Tiptree Tea Room, Museum and Jam Shop — Local services in Colchester

Avoid if you have disabilities

My husband and I came on Saturday and despite the food being nice was very let down by the staff. My husband has multiple illnesses /disabilities and we had been waiting for about 20 minutes in the queue to be seated (the wait time wasn't an issue) one of my husbands (many) illnesses is he has tourettes, this has started to cause unwanted looks and attention from other waiting customers. I went inside and showed them his access card which entitles him to avoid queues, mentions his mobility issues, I just asked that we could wait in a different area but keep our place in line and explained about his disabilities and the staff told us that they 'wouldn't accommodate for his as it isn't fair on other customers!'. They eventually agreed to let my husband wait inside in a walkway area, without seating, with an elderly lady who was given seating to wait there as well. Maybe because we are a young(ish) couple in our 30s that his disabilities wasn't taken seriously but I am disgusted to experience how inconsiderate they were towards his needs. We had travelled from Kent to come to the tea rooms as well. He's been in hospital for almost 5 months and had 3 life saving/ changing operations and this was one of our first afternoons out and let down by our experience.

Negatives aside, the food was nice, their wasn't a lot of choice as had run out of a few items but what we...

Very disappointing, menu looks good, quite pricey, but lovely surroundings. Unfortunately the waitress was less than friendly, made us feel it was an effort to be taking our order, monosyllabic answers to any questions we had. We ordered a cheese ploughman’s and a coronation turkey jacket potato plus 2 coffees and 2 glasses of water and a cream tea to share for dessert

The ploughman’s was very poor quality unpleasant baguette (bordering on stale), no butter, commercial coleslaw- not homemade, 5 grapes, 4 cocktail onions, and for £10.95 it definitely did not look like the advertised picture of their ploughman’s ! The jacket potato filling, although plentiful was again commercial regulated chunks of turkey ? certainly not Tasting of turkey. No water brought out. When I asked another waitress if we could have a glass please - one glass plonked on the table!

Cream tea, the scones although fresh and large had hard burnt fruit in and on them, and resembled rock buns in look but with one pot of very nice strawberry jam this provided just a smear over the 4 halves.

All for the total of just under £30. It would have been nice that in such lovely surroundings the service and quality of the food could have matched.

On a positive note, the history of Tiptree jams museum was excellent and really interesting and the little Shop had a huge choice of Wilkins /Tiptree/local products (and a lovely...

I was returning with my cousin to visit the tearoom because of The Cheap Shop (crafts) nearby. She was impressed which is greater praise when you consider she works for a national establishment providing food services and takeaway. I enjoyed the prawn cocktail on granary bread and she chose the Coronation turkey. She enjoyed a pot of tea but I let her try Wilkin's fruit juice and she responded, "I will try one of those next time.".

A previous time, I was with my son who has food intolerances and he was able to have a very substantial and nutritious cooked meal. Wilkin have won his confidence to return. On this time, we visited the museum which has a great collection of family memorabilia as the jam factory developed into an international company.

The staff are always very friendly and efficient despite being under constant demand from a queue of public. Plus, as important, the toilets are clean and sufficient. (Try the doors displaying red because they don't all return to the green position.)

Of course, I stocked up on our favourite peach jam and a few other treats in the superb gift shop. Plus, a takeaway cake because I was full up. I noticed some new stock (fruit flavoured gins) and there are always fresh gifts to surprise. We'll be back and others will be mad to miss you but easier now you have a mini...