Frieda's Tearoom - Afternoon Tea in Bournemouth with Gluten Free Options

Frieda’s Tearoom (7 Stafford Road) has graced Bournemouth with Full English Breakfasts and Afternoon Tea since it opened in 2011. This award-winning tearoom can be enjoyed by people with a variety dietary restrictions, such as those who are vegetarian, dairy-free, or gluten-free (not celiac, however).

As someone who is gluten-intolerant, I was very excited to discover this, and I was even more pleased by the affordable price of £14.00 (this is excellent compared to what I was used to paying for afternoon tea while living in London).

The tearoom itself is very cute, and has a myriad of pleasant knickknacks and dainty decorations all around. I was very much a fan of the decor, and it made for a pleasant atmosphere.

As for the afternoon tea itself, we had reserved a Frieda’s Afternoon Tea and a Gluten-free + Vegetarian Afternoon Tea the day before. While they were both the same price, we did notice that the “normal” tea had one more scone than the gluten-free option. That was a bit off-putting, but there were the same amount of sandwiches and desserts, so we decided not to mention it to the server.

Tier 1: Sandwiches

Both the “regular” and gluten-free afternoon tea options had 4 sandwiches. The fillings were typical: homemade egg mayonnaise, tuna mayonnaise and cucumber, chicken and mayonnaise, and ham served with coleslaw. As I had requested a vegetarian option, I received a double serving of the former two options.

The gluten-free bread was good, and didn’t crumble which I consider a huge plus! Joel had no issue with his sandwiches, and he finished them happily.

Tier 2: Scones

Joel’s “regular” Afternoon Tea had two sultana scones, while my

Despite the discrepancy in the equal number of scones provided, both his and my scones were tasty and soft. I’ve had quite a few gluten-free scones in my time, and these were definitely amongst the better ones I’ve tasted.

I also liked the strawberry jam, and Cornish clotted cream. I can assure you we both polished off the clotted cream before we left, haha!

Tier 3: Desserts

We had an assortment of homemade cakes and goodies from which to pick.

Joel’s “regular” Afternoon Tea had 3 types of cakes (chocolate, strawberry, and lemon) and one tart, while the Gluten Free Afternoon Tea included two slices of cake, one pistachio macaron, and a strawberry custard tart. Although one of my cakes was a bit dry, they tasted good and I liked the tart!

Frieda’s Tearoom is cute, and provides a pleasant outing for regular and gluten-intolerant diets. I found the atmosphere nice, and I quite liked the decor. Thanks, Frieda!

If tried-and-true Afternoon Tea is too tame for you, perhaps you would be interested in making a reservation for Frieda’s Tea Bus instead! Enjoy your pre-booked afternoon tea inside a bus that will drive along and showcase all of the beauty of Bournemouth’s Sea Front.

Fun fact: Both Joel and I voted for Frieda’s Tearoom as the best Afternoon Tea in Bournemouth in 2018!

Hours of operation and pricing is as follows:

Monday to Saturday (not including Tuesday) - 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.,
Sunday - 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.,
Tuesday - Closed

Afternoon Tea - £14.00 per person

Afternoon Tea with Prosecco - £18.00 per person

Cream tea (scones and tea only) - £6.00 per person