Tea on the Green Cafe, Exeter

Tea on the Green is one of my favourite cafes in Exeter, a place my friend Valentina and I love meeting up at for a catch up.

It's right next to Exeter Cathedral so it's beautiful to sit outside on a sunny day. They serve a range of English dishes, pastries, cream teas, coffees and, something I always look for, loose leaf teas.

The cafe's in a Grade II listed building and dates back to around 1530, so it recreates the atmosphere of an old fashioned tea room. The building was bought and the cafe opened in 2009, started by Ben Mangan, one of the founders of the Boston Tea Party chain (something I didn't know until I did some research for this post). It recently got featured on a Buzzfeed list as one of the places in the UK all tea lovers should visit.

Valentina and I went last week or so before the Christmas holidays. They have a very wide range of black, green, white, herbal and flowering teas. I got Japanese Genmaicha tea (one of my absolute favourite blends) and Valentina got Tea Burst - it blooms in hot water and it's one of her usuals. The Genmaicha is Japanese green tea with toasted rice, a warm and almost-nutty tasting tea and it was wonderful here.

They have a glass tea set and there's this fun pot which never fails to amuse me:

The staff explain it to you when they bring you the tea (also, they'll top up the pot with hot water whenever you want). You let it brew for as long as you want/follow the suggestion on the menu, then place the pot on the cup and push down slightly. The tea comes out through the filter and when you pull it up it stops.

A downside to the cafe is that there's a lack of pastries Valentina can eat - she's allergic to eggs and lactose, so she can only order the treacle tart (without custard or cream). She did the last time we went and didn't like it much.

I indulged in a brownie as I wanted something to eat with my drink. It's a normal portion size but it was quite strongly sweet - I'd advise sharing it with someone (who isn't allergic) if you just want to nibble on something whilst having your tea.

The prices are reasonable, a little pricey for students but a good treat. The staff are really friendly, it's a beautiful building in a great location. There's a wonderful cosy old fashioned atmosphere and it's a lovely place. Definitely pop in if you're ever in Exeter!

(Apologies for the photos being a lower quality than usual, this was a spontaneous trip and I didn't bring my proper camera)