REVIEW : EAT - Stair Arms Hotel Drive Thru, Afternoon Tea

My usual drive-thru is KFC for a Tower Burger, fries and a milkshake but along with most other places, these too have been closed during lockdown.

The Stair Arms Hotel just before Pathhead, has used this idea of a drive-thru to keep them going during lockdown by converting a shipping container that was once used for storage into a serving hatch and collection point for hot and cold meals from snacks like cakes and traybakes, to lunchtime sandwiches and dinners of Fish n Chips. Add onto this, they are now doing Afternoon Tea take-away too.

The Stair Arms is situated on the busy A68 between Edinburgh to Pathhead. It has a separate drive in entrance and exit which makes it super easy for a drive-thru and social distancing. The container is located at the side of the entrance to the hotel and I think a genius move on the hotels part for working this through the lockdown.

REVIEW - DRIVE THRU TAKEAWAY AFTERNOON TEA FROM THE STAIR ARMS HOTEL PATHHEAD

Ordering your Afternoon Tea from the Stair Arms couldn’t be easier. The menu is on their website and you choose one option from their list of goodies under the following headings : Sandwiches and Wraps; Savouries; Mini Bakery and Scones & Tarts. Any four items cost £13.50pp or choose six for £17.50pp.

You give them a call with your order and book a collection time slot. Arrive, pick it up and return home to enjoy your treats with an cuppa of your choice.

Two white boxes are ready for collection and inside they contain a selection of your chosen savoury and your sweet treats.

I chose the Belhaven Smoked Salmon and Beef & Horseradish sandwiches; Pork and Chorizo sausage roll and pork pie.

Sandwiches were freshly made with plenty of filling, and I particularly liked the sausage roll.

The sweet box held two scones ready made up with jam and cream, a lemon drizzle slice and caramel shortbread.

The scones were super fresh and crumbly with a lovely hint on vanilla. They were generous on the cream, which I love. The lemon drizzle cake was beautifully zingy and completely drenched in lemon, perfect for me.

The only thing I would change is that, this is meant to be shared by two people yet they provide many of the elements of the Afternoon tea as one single piece to be split in half. I’d rather of had two smaller sausage rolls, the pork pie already cut in half and the same with the caramel shortbread and the lemon drizzle cake.

A really nice selection of savoury and sweet treats all conveniently packaged for you to take home. It’s not quite the same as having Afternoon Tea out, but it is a decently priced treat that’s ideal for a nice surprise when visiting someone for the first time in a long time.

Their Afternoon Tea has a very homemade traditional feel about it. There is no fancy pants baking here, no modern cooking and nothing different. It is something your granny will love and something you’ll love sharing with your granny. Good old fashioned Afternoon Tea.

The Stair Arms Hotel, Drive-Thru, Pathhead, EH37 5TX. Tel : 01875 320277

www.stairarmshotel.com/drive-thru/

My Spoon Award : Bronze Spoon Award 7/10

I was invited by The Stair Arms Hotel to review their Drive Thru takeaway Afternoon Tea. Food was complimentary but the views are very much my own.