Afternoon Tea At Leonardslee House

When booking the Ultimate experience at Leonardslee, guests receive complimentary entry to explore the stunning gardens. The highlight of the experience is a thorough wine tasting led by the talented sommelier, 'Simba'. The selection of wines is fabulous, and the Sabre moment when opening a bottle was a memorable touch. After the wine tasting, guests can enjoy an excellent and delicious Afternoon Tea. 'Simba' goes above and beyond to create a perfect experience, even adding a special touch with a carrot cake photo opportunity. Overall, it was a fantastic experience that exceeded expectations.

£60 a head for a sparkling afternoon tea which was on the whole a very run of the mill selection and not worth the money paid plus service charge on top. Even having a confirmation email stating our time was from 3 to 5.30 pm our party of 6 guests was reduced to under 2 hours as we were ushered out at 4.50 pm only to find the main exit through the garden centre locked, leaving us all wandering around the grounds trying to find our way back to our cars. Very distressing and totally unacceptable.

Watch out for the 12.5% service charge automatically added to your bill. This is not advertised on the website when you make a booking. You are advised a few days before you go (via email) that 'A 12.5% service charge is added to all bills, to thank the kitchen and front of house staff for their services on the day. Only if you feel we did not deliver on the standard that we set ourselves can it be removed from the bill on request. ' Well I do not know what standards you have set yourselves so how can I say whether you have achieved those standards or not. When presented with the bill it says 'discretionary service charge '. Discretionary means 'available for use at the discretion of the user '. In this case the customer!! Many people go for a special treat something they would not normally buy because it is expensive. Adding a further 12.5% on top left a very bad taste in my mouth.

We chose Leonardslee for a birthday treat. We couldn't find any fault. A wonderful selection, beautiful surroundings and excellent service.

I booked the Ultimate Wine Experience with afternoon tea and based on the cost I was expecting this to be very good at the very least. I can 100% confirm it far exceeded these exceptions as it proved to be pretty much perfect! From the food down to the setting and service it was truly exceptional, in fact it was literally faultless. I can't not mention our waiter Simba whose wine knowledge coupled with his smiley easy-going nature was the icing on the cake. Lovely wine, delicious tea, wonderful food, and above all brilliant service. It's easily a Ten out of Ten experience.