afternoon tea at söderköpings brunn

They call it "cake-buffet" but as there are both scones and cucumber sandwiches served I define it as "afternoon tea". But no matter what you call it, it was a delightful and most affordable buffet that was offered at Söderköpings Brunn (Söderköping's Spring/Spa). Today a four star hotel, but known since the Middle Ages, with organised health spa activities since 1719 and granted a royal charter in 1774.

The environment and surroundings are lovely. Indoors is sweet in a shabby chic way (hint, it wouldn't be a bad thing to re-upholster the chairs and sofas in the lounge...) and you can chose to have you cake buffet either indoors, on the veranda or in the garden.

It was indeed a lovely assortment on offer, so thought Leonard and Knut too (who especially excited about the mini pastries). Slight minus for these details;

:: The scones were perfect, but to have clotted cream (nasty) but no whipped cream and no strawberry jam, oh no.
:: And even if loose tea isn't always better than teabags it is nice to be able to chose.
:: Plus bigger cups for tea-drinkers, please.
:: The cucumber sandwiches were tad soggy and with an unfortunate tang of fridge-flavour.
:: And as a general rule, as certain cakes/cookies horrendously enough still are baked with animal gelatin, please display if all cakes are suitable for vegetarians.

But I loved the scones anyway, many of the cakes and cookies were well-baked classic Swedish ones with a pleasant taste of childhood memories and grandma's garden fika. The fruit cream cake (topped with an abundance of red currants, strawberries and raspberries) and the unpretentious looking nut cookie were my favourites. Plus, really, that minuscule chocolate mousse thing topped with a sliced strawberry... very close to orgiastic I'd say.

My (our) overall impression -
Food - 4/5
Service - 3/5
Ambiance - 5/5 
Value for money - 4/5

The cake buffet is served Monday - Saturday Definitely a place to go for a nice as well as affordable treat! Sadly about two hours drive south from Stockholm, but as Söderköping is overall a very picturesque small-town I think it makes for a perfect summer day-trip.

Söderköpings Brunn
Skönbergagatan 35, Söderköping
+46 (0)121 - 109 00
info@sbrunn.se