--- description: Find out why Maid of Somerset is on TIME’s list of the World’s Greatest Places 2026. title: Maid of Somerset: World's Greatest Places 2026 image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1d3f613299352192/69ae9619633562e36ebae2f8/MaidofSomerset_WGP_2026.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- Mar 12, 2026 # Maid of Somerset Castle Cary, England by [Adam Erace](/author/adam-erace/) ## Adam Erace Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close  Courtesy The Newt in Somerset Unlike the latest raft of luxury trains crisscrossing the globe, the [Maid of Somerset](https://thenewtinsomerset.com/restaurants/maid-of-somerset "undefined") goes nowhere at all. Ticket-holders find it parked in the garden of the Creamery, a restaurant at Castle Cary Station, in the appletree-lined countryside of southern England. Karen Roos and Koos Bekker of [The Newt in Somerset](https://thenewtinsomerset.com/ "undefined"), the eccentric country resort nearby, transformed this 1921 British Pullman into an elegant tea salon last year, polishing its mahogany marquetry and brass fixtures to a period gleam for a mix of Newt guests and village locals. Unlike the stereotypical snooty high tea, the Maid’s service is steeped in the good humor—and obsession with quality—that typifies Roos’ and Bekker’s projects. The friendly attendants prepare 11 loose-leaf teas—a mix of house blends and Prince & Sons selections—and serve finger sandwiches like cucumber and Waterlip, a tangy feta-style cheese made on site at the Creamery. A three-tiered sweets tower follows, featuring cardamom-scented orange cakes and scones paired with the Newt’s strawberry-rose preserves. This delightful afternoon costs a reasonable £35—or £45 with a coupe of Sprankel, the sparkling Chardonnay from Bablyonstoren, Roos and Bekker’s South African estate. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collection/worlds-greatest-places/2026/maid-of-somerset/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collection/worlds-greatest-places/2026/maid-of-somerset/"},"headline":"Maid of Somerset","datePublished":"2026-03-12T10:56:42.315Z","dateModified":"2026-03-12T10:56:42.389Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/collection/worlds-greatest-places/2026/maid-of-somerset/","keywords":["World's Greatest Places","United Kindgom","list","franchise"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1d3f613299352192/69ae9619633562e36ebae2f8/MaidofSomerset_WGP_2026.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Adam Erace","jobTitle":"","url":"https://time.com/author/adam-erace/"}],"creator":"Adam Erace","articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1d3f613299352192/69ae9619633562e36ebae2f8/MaidofSomerset_WGP_2026.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/worlds-greatest-places/","name":"World's Greatest Places"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/collection/worlds-greatest-places/2026/maid-of-somerset/","name":"Maid of Somerset"}}]}] ```