Afternoon Tea at The Sunshine Bakery

The Sunshine Bakery is based in the heart of Chapel Allerton in Leeds. Although, if you didn’t know it was there – you’d be forgiven for missing it. However this one is worth looking for, as they serve the best afternoon tea I’ve so far experienced in Leeds.

Priced at only £12 per person, you are treat to an abundance of homemade sandwiches, quiche, scones, brownies & cupcakes, and they don’t disappoint. You can also have as much tea & coffee as you can drink. Although, if like me you’re not a huge tea / coffee fan on a warm day – they’ll happily let you upgrade to a hot chocolate, soft drink or milkshake. Now as it was a warm day, we chose to eat in the secret garden round the back, and what a treat this was. We were seated in the most delightful little garden setup, complete with quirky furniture and the prettiest flowers – so beautiful.

I opted for the homemade lemonade and my friend a hot chocolate, which was served in a beautiful and charming little teacup. But the homemade lemonade, oh this is seriously a must try when visiting. The perfect balance of both sweet and sour, this was just sublime and I could have happily sat drinking it all afternoon long. Our sandwiches were the first to arrive, smoked salmon & lemon and an upgraded warm chicken royale selection, we also had a choice of 3 home made breads. The sandwiches were that amazing I wanted to return the same evening for more! The chicken royale was most defiantly the winner of the two, hot breaded chicken in sunblushed tomato bread accompanied with mayo, tomatoes and lettuce. We were served that many savouries, we almost struggled with the sweets – not that we were complaining!

The sweet selection consisted of a cupcake, a brownie and a fruit scone each and wow, these really were remarkable. The brownie was so beautifully rich and had that lovely chewy on the outside, yet gooey on the inside combination that brownies should have. The scones were the most generously sized portions ever, certainly no need to ask for more cream with this serving – impeccable. The cupcakes were also something rather special; light and fluffy cake topped with heaps of buttercream, yet the buttercream is so delicate and creamy unlike the unnecessarily rich toppings you often find on generously decorated cupcakes.

This place was such a brilliant find and I will not hesitate to return. It was the most moderately priced, yet generous serving of afternoon tea I’ve yet to find and you can’t beat it for location either.

Sunshine Bakery is based in Chapel Allerton at 182 Harrogate Road, Leeds, LS7 4N7.