Time For Tea, Prestwich, Greater Manchester

416 New Bury Road,
Prestwich Village
Manchester
M25 1BD

07752 617770

Time for Tea provides the following Creative Café activities: 

• book events
• author events
• pop-up arts events
• literary salons
• books for customers 
• reporter-in-residence 
• news of other arts events

Visit Time for Tea website.
Read a review here.

Time for Tea

Time for tea is such a haven. As soon as you’re through the doors, you forget the business of the day and the hectic traffic that makes its way through Prestwich toward Manchester or to the nearby motorway junction. It’s all white tablecloths, china tea services and delicious food.

Vintage Clothes and Time for Tea

I love vintage clothes. Having scoured the shops in Bury, Manchester and Chester for suitable summer dresses all I could find were ankle length sleeveless ones or skimpy cocktail pieces – neither of which were suitable for keeping cool and looking smart at work or for dressing up in a comfortable way on holiday. But when I went to a 1940s weekend on the East Lancs Railway I found two delightful little numbers at a vintage stall. They were almost vintage prices, too.  No more than third of what the chain stores wanted for their impractical showpieces.  And the two dresses – one green, one red  –  have been greatly admired.

So, when I found out that Time for Tea were holding a sale of vintage clothes and accessories, how could I resist?      

I wasn’t disappointed. There were lots of lovely things to savour. I bought a flapper-style beach dress in blue and white with a touch of red. Pity I probably won’t be able to wear it until next year.

The café was buzzing. It was good, too, to drink tea from a real china cup, poured out of a small teapot. They also supplied another pot of hot water and a jug of milk. All for no more than what you’d pay for a cardboard cup of something at one of the big chains.  And then there were the irresistible cakes and the friendliness of the other customers.  
The provider of the vintage clothes was J'ADORE VINTAGE CLOTHING who offer vintage clothes parties pop-up shops in your own home or a favourite coffee shop. They are recommended by Vogue.    

Events and services like these that make these indie cafés really show their worth. It’s what the Creative Café Project is all about.  

The First Literary Salon is underway

So, I’ve now done it. I have booked my first Literary Salon with Time for Tea in Prestwich ,  Greater Manchester. This will take place 16^th May, 6.30 – 8.30, all vegetarian.

Tea – scrumptious, I can vouch for this. Readings from three writers.  Everyone is invited to bring a book to swap – either one of your own, if you’re a writer, or perhaps one you’ve enjoyed. You might also bring a second book to donate to the café’s library. I suggest writers include a short bio and contact details if these aren’t already in the book.    

This event it by invite only as places are limited. However, if you’d like an invite, please contact me here.  Even if all places are full, I can put you on the reserve list.

For this first event, the Creative Café will foot the whole bill so this time it’s free. Thereafter, there will be a charge that will cover the cost of food plus a little to cover writers’ expenses.  I’m hoping  for lots of feedback and ideas about how we can make the Salon even better. See you in Prestwich on 16 May?  By the way, this is also National Flash Fiction Day.  

A Literary Salon

I’m intending to hold this at the Time for Tea Café in Prestwich, Greater Manchester. I don’t have a date yet, but it will be early evening, probably 6.30-8.30. It will include afternoon tea style snacks: sandwiches, quiche, cake and tea or coffee.  And a glass of wine. Afternoon tea just isn’t what it used to be! If it is successful, I’ll organise more and I’ll also post a description here and on the web site so that other writers / café owners can adopt it for their local Creative Cafés.    

Who is invited

I shall be inviting writers and people who love reading and listening to words. It has to be by invite only – there is limited space at Time for Tea and anyway, a “salon” needs an intimate atmosphere.  THE FIRST ONE WILL BE FREE. Thereafter, cost will be £10 to include “afternoon tea”, a glass of wine, excellent company and a book to take home.  It won’t be the same people every time but there will be some overlap.

What will happen

You’ll enjoy a great “afternoon tea”. Two or three of the writers will read out some of their work. I intend to move people around three times so that you mix with different people. You are also invited to bring one book to give away. It can simply be one you’ve read and enjoyed.  It doesn’t have to be brand new. Hopefully everyone can do this, so everyone will go home with a new book. Writers may also bring up to three books to sell and they can bring flyers to give out. They are also invited to consider donating a book to Time for Tea. And we can chat all the time about books and writing.

What you can do now

Let me know that you would like an invite.

Tell me what you think of the timing – is 6.30 too early / too late? What about using a Saturday?

Is the price reasonable?

What about the idea of swapping books? What would be the fairest way to distribute these?

Does the book sale system work for writers? I’ve limited it to three as we don’t want to spend all evening swapping money. Maybe the flyer could offer a small discount? Should I restrict sales to the writers who read their work? But let everyone bring flyers?  

The Creative Café is all about serving creative practitioners, their audiences and the cafés.  Does this do that

Time for Tea, Prestwich

Yet another wonderful find.  Time for Tea was pointed out to me by a colleague who posted a comment on my blog after I’d posted a comment on the VC’s blog at the University of Salford, where I work.  Ah, the joy of social media!

I actually drive past this pretty establishment every day I go to the office. I’ve often thought it looked quite cute.

Yet it is far more than that.

On Friday I arrived early. I’d arranged to meet a friend there. She said “What about a coffee?”  earlier in the week and I’d said “What about helping me to check out this new café?”   

So there I was at ten to three ordering a pot of tea.  And what a pot it was! A proper china one. The amount of tea reminded me of returning form a day of teaching and my late father making a whole pot of his special brew which I would consume before settling down to  some marking and / or lesson prep.  In Time for Tea you get a little jug of milk and a separate pot of hot water.  

Once my friend arrived, we ordered more tea and some of the homemade cake.  It all lived up to expectation. Much nicer than the big chains!

The colleague who’d recommended it said how tranquil it feels. I’d doubted that as it is situated on the busy A56. But she was absolutely right. You feel detached form the big city when you’re in there.  You are back in the world of lace tablecloths and waitresses in black and white.

But how creative is it?

It works. There are books that the lone customer can take down from the shelf and read.  Once a week, a journalist spends a couple of hours there collecting stories for her local newspaper.  So they already had a writer in residence. They also do tea parties for £7.00 a head- minimum number 15, maximum 25. I’ve already decided to hold a “literary salon” there in the New Year.  There will be readings of poetry and short stories and a chance to buy signed copies of books.  There will be sandwiches, cake, tea and coffee, and a glass of wine.

Definitely worth a visit!     

Time for Tea