Whitby restaurants and tea-rooms - Bothams Reviewed!
Take a taste of yesteryear in a traditional Whitby Victorian tea room. We review restaurants and tea rooms in Whitby - and visit Bothams tea rooms on Skinner Street.
Find out what we thought...
We had a lovely breakfast at Botham's Skinner Street tea-rooms, in Whitby.
Bothams is a real institution amongst Whitby restaurants, tea-rooms and bakeries - in fact, it's thought to be the oldest surviving tea room in the UK!
The business was started in 1865 by Elizabeth Botham - a local farmer's wife. Since then, the bakery has continued to be a family run concern, with Bothams still running the operations.
Bothams see themselves as a 'family run craft bakery' but certainly have the emphasis on quality and emphasis.
The actually supply many of the high-end hotels, delicatessens, stores and groceries - including Waitrose, John Lewis food halls and Fortnum and Mason.
The Whitby restaurants Bothams tea rooms are upstairs, over the famous bakery shop in Skinner Street.
Fun display in Botham's shop window
Enter via the staircase to the right of the shop - a stairlift is available for disabled and the infirm.
The tea rooms are a smart, traditional restaurant/tea room, in the style of a genteel old hotel.
The tea rooms have a lovely, refined atmosphere - very civilized and quiet, with plenty of space, and a light, airy feel.
Check out the counter, with very tempting cakes and pastries on display - also a fine selection of teas.
On the Menu
The menu at the date of our visit (July 2010) included:
Breakfasts
Full Breakfasts
Poached or Scrambled Eggs
Stotties
Bacon Sandwiches and Rolls
Fortune's Oak Smoked Kipper
Toast and Muffins
Snacks and Teas
Scones and Teabreads
Cream Teas
Afternoon Teas
Sandwiches
Toasted Sandwiches
Stotties
Lunches
Soup
Mushrooms on Toast
Sausages
Quiche
Cold Ham or Gammon
Pies
Vegetable and Bean Bake
Egg and Chips
Omelette
Giant Yorkshire Puddings
Whitby Fish Dishes
Jacket Potatoes
Salads
Other Savouries
Cakes and Desserts
Ice Creams
Children's Menu
Special Selections of Teas and Coffees - some specialist teas actually open up to reveal a flower! We must try this one day!!
We ordered 2 full breakfasts at £7.95 each. These came with:
2 sausages
bacon
egg
beans
tomatoes
a large mushroom
toast and marmalade
a glass of orange juice
a cup of tea or coffee
We were given the option to have hot or cold milk, or cream in our coffees - we both chose cream!
The orange juices and coffees came first, and the rest of the meal followed quickly afterwards - it was lovely, very tasty!
The sausages were great and it was real quality bacon - all very nicely cooked!
There was plenty of it, and it was very filling - very good value.
The coffee too, was lovely, a perfect pick-me-up.
As you might expect from such a refined Whitby restaurant and tea room, the service, too, was impeccable - the waitress was very polite, professional and welcoming.
Local and national newspapers are available - return these for others to enjoy after you.
This was a fantastic breakfast - and I'm sure the cakes and teas are even better!
A lovely, refined and civilized atmosphere - a very relaxing Whitby restaurant!
UPDATE: Botham's Birthday visit - July 2011
On my birthday this year, we popped into the lovely Botham's tea-rooms on Skinner Street, for a posh morning tea and cake...
As it was my birthday, we chose some lovely specialist teas to try. I had a China Jasmine 'Dragon Pearl Jasmine' - a green tea with jasmine.
Ian had a china (Yin Long) Silver Dragon tea.
They came in nice little individual pots, with slices of lemon. Both teas were gorgeous - very delicately flavoured, and tasted delicious. The jasmine scent was delectable!
We couldn't resist having a little cake, too, once we'd spotted them in the display!
I had a gorgeously sweet Strawberry Cheesecake, which seemed a cross between a cheesecake and a trifle - with a lovely little jug of rich cream! Mmmm!
Ian had a Fruit Turnover - summer fruits, with a sugary puff pastry, and a delicious dollop of cream...
The perfect posh birthday tea!
Take a look at this lovely Botham's window display, too - good enough to eat!
Whitby Restaurants and Tea Rooms - Bothams on the Map
Find Bothams tea rooms above Bothams bakery on Skinner Street, on the west side of Whitby.
This map is interactive.
Just use the + and - buttons in the top left corner of the map to zoom in and out.
Use the arrows to move about the area.
Contact: Elizabeth Botham and Sons Ltd. 35/39 Skinner Street Whitby YO21 3AH Tel:01847 602823
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