About Biddy's
Biddy's is an independent Victorian-inspired tea house in Norfolk, named after the owner's dog. Our aim is to create a quirky, relaxed setting for our guests to enjoy one of over 50 blends of tea any of our homemade cakes. We specialise in serving traditional Afternoon and High Teas, created using our own produce. Our in-house bakery make special cakes for any occasion, we have a studio to host workshops and a sister company dedicated to making stunning wedding cakes.
We are a small hard-working team who love tea, cake and friendly service. What we lack in square footage we make up for in portion size, serving traditional British Afternoon Tea.
BIDDY'S TEA ROOM, NORWICH
Our first branch opened in the centre of Norwich's eclectic lanes in 2010 and is split on two floors. Afternoon Tea is served in the tearoom on the upper level. With tea and cake being served in the lounge below.
BIDDY'S KITCHEN, AYLSHAM
Our second is in the quaint market town of Aylsham and is on one level with accessible entry. The shop has a dog friendly area and courtyard.
VOUCHERS
AMEND A BOOKING
MAKE A CAKE
WEDDING CAKES
TUESDAY EVENTS
MAD HATTER'S TEA PARTIES
VACANCIES
GENERAL ENQUIRIES
Our Tearooms are open for sitting in, takeaway and collection service
Please see revised opening hours below
Location & Hours
Biddy's Tea Room, Norwich
15a Lower Goat Lane
NR2 1EL,
01603 568019
Open Monday to Saturday 9am-ish to 4pm
Sunday 10am-ish to 3pm
Biddy's Kitchen, Aylsham
16 Market Place,
NR11 6EH
01263 731278
Open Monday to Saturday 9am-ish to 4pm
Covid - 19 changes to business
In light of recent changes resulting from the current Coronavirus epidemic, we have made some changes to the way we shall be operating both Biddy's Tea Room in Norwich, and Biddy's Kitchen in Aylsham.
The safety of our staff and customers is our priority and these changes are in place to protect people and stop the spread of the virus. We will have a zero-tolerance approach to anyone found breaking these rules, including any customers who put our staff or other customers at risk.
Our shops will be open for takeaway from the 4th July and for online orders from the 10th July. We will open the tearoom for socially distanced eat in and afternoon teas from August 3rd.
We are taking Afternoon Tea bookings each day apart from Thursday and Sunday. Please use the online form to book
We have a limited number of bookings per day that customers can use a gift voucher against.
We will be operating at half capacity during this time. This will give customers more room to socially distance but it also means we cannot take as many bookings per day.
This outside areas will be unmanaged by us as we will be working on a lower staffing. But we will be providing a sanitising station and bins for customer use.
Staff will be provided with additional protective equipment, including gloves and face masks. We will be operating a one bubble in / out policy and ask customers to try and use the menu board situated outside to make their choice before coming into the shop. We want to serve customers inside as quickly and efficiently as possible so you can go on and enjoy your treats!
Please bear in mind some things laid out above might change as we find our feet. These changes are in place to protect our team and customers from the virus as well as aiming to get the business through a, particularly challenging time.
Your support is greatly appreciated and we are doing all we can to build ourselves back up after what has been a
difficult few months.
From the Press
>
Norfolk Mag, Jan 2019
“10 of the best afternoon teas in Norfolk”
>
Eastern Daily Press
"The vintage tea room effortlessly combines cosy and quirky, to create a place ideal for an Alice in Wonderland style Mad Hatter’s Tea Party. "
Type your query here or search below
How do I make a booking?
To make a booking click on the book page of our website. Select the shop you wish to book for and an approximate time you would like to visit, with the amount of people you want to visit with
Once you have made a booking please call the store if you have any questions or changes regarding your reservation
What happens if there are no spaces?
If no options are availible to book, this means we are at full capacity for that number of people at that time. You can either select a different time or day or just pop in.
What time do you serve Afternoon Tea?
Between 12-4
Do you only take bookings for Afternoon Tea?
Yes we do, other items do not require a booking and you can just walk in (there might be a small wait at peak times)
Do little ones need to be booked for?
Not booked for, but we do need to know how many seats to prepare. Just let us let us know in the comment box. Due to the restricted amount of tables we can currently open to guests we have limited the amount of children to a maximum of 2 per booking.
As you will be charged per Afternoon Tea, book for the amount of Afternoon Teas you wish to enjoy and then let us know if any children 9up to a maximum of 2) need to be added in the comments box.
We can store pushchairs downstairs and have highchairs or space on table tops for carriers if little ones have been included in table numbers.
We regret we are unable to seat any non paying adults at this time due to running at half capacity.
Do you take money up front?
Due to operating at half capacity we are asking for payment to be made at the time of booking, If you do not wish to do this you are more than welcome to pop in and see what walk in tables we might have on the day.
What is the largest table I can book for?
Our largest stand alone table is 6.
There are more than 10 of us, what can we do?
