I really do LOVE a Christmas shop and Haskins in Ferndown definitely has one of the best around.  I take the children every year to look at the decorations and although I want to buy pretty much everything I see I normally let the kiddies choose one small thing each to take home. 

 

 

Everywhere you look feels festive and we always spend ages looking at the trees with lights and little light up automated scenes with ice rinks, trains, cosy houses and Santa’s toy factory.

 

We had pre booked Afternoon Tea to make a big occasion of it and my tummy couldn’t of been happier.  Our table was beautifully laid in the restaurant with a pretty China tea set and after ordering English Breakfast tea we were presented with a wonderful 3 tier cake stand full of treats.  It was a real feast for the eyes and I had to beat the kids away from the cakes with a promise that if they ate some sandwiches first then they’d be able to tuck in to the sweet stuff after.  There was a variety of sandwiches all lovingly made which included salmon and cucumber and egg mayonnaise, all very tasty and packed with generous fillings. 

 

If you love fresh cream then you’ll be in heaven as there was lashings of it on the cakes.  I’d like to say that I didn’t eat much of the cake but I’d be lying and between me and the children we devoured homemade chocolate profiteroles, meringues and mini Victoria sponges.  Of course no cream tea would be complete without the scone and theirs were just perfect with a generous topping of Tiptree jam and Roddas clotted cream. 

 

 

Everything was washed down with several cups of tea and then we went outdoors to the play frame so the kids could burn off some energy while I sat in the Winter sun surrounded by outdoor plants and ornaments.

When I managed to get them back in we found a festive selfie chair complete with silly props which the kids enjoyed going through while I got some funny pictures.

 

We ended up being there for hours and I could tell that my little one was getting tired so we agreed on a couple of pretty tree decorations and some nice Christmas presents and made our way to the tills before something got broken.

 

 

Our trip which included Afternoon Tea got the big thumbs up from myself and the kids and having been many other times for just tea and cake I can pretty much guarantee you won’t be disappointed.

For more information on Afternoon Teas, please visit the Haskins Website.