Where: Suffolk, Virginia Style: Victorian Tea Selection: 15+ loose leaf and bagged teas Teatimes: Friday to Saturday, 11 to 4:30; Sunday 1 to 4:30; Special Event Teas Reservations: Required Contact: 757-353-5694 Cost: $50 Queen Catherine’s Tea;$30 The Charlotte; $24 “We’ll Always Have Paris”; $18 The Diane; $15 The Charles; $10 Tiny Tea Destination Tea Tips: Check out the fabulously creative themed teas periodically hosted by Stillwater Tea House, and whether for these or a regular teatime, you will reserve and pay for your chosen menu in advance.
Destination Tea Notes: What Amy Ford and her family are doing at Stillwater Tea House, which Amy took over in 2020, reflects her true appreciation for the romance and wonder of afternoon tea. A former caterer and avid fan of the Victorian Era, Amy has let her imagination loose throughout the darling teahouse, painting the staircase as a stack of her favorite books, renovating the tearooms, and decorating the teahouse exterior with repurposed teacups and tea plates. A cheerful team of Amy’s family and friends helps run the teahouse, housed in the 1859 Town’s End House, which was moved to its current location near the railroad tracks in 2001, to save it from demolition. Almost everything here is made from scratch, tea is served from a collection of pretty teapots and, if you are seated upstairs, you’ll have that moment, when you reach the second floor, that you believe you may have stepped into a fairytale.
Teacup wreath welcomes guests.
The downstairs green room, Sophia’s room, perfect for guests with mobility issues
A teacup collection that invites exploration
Adults and children alike exclaim over this cleverly painted staircase.
At the top of the stairs, this gorgeous sitting room awaits. Absolutely love the rich green of the tiled fireplace.
We go through to a second room set with pink and crocheted tablecloths.
Our party of eleven has this room to ourselves, warmly lit by long windows framed in wispy white curtains tied back with flowers.
Tables tucked under the sloped ceilings feel cozy.
Little ones will love their own wee table nestled in the corner.
Tea Service
More lovely antique teacups displayed in a decorative white curio
Beautiful teacups are a major part of setting a delightful tea table.
A first for us, one of the tables is set with matching, embroidered teacup covers.
Made in England, this vintage Crown Dorset Forget-Me-Nots teapot with decorative handles is a beauty.
Each table chooses two or three pots of tea, with helpful suggestions from our servers based on our tastes. We know Snowflake is one of our favorites (still is), and also enjoy Almond Sugar Cookie Black tea, Royal Wedding White tea and Peaches ‘n Cream.
Scones & Spreads, Savories and Sweets
We delight seeing some of the tea sandwiches shaped as teapots and teacups. The savory course includes buttery, slightly sweet biscuits stuffed with salty ham, fantastic chicken salad croissants, cucumber dill with veggie cream cheese, the Lady Caroline (celery walnut spread with bacon) and the Lady Elizabeth (pesto tomato basil with cheese).
Lemon curd, orange marmalade and orange cranberry spread are served with freshly baked, soft scones (love when they come warm to the table). We always appreciate teahouses that think of the details, like including designated spreaders for serving the scone condiments onto individual plates.
Hello Amy!
Kudos to Stillwater Tea House for dreaming up a variety of desserts, each yummy in its own right and presented so prettily: Victoria Sandwich, Stillwater Lemon Bar, Roseberry Mousse on Pizzelle, Raspberry Thumbprint Cookie (possibly our favorite) and Lavender Blackberry Mascarpone Cream.
Soaking in the loveliness of the Stillwater Tea House setting — the perfect reset from the outside world.
Oh, I’d love to visit that beautiful house even if they were not serving tea! And then to see the delightful afternoon tea being served is even better. If I’m ever in the vicinity I will absolutely visit this tea house.
We love comments! Destination Tea's comment policy shares a guiding principle with afternoon tea etiquette: please be gracious. We welcome honest comments that are not rude or scathing.
Oh, I’d love to visit that beautiful house even if they were not serving tea! And then to see the delightful afternoon tea being served is even better. If I’m ever in the vicinity I will absolutely visit this tea house.
We hope you have the opportunity, Joy. It is truly a special afternoon tea when both the setting and the menu are excellent.