A lunchtime visit to a picturesque spot by the riverside fails to leave KATHERINE MACALISTER feeling refreshed

Annie’s Tea Rooms has long been on my agenda, as I suppose it’s been on yours. That whimsical sign just past Kidlington, enticing you to venture up the canal path in Thrupp, over an unfeasibly narrow bridge, popping out into Annie’s world, is like finding yourself on the top of Enid Blyton’s Faraway Tree.

It couldn’t be a more picturesque location if you tried, the colourfully painted narrowboats, the sun reflecting off the river and the last embers of summer bathing the courtyard in light, making it unexpectedly warm for this time of year.

Patting myself on the back for finally getting there, I perched on one of the outside tables and surveyed my surroundings properly, taking in the unpretentious set-up – a tea room selling teas, scones, lunches, sandwiches, soup and quiche I supposed.

The place was packed both inside and out so it’s obviously popular with the mixed crowd of mothers and older clientele, all enjoying the weather. You could tell that as soon as the sun came out a visit to Annie’s for a spot of lunch had been suggested.

So there we all were on a Friday lunchtime basking like sharks and hungry as dogs. The queue at the counter indoors looked faintly ominous as my stomach rumbled, so we snuck in immediately to place our order.

And we waited and waited. It seems that as your drinks get made up on the spot, everyone has to wait in line until that’s been accomplished, and on a busy lunchtime that’s quite some time, especially as everyone orders tea, which is always a faff, and 20 minutes later we hadn’t moved.

I went to sit outside and secure our table and when my friend returned even later she said rather crossly that it would have been wiser to put the lunch order through before making the drinks rather than after. Either way, the whole ordering experience takes you off the boil, our excitement and anticipation being replaced by feelings of frustration and gnawing hunger pains as we awaited the homemade egg mayonnaise sandwiches (£3.95), the cheese and red onion quiche of the day which came with salad (£5.50), and the obligatory pot of tea (£1.70).

I wish I can say the food made our hearts sing, really I do, because Annie’s is obviously trying really hard and has an enormously loyal clientele, but I found it all rather bland and uninspiring. Indeed, my friend who has helped me munch my way through many a lunch, only ate two of her sandwiches and went and bought a packet of crisps instead. The problem? They didn’t taste of anything. Egg mayonnaise should be chunky, the mayonnaise having hints of cress, spring onions, mustard, anything to liven it up a bit, or at the very least some salt and pepper, but this was tasteless.

My quiche was a bit better, the pastry was delicious, but again the filling was unseasoned and therefore unmemorable. The salad was also undressed and when we asked for dressing, a bottle of olive oil and some balsamic were plonked on our table.

Disappointed we drank our tea and left, not bothering with the cakes and cream teas which might have swung the balance – we couldn’t be bothered to queue up all over again. I suppose the problem wasn’t that Annie’s serves simple food, but that if you’re going to settle for a limited menu make sure it blows your tastebuds out of the water. Mine are still sadly intact.

  • Annie’s Tea Rooms, Canal Yard, Canal Road Thrupp, Kidlington 07425 621742 anniestearoom.co.uk