Afternoon tea at Ginger & Pickles Tarporley tearooms

Beatrix Potter's Ginger and Pickles is a particularly quirky and delightful tale – the plot a delightful mixture of ambition and consequences. Sadly, there is no happy ending for the eponymous and inept shopkeepers – a yellow tom-cat named Ginger and the terrier Pickles.

The family behind Cheshire's renowned Ginger and Pickles tearooms and various interwoven businesses, chose Miss Potter's title when they launched the first of their delicious enterprises, but unlike Mis Potter's imagining, theirs is a story of awards, innovation, and many thousands of satisfied customers.

Almond croissants fresh from Ginger and Pickles' Tarporley Bakehouse. (Image: John Allen Photography)

From a children's clothes shop in Nantwich, Bev and Andy Ozard extended into the space next door vacated by the Nantwich Chronicle and launched their first child-friendly tearoom. Early on, they realised if their food was to meet the high standards they were reaching for, they should open a bakery, so the Nantwich Bakehouse was born. Not satisfied with this, they started a second bakery, in Tarporley, where the Stitch knitting and craft supplies store – another family enterprise – was located. They couldn't resist opening a café tearoom there too, and Ginger and Pickles Tarporley came into existence. The elegant Georgian building in Chestnut Terrace, opposite the bakery, now houses a retreat from the hustle and bustle of the village's attractive and energetic high street and is where the Ginger and Pickles team tries out ideas. In 2020, Ginger and Pickles opened a third store, inside Lowe’s Farm Shop in Byley, where shoppers can brunch or lunch as they fill their baskets with local produce.

Today, Ginger and Pickles, with Bev, Andy, and son Harry Picken at the helm, and daughters Bethany Picken (an artist), and Abbie Ozard (singer/songwriter and marketing and social media specialist), adding their skills to the mix, is a Cheshire institution.

Harry Picken. (Image: John Allen Photography)

The starting point at Nantwich Bakehouse is an organic flour from Shipton Mill in Gloucestershire and a sourdough starter called Charlie. The Nantwich Bakehouse produces breads buns, sourdough, focaccia... in fact, anything made with yeast, with the cakes and specialist gluten-free and vegan products created in Tarporley.

To sample the quality of the Ginger and Pickles offering, we visited the Tarporley tearoom, which is set in the conservation area, and serves Beforenoon Tea, scrumptious brunches and comforting afternoon teas that keep customers coming back for more. Harry aims to source local ingredients within a 25-mile radius and, influences reach from Scandinavia and California through to Cheshire and Staffordshire.

Tiers of joy, courtesy of Ginger and Pickles. (Image: John Allen Photography)

The provenance shines out from every dish on the menu. Vegetarians and vegans are given plenty of choice (afternoon teas are offered with 24 hours' notice), and there is special attention paid to gluten-free dishes. The children's menu has images as well as clear descriptions of dishes such as Tiny Tapas and Picnic Basket, as well as a mini afternoon tea.

The Scandi touch - smoked salmon on rye. (Image: John Allen Photography)

The nod to Scandinavia comes with a smoked salmon and rye open sandwich. A lemony crème fraîche base with a contrasting pickled cucumber and radish garnish make this a particularly enjoyable choice. A plate piled high with doorstep-sized slices of buttery cinnamon toast tempted me as it wafted past but we had already ordered the croque mademoiselle croissant, with two griddled eggs, sautéed garlic mushrooms and crumbled feta cheese. As I sliced my knife into the perfectly cooked egg, it melted into the homemade croissant and its accompaniments. Combined with the garlic mushrooms and feta, it whetted our appetites for a series of dishes that while certainly not dainty, were, to die for, the sausage doorstep sandwich a case in point with its beautiful bangers supplied by H Davidson Butchers, based at Lowe's Farm Shop.

Ginger and pickles sausage sandwiches come doorstep-style. (Image: John Allen Photography)

Beforenoon Tea provides everything you could want for breakfast or brunch – in three tiers. We feasted on scrambled egg with lashings of smoked salmon on rye, bacon sandwiches, slices of local sausage and black pudding, succulent pan-fried mushrooms and generous rounds of toast, accompanied by local jams and chutneys.

A deliciously different sandwich with roasted aubergine and peppers. (Image: John Allen Photography)

Then we move to lunchtime and the dazzling array of sandwiches. The standout was the meltingly tender roasted aubergine and pepper concoction. Kale tossed in a harissa maple glaze complemented the roasted vegetables to perfection. Enclosed in a home-baked focaccia crust, this creation required a knife and fork – my jaws not sufficiently snake-like or flexible to accommodate the generous filling. No wonder Harry says their motto is: 'Don't look for dainty.'

The goat's beets salad is colourful and tasty. (Image: John Allen Photography)

The goat's beets salad, which is both vegan and vegetarian, was a colourful and vibrant mixture of sweet beetroot, rocket and baby tomato salad sprinkled with pine nuts and topped with a slice of melting goat cheese, with a balsamic dressing. It left just enough space to move on to afternoon tea, that great British tradition, taking a very special place in the nation's hearts, most often composed of bite-sized delicacies that are soon gone. Not so at Ginger and Pickles. The sandwiches can be ordered in advance to accommodate all dietary choices. Ours was simple, traditional and plentiful, and served on a Spode Blue Italian china cake stand. There were smoked salmon and lemon crème fraîche buns, egg and cress finger sandwiches, home-cooked ham, cheddar and chutney finger sandwiches. Then carrot, chocolate, and Victoria sponge cakes (all sublime), fruit scones, Cheshire clotted cream and jam. I drank my favourite Darjeeling, but It is easy to upgrade to prosecco. The sparkling Brut Méthode Champenoise, from the Halfpenny Green Wine Estate, championed by Ginger and Pickles, would make a great addition to a special occasion.

Croque mademoiselle croissant, with perfect eggs, sauteed garlic mushrooms and crumbled feta cheese. (Image: John Allen Photography)

After wiping the last crumbs from our mouths, we stepped out across the high street to the Ginger and Pickles Bakehouse, where the display was mouth-watering, even after our glorious meal. I consider myself something of an expert on pasties, having lived in Cornwall for a few years and G and P's excelled anything I've had in the West Country. I particularly recommend the leek, cheese and potato but the beef and vegetable comes a close second. Hats off too to the bakehouse for producing a memorable bara brith so close to the Welsh border. Rich, full of fruit, almost malty and very dense, a slice of this would keep you going until dinner. And hats off also to the Nantwich bakery; we are enjoying both the seeded and the plain sourdough, in sandwiches, and as hot buttered toast and I can't wait (in the unlikely event we have any leftovers) to make a Tuscan bread and tomato salad, or some glorious croutons topped with parmesan for a chicken Caesar.

This is Cheshire's food, and its spirit of entrepreneurialism, at its most unpretentious and delicious best. Beatrix Potter could have written a story about it.

Ginger and Pickles in its Georgian home in Tarporley. (Image: John Allen Photography)