The Copper Kettle Tea Rooms — Restaurant in England

First and last time we’ll be visiting The copper kettle. Usually I’d write a review to give positive feedback but unfortunately on this occasion I have nothing but negative feedback for this place as the service was appalling. From looking at all the bad reviews it seems that the management here still hasn’t bothered to take accountability for their lack of customer service. From the moment me and my family walked in we were greeted with hostility and unprofessionalism (no hello or smile. Nothing). The majority of the staff here looked miserable and me and my family were made to feel very unwelcome from the moment we walked in. We asked an older member of staff with whitish hair if there were tables available and after a brief check she came back to tell us that there were no tables and she turned on her heel leaving us standing there. My mam took it upon herself to have a look at the outdoor seating area to find two tables available. They clearly couldn’t be bothered to accommodate us from the get go. After being seated we had our orders taken and not long after they came out with two dishes but my Ploughman’s lunch was missing. We patiently waited and after some time we notified a member of staff about the delay and they said it would be with me shortly. After waiting another 20 minutes my family had finished their lunches and my order still hadn’t arrived so we decided to just leave and pay the bill. On the way out we told them that they’d forgotten the Ploughman’s so naturally we wouldn’t be paying for it. The girls at the till seemed unbothered and totally oblivious (they’d forgotten the ploughman’s completely). My mam exclaimed that she wouldn’t be returning and she walked out. The blonde lady with nose piercings had the audacity to tell my mam “not to be rude to her staff”. My mam wasn’t rude, she simply stated that she wouldn’t be coming back and rightly so after having to deal with their poor mannerisms and even poorer service. I also don’t appreciate having waitresses making rude and unnecessary comments about us moving tables ONCE, especially when these comments were made in a very condescending tone. I get the impression that they don’t want to be working there so in future don’t bother giving them your custom. Plenty of other lovely places to eat out in the area , it’s just a shame we stumbled...

A Disappointing Visit to The Copper Kettle, Bamburgh From the outside, The Copper Kettle in Bamburgh promised much. With its charming facade, we had high hopes for a quintessentially English tea room experience. Unfortunately, our visit fell far short of these expectations. Upon entering, we were immediately met with a sense of chaos and confusion. There was no clear guidance on whether to seat ourselves or wait to be seated, leading to an awkward start that could easily be rectified with a simple sign. The menu proudly declares The Copper Kettle to be "one of England's finest tea rooms," a claim that, based on our experience, felt entirely self-proclaimed rather than earned. Our main gripes are numerous and significant: Firstly, my vanilla latte was dreadful, tasting as though half a bottle of syrup had been used. When I returned it, one of the staff members took it, sniffed it, and then incredibly, shrugged her shoulders in apparent disbelief – a far from professional response. Secondly, the "home cooked ham" sandwich was a considerable letdown. The ham was clearly packet ham, not the promised home-cooked quality, which is simply unacceptable given the price point. Furthermore, the same staff member who had reacted poorly to my coffee return then proceeded to very loudly berate a young girl for taking food from the kitchen too soon. This uncomfortable exchange was highly unprofessional and made us, as customers, feel incredibly awkward. Finally, as a purported "founding member of the Tea Council," one would expect the tea to be impeccable. Alas, it was not; it was weak and resembled dishwater, a truly disappointing offering from an establishment boasting such credentials. The only redeeming quality of our visit was the beautiful location of Bamburgh itself. However, The Copper Kettle sadly tarnished our visit and left us feeling distinctly uncomfortable and disappointed. We certainly won't...

I really don't like to leave anything negative. We purposefully chose not to eat at the castle to support a local business. I understand how important reviews are to a business's livelihood, so I'll start with the positives.

The location is beautiful. Quaint village feel, cosy set up. The food is also decent, if perhaps a little expensive. I get though that it's tough for businesses to turn a profit and pay their staff.

The biggest problem was rude staff. Myself and my family (9 yo, 8 yo and 2 yo - luckily for her asleep in her pram) just didn't feel welcome. Another customer advised we should take the left door to avoid the busy seating area with the pram, which we did. I was then abruptly told I shouldn't have used that door. I offered to go back the "right way" - although there were no signs to say no entry. The waitress begrudgingly said it was ok. Strike one.

The rooms, while pretty and cosy, are therefore quite cramped. To try and get out of other customers way, we just seated ourselves despite the table not being clean. This was to try and be courteous, but aggravated the waitress again who'd apparently told us not to sit down. Again, I offered to move outside while she set the table - and got another begrudging acceptance. Strike two.

Other people then came in, and appeared to make the same mistakes, but weren't scolded. We were then left for 20 minutes - which I'm guessing was to teach us patience is a virtue.

Luckily we didn't get to strike three, but having looked at other reviews, it seems we're not alone in our experience. I did overhear a waitress bemoaning the castles size and financial muscle in comparison to the Copper Kettle, so to have our experience when trying to support a local business was disappointing.

We will definitely come back to bamburgh (it's seriously beautiful, especially the beach), but unfortunately we won't be going to the Copper...