Cannizaro House, Wimbledon, London

Tea time in Wimbledon

If Cannizaro were a style item it would be a pair of bright mock croc stilettos. Trendy and fun, but not always comfortable. The hotel describes itself as offering 'the very best of country house living with a modern twist'. The modern twist is certainly there, in the guise of bright 'art' pieces splashed across every inch of the walls. Whilst you might be less of a traditionalist than me and might even want to purchase one of the many fashion forward canvases for sale, if you are here for the tea, you might feel a little let down.

Initially the spread looked promising- a cake stand bulging with goodies, glistening clotted cream and truly fruity jam. But our waitress forgot our order and then wandered off, no doubt distracted by the modern twisted art. But worse still- just one meagre tea bag- gasp! Please I know I have been out of the country for a while but pleeeeeeease put enough tea bags in the pot.

To be fair, the scones were good, but to be traditional and correct, they weren't really scones at all; more of an Italian's attempt to remodel an English classic. Crunchy on the outside, quite dense on the inside, and admittedly very, very tasty.

On the upside, the tea room area also comes with views of a well kept but relaxed large garden open to all public, comfortable arm chairs to recline in and a grand piano. On the downside, when we were there there the only pianists were ADHD suffering five year olds. On an upside dogs are allowed, which when I went included a lovely Old English sheep dog by the name of Bailey. On a downside, this rule also applied to an even yappier than usual Chihuahua.

On another canine note, upon leaving we were offered a doggy bag of our sweet treat remains. Normally I do not condone doggy bag culture, but then again I hate waste, all the more so if cakes are involved, albeit slightly bland ones. And aspiring to ethical values I rarely mange to achieve, this ethical cake saving keeps makes me a better person, even if my bathroom scales would beg to differ.

Cannizaro House describes itself as a 'society beauty'. If you are in Wimbledon and need somewhere to rest those mock croc stiletto clad feet, then look no further. If like for me, it's all about the tea, grab a mock scone and hot foot it to the park.

Contact:

Address: West Side, Wimbledon Common, Wimbledon, London SW19 4UE
Telephone: 020 8879 1464
E-mail: info@cannizarohouse.com
Website: www.cannizarohouse.com

Quality of tea: 3/10
Service: 5/10
Ambiance: 8/10
Food: 6/10
Value: 7/10

My verdict: modern art dog lovers in Wimbledon have found their niche. Tea lovers haven't.