The hotel is dog-friendly, though dogs are not allowed in the dining room, but you can enjoy tea on the terrace. Dairy free, gluten free, vegetarian and plant-based options available on request. It’s so delicious.’ Let’s book.Knoll House Hotel is open to non-residents for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and afternoon tea (Monday - Saturday 2.30-4.30pm). Gathering up the last crumbs, she said: ‘I just don’t want to leave anything. He had also catered for a lactose intolerant guest with a full selection of treats, including scones. My partner’s vinegar allergy was rapidly answered with a fresh selection of sandwiches, including ham, chicken and basil, and smoked salmon and cream cheese. If you’re up for the full decadent experience, then start with a glass of chilled bubbly – highly recommended! Jake is known for his attention to detail and concern for his guests’ enjoyment, as we experienced. ![]() Ten blends are on offer, including English Breakfast, Earl Grey, Knoll House garden mint, fresh lemon and ginger, and Darjeeling. The choice of drinks is headed, of course, by loose-leaf tea, served in a proper teapot, as much as you can drink. There is blueberry and frangipane tart, a deeply chocolatey hazelnut brownie, a colourful strawberry profiterole, Jake’s award-winning (and melt-in-the-mouth) carrot cake and the spectacular mojito cheesecake, served in a shot glass with layers of crunchy biscuit, rum-infused cream cheese and fresh lime topping. The ‘Famous Five’ cakes – rather more refined than what Blyton’s adventurous chums would have packed for their picnics – are a showcase for Jake’s patisserie skills. Our 'Famous Five' cake selection including Jake's award-winning carrot cake - Credit: Fanny Charles If you opt for the savoury tea, you can have rosemary and walnut scones, with Blue Vinny cream cheese and homemade chutney – a real taste of Dorset. The sandwich selection includes chicken with tarragon mayonnaise, ham and Dijon mustard, or cucumber, black pepper and dill cream cheese. There are freshly made scones, with or without sultanas, and generous helpings of clotted cream and fruit-packed strawberry jam. Choose from: Traditional, Bubbly, Dorset Cream, Savoury Cream, Patisserie or the Teddy Tea for younger diners. Seeing the potential for creating memorable afternoon teas, and utilising his continental experience, Jake has created a tempting menu that would satisfy any afternoon tea connoisseur. Only 28, he has worked in France, Austria and Italy, countries with an enviable patisserie pedigree. The success of their cream teas is down to talented pastry chef Jake Martin who came to Knoll House three years ago. Pastry chef Jake Martin brings us our afternoon tea cake, scone and sandwich selection - Credit: Fanny Charles Blyton was a frequent visitor, staying in Room 47 and dining at her regular Number 3 table. Built as a summer retreat for the Bankes family of Kingston Lacy, Knoll House has been a hotel since it was bought by former tenants Francis (Chris) and Marjorie (Poppy) Smith in 1931. ![]() ![]() Who could resist endless supplies of fragrant tea, delicate finger sandwiches, feather-light scones with local cream and artisan jam, and lots of cake? And where better to enjoy such a quintessential English experience than overlooking Studland Bay from behind the art-deco windows of a traditional hotel with a history that includes frequent visits from the creator of the Famous Five, Enid Blyton (with indelible memories of lashings of ginger beer.) Bought by the Kingfisher Group in 2017, Knoll House Hotel retains its familiar, nostalgic aura, but the new management has introduced a kitchen brigade and restaurant staff that do the building and its heritage proud. Forget the new-fangled foams, fondants and (vegan) faux-faggots and opt for this timeless classic. If there is one meal for which the English have been, rightly, famous for, it’s afternoon tea.
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