So far this month it would seem that all I've done is eat out, last week I think I ate out every single day which is brilliant for my taste buds but not so much for the Slimming World scales at the end of the week (I took the hit of a 2lb gain this week, so I'm trying to reel it back in!). Anyway, one of the reasons I was eating out was because it was my Nana's birthday. Me and my mum wanted to take her somewhere she'd never been before for lunch so after a little think we chose
The Kitchen in Howden.
I'd hazard a guess and say that most of you probably haven't heard of Howden; it's a small town in East Yorkshire within easy access of York and Hull (the M62 is literally a mile or so away so it makes it really accessible from any direction). The Kitchen in Howden is actually a second shop which was opened after the roaring success of the one opened in Snaith (a small village near Selby) so I knew it had to be decent if it was popular enough to warrant two shops!
The Kitchen is a shop and a tea room offering absolutely loads of choice both to eat in and takeaway, judging by how busy it was for the whole time we were in there, it's obviously just as popular with take away orders as it is with people wanting to eat in. There's so much choice even for take away orders and the dessert cabinet looks absolutely incredible!
After a short wait for a table we were seated together on a table for 4, we got the menu out and had a browse for what we fancied. As much as I was very tempted by the afternoon tea I ended up trying to be good; I ordered a Salmon and Prawn Salad and a Skinny Latte however because it was my Nana's birthday I encouraged her and my Grandad to go for the afternoon tea, purely because I wanted to see what it was like.
Everything was brought to our table swiftly by the waitress who was really friendly and attentive, I was so impressed with the little touches from the word go:
Everything from the flowers in the milk bottles in the middle of the table to the little milk churn they served milk in and the spoon which was designed in such a funny way to make it rest on the side of the latte glass, it set the scene perfectly for what was to come. The only trouble we had was fitting everything on the table because it was a fairly small space for 4 people but we managed, we just made sure we got rid of the bits we didn't need once we'd used them.
When the food arrived I couldn't believe the size of the salad for a start, I usually find that salads are a little bit lack-lustre in most places but The Kitchen made one of the most impressive salads I've ever tasted in any eating place.
The bowl it was presented in was absolutely huge and it had some lovely little additions like a small pot of olives and some homemade bread with cheese and peppers (served in a little plant pot - too cute!). The fresh cooked salmon was absolutely divine and there was more than enough to leave me feeling full when I'd eaten it, for £7.95 I thought it was very reasonably priced and it was so tasty.
Next, onto the Afternoon Tea which was very impressive indeed.
(Mum and Nana failed miserably at getting out of the photo, but look at my Nana's face, she looks made up doesn't she, haha)
What you see here is for two which is priced at £18.95, again very reasonable and around what I would expect to pay for Afternoon Tea of this standard. I assume that every one served is different in terms of sandwich fillings and which selection of cakes you get but there'll always be a scone with jam, cream and butter in the middle. Of course if you have any allergies or intolerances I'm sure The Kitchen would be happy to tailor your food around that.
For the sandwiches there was fresh salmon and cream cheese, ham and salad and cheese and pickle (I think, I obviously didn't eat any of them and to be honest they were demolished before I had a chance to look at them properly, I'm lucky I got a photo!). I thought the bread made a nice change to traditional crustless sliced bread although my Nana said it was a little too stodgy for her by the time she'd finished (my Grandad's answer to that one was 'well you didn't have to eat it all, did you?' haha!).
The second shelf had two traditional home made scones with a pot of cream, butter and a mini jam jar full of jam (argh, all the cuteness!). The cream was beautifully light but really nice and creamy, no complaints or areas for improvement whatsoever on this bit!
The final course was the selection of homemade cakes; there was a huge fruit tart, some chocolate brownie and two squares of caramel slice. A nice little choice so you could have a taste of each without being over-faced by it. I was surprised my Nana and Grandad ate it all but the fact that they managed every little bit is testament to how nice it must have been! If you wanted, you could upgrade your afternoon tea to include a glass of pink bubbly each which would take the price to £29.95.
Overall I was well impressed with The Kitchen and I will definitely be visiting again; if you are considering a visit I would recommend ringing to try and reserve a table especially if you're thinking of going on a Saturday as I imagine that will be their busiest day for eating in the tea room. We were there on a Thursday and it was still very busy, but I guess you have to expect it when the food is this good!