We offer private party option for all bookings over 10 as it’s the least disruptive option for our other diners (and it's much more fun for groups) All Mad Hatters Tea Parties can be booked or viewed on the parties page.
I can no longer make my booking, but I don't want to get charged
Don’t worry, just call the store and we will move your booking to an alternative availible date for you
How many sandwiches do you get with Afternoon Tea?
We are slightly different to your typical Afternoon Tea because we offer a make-your-own experience. As well as choosing the cake, scone and tea you want to sample at your sitting you can choose your sandwich too (including bread type). There is a long list of unusual and classic sandwiches and they are all made freshly for you.
What is the difference between the tearoom and the lounge?
Our Tearoom is the original top floor of Biddy’s Norwich. It has higher restaurant seating and serves our lunches and Afternoon Teas. Our Lounge was the area we expanded into a couple of years later and is a more casual/low dining experience serving drinks, cakes, scones, and light snacks like sausage rolls and scotch eggs.
What is the history of Biddy's and how many branches do you have?
Biddy's was created in 2010 by owner Charlie and is named after her dog, who happens to look and act like an old Biddy... Although heavily influenced by the Victorians and the British Empire Biddy's is intended to be tongue in cheek with it's styling and reference a sense of eclectic fun with that period.
Is everything homemade?
Pretty much yes! Our team makes everything you see including occasion cakes, wedding cakes, savoury pastries and soups.
What kind of diets can you cater for?
We can make cakes, scones and sandwiches for… dairy free, gluten free, sugar free, animal product free and even a mix of the above. Each day we offer at least dairy free, vegan and gluten free cake, and at least one option of vegan and gluten free combined.
DUE TO COVID 19 AND STOCK RESTRICTIONS WE CAN CURRENTLY ONLY OFFER DAIRY FREE, VEGAN OR GLUTEN FREE ITEMS
Why don't you serve lattes/cappicinos/flat whites?
WE SERVE OVER 50 BLENDS OF TEA
Do you serve your scones with clotted cream?
Yes absolutely! We are traditionalists who love Cream Teas so it's obligatory. Please remember that clotted cream only has a clotted layer at the top. If your cream pot doesn’t have that it's still made using the traditional boiling and clotting technique.
Can I hire Biddy's?
Yes you can. We host Mad Hatter's Tea Parties most evenings in both shops, check the party page for more information or email our host on parties@biddystearoom.com
We can also hire out a floor to photographers and local groups between 9am and 11am each morning. Just ask at events@biddystearoom.com
Can I have my afternoon tea downstairs on the norwich shop?
As we are soacing our seating out due to coronavirus we will be able to use a table downstairs for those unable to use our staircase. Please call the store before making the booking so we can ensure we have a table avaiable for you.
Please note due to a long standing licensing agreement in our building we are limited with what we can do with our downstairs space. It’s the main reason we have two separate areas in our Norwich branch. We are looking at crowdfunding options to change the rules surrounding our shop. This means our toilet is not wheelchair friendly and the front of the shop has an angled step and iron bar making access difficult. If these areas will be too difficult to traverse we advise booking at Aylsham.
Tell me more about the events at Biddy's
Each Tuesday we open the tearoom to the public and have a range of activities between 6.30 and 8.30. They cost £6-£8 and include unlimited teas and coffee as well as a slice of cake.
The events include a fortnightly Stitch and B*tch, great Biddy's bake off, calke and choir, acoustic sets, poetry readings, fringe theatre, commedy, clothes swapping and much more....
To view the event calander click here
Do you offer a takeaway version of your Afternoon Tea?
In light of the coronavirus pandemic we have added a picnic version of our afternoon tea to our online shop.
As a promotion we have added an extra slice of cake and crisps to our picnic boxes. They are still completely customisable. Just choose your slelction, choose the date you wish to collect on and we will have it ready for you.
This is a different promotion to our usual Full Afternoon Teas and Halfternoon Teas, as a result we are unable to accept gift vouchers in exchange for the picnic.
I would like to help support independent businesses during the Covid outbreak, what can I do?
We really appreciate all the support we have received from our lovely and loyal customers.
We arent going to lie, the last 4 months have been tough. We have gone from being a thriving business coming up to it's 10 year anniversary to one having to try new things each week to keep afloat.
Obviously purchases help us at this time. Whether it be voucher sales, bake boxes or coming in for a drink and some cake, it all helps so much!
This is such a tricky time for everyone and we are so grateful to our customers. We desperately want to be here when this is all over and would love it to go back to normal so we will hunker down for now, offer a limited menu, and get throught this together.
Frequently Asked Questions
Contact us
NORWICH 01603 568019
VOUCHERS
AMEND A BOOKING
MAKE A CAKE
WEDDING CAKES
TUESDAY EVENTS
GENERAL ENQUIRIES
MAD HATTER'S TEA PARTIES
VACANCIES
AYLSHAM 01263 731278
