The Orangery Conservatory, Riversdale Estate

High Tea
 From the moment you walk through the beautiful carved Riversdale Estate double wooden doors you feel like you’ve arrived somewhere special.
To your right is the cellar door enticing you with dark timbers and leather lounges. On your left is the French Bistro, huge and elegant and this is where you are greeted by the friendly and professional staff.  We would have been happy to spend our afternoon in either room, however we were there for High Tea and were unaware of the beauty that awaited us in The Orangery Conservatory.
High Tea in The Orangery Conservatory is more than lovely, it is delightful.
Walking through the doors This Girl and The Only Child felt like we’d entered a wonderland.  The most beautiful room filled with plush chairs in various pastel colours with beautiful glass buttons, magnificent crockery and silverware, crisp white tablecloths, chandeliers and most amazing floral display (we were advised that due to small size of the room, they opted for high quality faux flowers to ensure guests were not overwhelmed with scent and so they can keep it looking ‘fresh’ all the time, no tackiness here the display is simply stunning).

 Sharlie was our host for afternoon and was attentive, friendly, knowledgeable and skilled.   She took the time to tell us about The Orangery and Riversdale Estate and really made our experience the most wonderful afternoon. The Only Child said that she felt posh and special, like we were royalty.
High Tea was a selection of savoury and sweet delights and comes with an endless supply of your choice of teas or coffee for $40.  We chose to start our afternoon with a glass of Riversdale Estate bubbles at $12 a glass, we both agreed it was a wine you could quite easily sip all afternoon.

For drinking with our High Tea The Only Child chose their Supreme Breakfast blend and This Girl had their Indian Spiced blend, both served to us in exquisite silver teapots.
 Our High Tea was made up of three different sandwiches, egg and lettuce, salmon and cream cheese and of course, cucumber, a savoury quiche, curried chicken sausage roll and their traditional sausage roll as the savouries.  For sweets they serve a custard tart, chocolate peppermint biscuit sandwich, mini pavlova with Chantilly cream and a blackberry, orange almond cake and two different scones, date which comes with butter and plain served with their own cherry and raspberry jam and clotted cream.
From The Orangery we had a beautiful view out over the vineyard and the Coal River beyond, you might be lucky like us and also catch a few planes coming in to land.   
Riversdale Estate is a destination that provides accommodation, a cellar door, French Bistro, High Tea and from March, the only Peter Rabbit Garden outside of England of the UK.  There is so much to explore and we are keen to return to experience everything they have to offer.
Riversdale Estate is at 222 Denholms Rd, Cambridge. 
Bookings for High Tea are essential, call them on 6248 5666

You can find the menu on their website and you can keep up-to-date with their happenings on Facebook and Instagram.


You'll drive past Frogmore Creek on your way to Riversdale Estate, another beautiful venue that will have you feeling like royalty, read our blog here.