with cakes such as lemon and coconut sponge, chocolate fudge cake and cream teas served all day. Alongside a selection of salads and cooked dishes, including lamb burgers with tzatziki and vegetarian quiches.
Cakes On The Sideboard
In addition to my piece of cake I ordered something I haven’t had in a long time- an Ice Cream Soda. A Coke Float spilling over the edge of the diner glass in an explosion of creamy bubbles can still make me smile.
Antiqued Furniture and Contemporary Textiles
Home and Colonial
134 High Street
Berkhamstead
Hertfordshire HP4 3AT
01442 877 007
Chocolate fudge cake and cream teas? Sounds exactly up my alley. Love it! All the photos make me want to visit again, ASAP. 🙂
Happy New Year!
It’d be fun to see you if you do visit! Happy New Year to you, let’s all make sure it’s a fun filled one! GG
How lovely! Happy new year.
Happy New Year to you! I’m off on another vintage forage today, let’s see if I find any treasures! GG
Happy New Year from Nashville, Tennessee. I simply love the look of all these shops..I enjoy poking about antique malls & shops as well and find most of my prop dishes for photo shoots at these kinds of shops. It is very relaxing to take a day and just wander around looking of wonderful objects and figuring out how to reuse them isn’t it? Looking forward to keeping up with you in 2012.
That sounds like a perfect day. I find novel things that I both love and wouldn’t be able to get in regular shops. I wanted the rolling pin in the window picture but it was already sold. GG
oh boy, tea and vintage! two of my favorite things! that tea cup at the top of the post is absolutely stunning as well. it looks like it’s straight out of a victorian picture book!
happy new year,
Alexandra
Happy New Year Alexandra! The cup is pretty isn’t it. I have a few like this and perhaps in should use them more often, they are very picture book. GG
Happy New Year, GG!!
I love anything and everything vintage! I hope you got a couple of “loot” for yourself 🙂
It was supposed to be all about gift buying but yes, I bought some 70s Danish salad servers and a lovely tea plate with cup and saucer and matching milk jug which, no doubt will be in future posts. A very Happy New Year to you Kiran !! GG
Vintage in trend!
Happy New Year!
It’s fun finding new stuff that doesn’t slot too. Happy New Year Angie! GG
I’d love to be able to potter about shops like this and stop for a cup of tea and a slice of cake. *sigh*!
It’s great to search them out and these two are particularly good. GG
Thank you for this lovely trip! Both places are magic. The napkin rings are cute, but the thing which attracts me most is however the cookery book… I couldn’t resist it. Happy New Year!
You’re right, it does look interesting. Might have to call them up for that! GG
Dear GG,
Great post! That Ercol sofa with its retro look could actually be a stunning piece for a modern decor with minimalist style and setting.
Wishing you a great 2012!
I agree, the recovered Ercol pieces are very tempting. I like the Victorian chair in it’s new linen upholstery too. GG
Happy New Year GG! This is my first visit and I enjoyed reading your post. I’m not sure 100%, but I think my friend has visited the same place… the pictures look familiar. I love vintage stuff and I can spend entire day (or week) here!
Thank you for visiting and I hope you will be back. Thank you for the link to 6 bittersweets photography and styling tips really useful. GG
Lovely pictures. Can I use them on our LASSCO FB please?!
Yes, Thanks for asking. GG
Looking at your photos reminds me of why London is one of my favourite cities in the world 🙂
Even though I’ve only visited once, I’d love to go back! I love all the history your city has!
London is a great city. There is so much to see and do – I hope you will visit again soon. GG
This all makes England look so inviting. Just love the setting of those cafes. The image of the cakes on the mantlepiece is very enticing.
It’s great finding cafes in places like these. I love poking around vintage shops and with the reward of tea and cake what could be better? GG
Earl Gray tea…. I knew you were a person of discerning taste!
It’s Earl Grey or Lapsang Suchong all the way for me. GG
Such lovely photos of a very nice day. And to top it off…a coke float. I haven’t had one in years.
It was fun and I think this is the only place I’ve seen coke float on the menu for years. GG