Centerville’s British Pantry and Tea Room an anglophile foodie’s delight
Full disclosure: I love everything British. So I knew that going to Centerville’s British Pantry and Tea Room was going to be a treat.
Naturally, we started our meal with the Pot of Tea and scones for two, at $15.75. A china teapot and two cups with saucers were delivered with two plates, one with two scones filled with Devonshire cream and a thick dollop of lemon curd, the other with cream and strawberry jam. Our Typhoo tea, served with sugar cubes and a tiny pitcher of cream, was the perfect counterbalance for this sweet beginning of our meal.
Next time, we might try their Taste of Britain for Two for $35, adding two sandwiches, two mini quiches, two tea cakes, and four English biscuits to your pot of tea and scones.
Our other starters included a Caprese salad for $5.95 and artichoke dip for $4.95. The Caprese adds capers to the usual tomato, mozzarella, basil and balsamic vinaigrette.
Served with Jacob’s Cream Crackers, the artichoke dip was an odd consistency, as it was made solely with fresh artichokes and melted Parmesan cheese. Tasty, but best eaten before it cools.
When I visit English pubs, I always make sure to get the traditional Ploughman’s Lunch, which here is a plate of pickled onions, my favorite pickled chutney, a small salad, a huge chunk of cheddar, and a beautiful crusty roll for $9.95. They also have the Pantry Salad and a Strawberry Salad, each served with a savory scone for $7.95.
We decided to forego the sandwiches in favor of the main courses, but all of them look good and very British: cucumber and cream cheese, cheddar cheese with tomato, egg salad made with English salad cream, and ham and spicy English mustard each for $6.50 with a side. There’s even a children’s sandwich made with peanut butter and Nutella and served with a Cadbury chocolate frog.
For our main courses, we went with quiches, pasties and a sausage roll, each for $9.95. The Queen of Quiches was my favorite, with five cheeses, black olives, red peppers, red onion and sun-dried tomatoes. The British Pantry quiche with bacon, sharp cheddar and broccoli also was delicious.
Pasties (which is not a typo for pastries) are hand-held circles of flaky crust holding a full meal of meat and vegetables inside. The Original Cornish pasty, filled with beef, potato, onion and rutabaga, was a little chewy for my taste, but the chicken and vegetable one was perfect.
Our diner who ordered the sausage roll said it was like an upscale corn dog (and this is a compliment), with a seasoned sausage wrapped in a flaky pastry. We also tried the Coronation Chicken salad with curry, almonds and apricots. It was served at room temperature the day we visited, but it would be much better served very cold.
Plan to stay a while if you come for tea: our Saturday visit took a good two hours. But if you or a friend love all things British, the British Pantry and Tea Room is a must.
British Pantry and Tea Room
Address: 100 Houston Lake Blvd., Centerville
Phone: 478-953-4009
Website: www.britishpantryga.com
Hours: 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday
Payment: Cash, credit
Smoking: No
Alcohol: No
Kids Menu: No
Noise Level: Low
Health Rating: 100
Price range: $6.50-$9.95
Rating: 3 stars
This story was originally published September 17, 2015 at 6:49 PM with the headline "Centerville’s British Pantry and Tea Room an anglophile foodie’s delight ."