Cups of tea! Dressing up boxes! Ornate, floral crockery! Staff dressed in monochrome! Cupcakes! You get the gist. We recently discovered the simply adorable Betty Blythe tea shop and fine food pantry in beautiful Brook Green and didn't want to leave. The drool-worthy shelves of exquisite home-made cupcakes, flapjacks and tantalising lemon drizzle cakes just scratch the surface, for below the shop floor lies a 'secret garden'-style basement with dressing up boxes, vintage gowns and flowered show-china. It's a little girl's dream.
The white-painted tables upstairs are enchanting for adults and children alike, but it's the boudoir chic of the exposed brickwork, dainty French-style furniture and window detail that makes Betty Blythe such a gem. The attention to detail owner Lulu has put into Betty Blythe makes it feel like an authentic look-back on a time before we were born.
While we just popped in for an afternoon respite, Lulu and the team - immaculately dressed in vintage monochrome a-line dresses- also cater for tea parties and children's parties. And The Betty Blythe Society hosts once-monthly evening events on the first Wednesday of the month, with themes such as jam-making, etiquette, table-laying and vintage fashion styling advice.
And Lily Allen's is a fan! Let 2010 be the year of the tea party.
Visit Betty Blythe online at www.bettyblythe.co.uk.
Words and photos by Natalie Shaw
