Room Forty (n) Room for tea;
A comfortable and relaxing place to enjoy delightful afternoon tea with friends and family.

Origins of the name?

'Room Forty' was the name of the Royal Navy war room in World War One, similar to what we know as Bletchley Park in World War Two.

​It is shortly after this time that many of our china tea cups and saucers were made. If only they could talk!

It also sounds like Room For Tea!

Wow, we are heading for 10 years at Room Forty in April 2026 and I just can't believe it.   Over the years I have have had the absolute honour of meeting so many amazing people. and many of those customers have become very dear friends, many even joined the team as they loved it so much. I am incredibly grateful. 

 I love delicious food but I hate having to choose from a menu. How can I possibly choose one item over another. What if you made the wrong decision when everything sounds so delicious?

Afternoon tea bypasses this quandary, which is why I simply love it! Little mouthfuls of several different things, prettily presented and full of flavour. A bit like tapas, but as cake, what a joy! 
  
So in 2016, with a love of tea (bordering on the obsessive) and a passion for good quality home made food, without all the processed nasties, that looks and tastes delicious I am happily channelling the foodie within.

For me, afternoon tea shouldn't be about rushing about, herding friends and family into a faceless restaurant or hotel knowing that they'll need the table again in an hour. Afternoon tea is the ultimate luxury and with Room Forty serving you will have time to talk to your guests, relax and catch up, extending your event long after we have left, should you wish.

Want a more lively party? Vintage china lends itself very nicely indeed to transporting guests to another era. I love planning parties with old music (supplied) and a bit of dressing up;  think feather boa's, flapper dresses.  Find an excuse, not that you need one! 

I've also got a been in my bonnet about ultra processed foods, so I am very keen to eliminate them as much as possible from our menu. Don't get me wrong, there are times where a good quality ready made puff pastry is the only way to go, for time and costs, but there is absolutely no reason to use anything other than real butter in our cakes, and proper real chocolate in our brownies. It's how I prefer to eat - so there's no brightly coloured cakes here (sorry, if you're a fan!).   Real Lemons in the drizzle, real carrots in the carrot cake, and beautiful almonds in the frangipane. 

If we can get kids baking early using real, quality ingredients they are off to a great start in life. Do it with a bit of fun and its a party idea!

And if you're into your bread - you are in good company. We're part of the real bread campaign because we're passionate about teaching people to bake and eat real ingredients.  The real bread campaign are fighting the big bread manufacturers to make sure they label their foods properly - many say they're authentic and freshly baked, but in fact they use many ingredients that they don't legally have to list.  Making your own is the only way to know what is in your bread.   Rant over :) 


Want to know more about how I got started? Read my interview in Cheshire Life (Oct 2019)

​"I've always had an eye for a bit of sparkle, glitz and glamour; if I can bring a bit of that to your event, that's fab".