To commemorate the 250th anniversary of the much-loved author’s birth, Searcys at The Pump Room Restaurant have launched the Jane Austen Afternoon Tea.
Built in the 1790s, the Pump Room has been a mainstay of Bath society ever since. Strolling in from the Abbey Churchyard, guests are greeted with the Regency grandeur of the sunlit ballroom: Georgian accents, the marble Spa Fountain, and an imposing crystal chandelier.
The Pump Room overlooks the King’s Bath, part of the famous hot waters making up the ancient Roman Baths complex. Particularly noted for its associations with Jane Austen; her characters often met here after promenading to gossip over tea. The venue was immortalised in Northanger Abbey and Persuasion as the place where “every creature in Bath was to be seen at different periods of the fashionable hours." Over the centuries, spa goers have followed in the footsteps of Catherine Morland and Anne Elliot to participate in the ritual of afternoon tea.
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Image: The Jane Austen Afternoon Tea at The Pump Room Restaurant
Those sampling the Jane Austen Afternoon Tea can expect a savoury spread inspired by the refinement and flavours of Regency era, with Cucumber, mint, sheep milk labneh finger sandwiches, St Ewes salad bridge rolls and Parmesan and pea croustades staving off the hunger that society ladies felt between lunch and early evening. Homemade fruit and plain scones will be served with West Country clotted cream, strawberry jam and an ensemble of delicately sweet Pump Room pastries. For special occasions, there is the option to add Avruga caviar, featuring herring roe served on warm blinis with shallots and cream cheese, presented in a glass and wrought silver display.
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Image: The Jane Austen Afternoon Tea at The Pump Room Restaurant
Teas will be supplied by Gillards of Bath, the city’s oldest tea merchant. From the bold and aromatic Pump Room’s House Blend, specially suited to Bath’s hard water from a recipe created in 1888, to the Guv’nors Blend, a refined mix of Assam and Darjeeling said to have been favoured by Georgian households. Guests can continue the Regency tradition of “taking the water” and sample a glass of hot spa water from the ornate King’s Fountain, said to contain 43 minerals. Alcoholic pours include the Pump Room Classic Cuvée, a special vintage produced exclusively for Searcys in collaboration with the Greyfriars Vineyard near Guildford. Offering a nod to the well-loved hero of Pride and Prejudice is The Darcy cocktail, made with Earl Grey and spiced rum.
On hand to add Regency flair to the afternoon proceedings with period musical pieces will be the Pump Room Trio. Founded in the early 1700s by Beau Nash, the Grand Pump Room’s original master of ceremonies and a notorious dandy, the Trio is considered the oldest resident musical ensemble in Europe.
Daniel Graham, Searcys General Manager at The Pump Room Restaurant says, “We’re celebrating 250 years of Jane Austen with an afternoon tea inspired by the elegance and refinement of the Regency era. We invite guests to soak in the historic surroundings of The Pump Room whilst sipping fine teas and enjoying delicacies influenced by the flavours of Austen’s time.”
Bookings are available between 12pm-5.30pm and can be made online here.
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