Nan's scones and knitted cosies on offer in this 144-year-old heritage terrace
Such things are the mainstay of The Tea Cosy, a two-storey tearoom housed in a butter-yellow 1881 heritage building in the heart of The Rocks.
Some might sniff at the apparent ordinariness of a tea room. It's not a high-end restaurant but try joining the queue at the Country Women's Association Tea Room at the Royal Easter Show every year. The fervour of that line underlines people's perennial passion for a nice cup of tea and a fluffy jam-laden scone.
Ash Kinchin opened The Tea Cosy in 2019, and onsite scone-baking throughout the day means tables inside and out are regularly packed. Outside, under white umbrellas decorated with crocheted bees, there are families, tourists and women of all ages knitting from supplied yarn baskets. Inside, rooms are ringed with Victorian furniture, hardback books, fringed lampshades and vintage crockery displays. A wool-lover's paradise of hand-knitted flowers and cosies surrounds shelves of jam, and tea cups.
Upstairs, two tiny rooms feature a dad pouring tea pots for his three small girls, each chewing finger sandwiches. Meanwhile, a young couple drink cream-topped Irish coffees and watches their sleeping baby in a pram. Coming here is a treat.
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