Review - The Old Tea House, Wickham: I went to a cafe that has added class and taste to the area

We have recently reviewed chips on the beach on Hayling, and a takeaway toastie, as well as several pubs and cafes and, in fairness, the occasional top-grade restaurant. But we don’t often go somewhere you would call posh. That’s not because of inverse snobbery, it’s because we reflect normal life.

But on a day off from the day job, for lunch we decided to investigate a cafe/bistro that has been making waves in the area – The Old Tea House in Wickham Square, which has been taken over by the Quob Estate.

There’s an interesting backstory to this. The building was formerly Lilly’s, a Wickham institution. Lilly’s was hardly a greasy spoon, as it had some lovely lunches and drew people for its afternoon teas, but it was recognisably a cafe.

The new owners, Quob Park – the vineyard down the road towards Titchfield – have taken over not just the cafe but the hotel across the road, now named The Old House Hotel. There were plans to take on the Square Cow pub at the other end of The Square but these appear to have been shelved. The net effect is of a high-quality mini-empire quietly beginning to grow, and from the look of The Old Tea House money has been put into this project, and money will be attracted to it. There’s reference made in the company’s literature to a shuttle service from the estate to the Wickham, and you can see the attraction – get guests to visit the winery and spa, put them up in the hotel and feed them well in the hotel’s Restaurant 1707 and The Old Tea House.

So what’s in it for locals then? Well, a great deal. But first of all, a warning that for most of us a trip here will be a treat, and certainly not on the same wallet level as picking up a sandwich from bakery across the way.

The menu straight away lets you know that you are in an establishment with chefs rather than cooks. On the small plates list, skin-on fries are served with truffle oil and parmesan (£5.50) rather than salt and vinegar, for example. We two opt for haddock mash with a poached egg and chorizo (£11.95), and Scotch egg with a ‘Piccalilli salad’ (£12.50). The Scotch egg is warm (as you’d expect for something described as artisan), and the breaded coating is wonderfully soft when you are used to the rough sandpaper texture of mass-produced Scotch eggs. The Piccalilli salad is less of a salad and more of a pile of Piccalilli, adorned with very thinly sliced radish and some baby watercress leaves and also studded with some sourdough crackers. The Piccalilli itself is great – vinegar-y and astringent enough to hit the back of your throat but very tasty. Every last speck of the mustardy yellow sauce is wiped up.

The haddock mash goes the other way on the flavour spectrum. It’s a soft and warm comforting dish, with the haddock’s strength dialled down by not just the potato but the soft poached egg on top. The chorizo adds a zest, a spark of deep run amongst the white and beige. Despite it seeming a small plateful, the Scotch egg is enough for the Dish Detective. His haddocky companion, however, has room for a chocolate brownie (£3.50) and a latte (£2.95).

This gives the Dish Detective the chance to run the rule over the room. It’s beautifully done out, with nice touches such as a wine chiller advertising and explaining the wines placed in the middle of the room rather than behind the bar, which ends up whetting the appetite as I rued my mineral water and lusted after an Argentinian white malbec that looked very promising. It also gave the chance to salivate over the prospect of a breakfast here, or a Sunday lunch. We certainly can’t afford to come here too often, but how lovely to have another food ‘destination’ in the area. We will watch its progress with great interest.

The Old Tea House, Wickham Square

01329 836 720

Food 5

Value 4

Ambience 4

Child-friendly 3