Tea Hee hits the spot, Bartie hits my table.

Today I went to Tea Hee in Easingwold. Tiny in size and tucked in the corner of the market place, you could miss it. Follow the trail of young mums in Barbours, WI jam carrying grannies in hunter wellies and you know you are on the right track. Easingwold is a pretty little Georgian town, but little it is and there is no way that this cafe is surviving from Easingwold folk alone. Having won several awards, including Top Yorkshire Tea Room and the Great Taste Award for many of the items on its menu, people are prepared to travel a little out of their way for some Tea Hee time.

I went for a feta cheese salad with a ginger ale. The salad could have done with a bit more dressing, but it was very fresh and simple. The tea was served exactly like I like it (proper boiling water, plenty of real tea leaves and extra water on standby). Furthermore the waitresses were attentive and sweet, young posh students, like grown up characters from an Enid Blyton novel.

In fact the whole place sings Enid Blyton, country warmth and home comforts. Looking around I am inspired to plant my own organic herb garden, mend the sewing machine and try a bit of patchwork... I might even buy a chicken or two for the back yard. Then my chair is struck as a well heeled school boy rushes past me and I wake from my day dream. I don't have a garden, nor a sewing machine, nor do I even eat that many eggs.

Tea Hee's only draw back is the lack of space. Originally using one shop floor, it extended next door and now the tea room and food preparation areas are mixed in each room. Mummy in new fitted red Barbour jacket and matching Hunters grabs Bartie from the cheese counter. Bartie screams and he recoils back onto my table, spilling the tea. The cheese counter is impressive, but I decide not to linger for some post lunch Brie. From afar I envy a lot of the ladies here, but up close I laugh with glee inside. I realise that I am not ready for a Bartie of my own. I'll have the Barbour but they can keep their Barties. Perhaps it is a worthwhile lesson, perhaps it is good that Tee Hee is so cramped after all.

Address: TeaHee! 3 Tollbooth Cottage,Market Place, Easingwold York YO61 3AB
Telephone: 01347 823533
E-mail: mail@teahee.co.uk
Website: www.teahee.co.uk

Quality of tea: 9/10
Service: 8/10
Ambiance: 7/10
Food: 8/10
Value: 7/10

My verdict: Sharpen your elbows, Tea Hee's worth a visit.