Afternoon tea is a quintessentially English experience – and nowadays, you can often enjoy it with your faithful hound by your side. Many hotels across the UK offer special doggy afternoon teas that come with everything from delicious homemade treats to toys. That way, your four-legged friend won’t feel left out while you tuck in to your own selection of cakes, scones and finger sandwiches. Here’s our pick of the ultimutt doggy afternoon teas…
1. Egerton House Hotel, London
This 5* hotel in Knightsbridge pulls out all the stops for pets and their owners. While you tuck in to an array of finger sandwiches, cakes and scones in the elegant drawing room, your dog will be given their own selection of goodies to enjoy. These include peanut butter biscuits, a homemade meatloaf and a pupcake, plus a squeaky toy. You can even treat your pet to a decadent ‘Dogtini’ – a chicken consommé martini with turkey skewers. Afternoon tea costs £60 for humans while the doggy version is £25. To book, call 020 7589 2412 or visit the Egerton House Hotel website.
2. The Fish Hotel, Broadway, Worcestershire
It may be called the Fish, but the focus is firmly on dogs at this back-to-nature bolthole in the Cotswolds. Its canine afternoon tea has been created by the doggy experts at Woof & Brew and The Barking Bakery and contains delights such as dog beer and even dog tea. There’s a dog agility course onsite and if you stay overnight, you can even opt to stay in a treehouse. Doggy afternoon teas cost £19.50 while it’s £25 for the human version. You can also upgrade to a ‘Tipsy Tea’ with Cotswold Gin. For more information or to book, call 01386 858000 or see The Fish Hotel website.
3. Coed-y-Mwstwr Hotel, Bridgend, Wales
A warm welcome for both dogs and humans awaits at this charming Victorian mansion surrounded by woodland. As you tuck in to a tasty afternoon tea with local delicacies Welsh cakes, your four-legged friend can get stuck in to the pawsecco – and lots of other treats besides. These include bacon and peanut butter bone biscuits, salmon brownies, yoghurt paw pops and meatloaf. If you need to work up an appetite for your tea, a walk around the beautiful grounds is a must. Afternoon tea costs £22.95 for humans and £16.95 for dogs. To book, call 01656 860621 or visit the Coed-Y-Mwstwr Hotel website.
4. Stratford Park, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire
Celebrate a special occasion, such as a birthday or anniversary, with a doggy afternoon tea at this hotel and golf club. Owners can get stuck in to a selection of traditional finger sandwiches, homemade cakes, scones, local preserves and clotted cream. And while most pets probably wouldn’t turn their nose up at a cucumber sandwich or two, they will be able to tuck in to a tasty assortment of canine cupcakes. The doggy afternoon tea experience costs £35 for two humans and one pooch. To find out more or to book, call the hotel on 01789 731857 or visit the Stratford Park website.
5. Great Scotland Yard Hotel, London
This arresting 5* hotel, just a stone’s throw from Covent Garden, was once home to the Met Police HQ and its delicious doggy afternoon tea is guaranteed to get tails wagging. The tea has been put together by the canine nutritionists at Talula Eats and uses only the freshest organic and locally sourced ingredients. Doggy afternoon tea is served in The Parlour and consists of three tiers of goodness with delicacies such as meat and veggies, ‘Dogestive’ biscuits and pupcakes. Afternoon tea is priced at £49 for humans and £25 for dogs. To find out more, call 020 7925 4700 or visit the Great Scotland Yard Hotel website.
6. Widbrook Grange, Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire
Spoil your pooch with the doggy afternoon tea at this boutique hotel. The wooftastic experience can be enjoyed either in the garden or conservatory and dogs will be able to tuck in to a range of treats, from Lily’s Kitchen wet food to organic dog biscuits and puppucinos. The doggy tea – which costs £10.50 – also includes a tennis ball to take home. Afternoon tea for humans, consisting of sandwiches, scones and seasonal cakes, costs £22.95. You can also upgrade your package to include Prosecco – or pawsecco for the pups. To book, call 01225 864750 or visit the Widbrook Grange website.
7. Merewood Country House Hotel, Windermere, Cumbria
Dogs will be spoilt rotten at this country house hotel, on the edge of Lake Windermere in the Lake District. Its doggy afternoon tea is filled with treats such as pigs’ ears, biscuits and sausages, not to mention a tennis ball to take home. Pets can also choose from either a bowl of Bottom Sniffer beer or Posh Pooch wine. Doggy afternoon teas cost £10, while the equivalent for humans – which comes with yummy locally-sourced delights such as mini fish and chips and gingerbread – will set you back £24.95. To book, call 01539 446484 or visit the Merewood Country House Hotel website.
8. South Causey Inn, Stanley, Durham
Doggy afternoon teas – which include puppucinos, festive prizes and photos with Santa – are reserved for Christmas-time at the South Causey Inn. But for the rest of the year, the luxurious hotel, near Durham, hosts brilliant dog walk breakfasts. These monthly events start and finish at the hotel and take you on an hour-long adventure through the beautiful Beamish Valley. Afterwards, you can tuck in to a Full English breakfast and tea and coffee at the Hotspot Fire Engine Bar – and yes, the bar is an actual fire engine! Tickets cost £15, which includes your brekkie. Find out more by calling 01207 235555 or visiting the South Causey Inn website.