Sunday, May 20, 2012

High Tea

A couple of weeks ago, Frank's sisters Lisa and Theresa invited me to join them for high tea.

tea cup
There were seven in our group which also included Frank's sister-in-law Judy and her daughter Jenna, Lisa's friend Pat and my friend Carol Anne.




lady kimberly
We arrived at a lovely country home, complete with Victorian decor. We were greeted by Lady Kimberly, our hostess, dressed in clothing of the day.




display
We were shown the parlour, where we ladies could have our leaves read if we so desired and on our way back to the dining area, Lady Kimberly pointed out "the necessary." We were told that the proper way to excuse ourselves to use the necessary, was to simply place our napkins on our seats, and leave the room without saying a word.




place setting
We each selected our own teapot and tea. I chose a purple floral pot and vanilla chai, which was delicious.




scones
Lunch was a collection of five semi-circular uniquely flavoured sandwiches. Dessert was freshly baked scones served with Devon cream and raspberry preserves, delicious home baked tarts and squares and fresh fruit.




sweets and fruit
Far too much to finish in one sitting - especially with all that wonderful tea.




silk bouquet
One by one, ladies went into the parlour to have their fortunes read. Everyone came out smiling - pleased with the reading.




my tea leaves
This was my cup. Does anyone of you read leaves - not that I'd need a second opinion. I quite like what I was told.




vintage lamp shoes hat
Once high tea was over, I wandered around snapping a few photos and chatted with our hostess about her lovely business. I suspect that we'll all return sometime soon.

64 comments:

Grayquill said...

Your pictures and your story are great. It reminded me of how us males love how you females make a simple act such as eating a thing of tenderness and beauty. NICE!

Anonymous said...

Oh how lovely! Looks like such a good time! Sorry I been so quiet these last couple weeks, I’ve been really ill (now finally diagnosed with Whooping Cough even though I was immunized) and have had another very rough week.

Cloudia said...

Gosh, I'd feel like a bull in a china shop LOL


Love the vicarious tea however, and your birds are a soul tonic :-)


Friendly Aloha from Waikiki
Comfort Spiral

> < } } (°>

Frank Baron said...

Way too macho for me. I dunno how you broads toughed it out.




:)

Glo said...

My very dear Lady Hilary ~

What a delightful account of your delectably delicious delicacies for High Tea. A parlour perfumed with lovely ladies is paramount for fine tea leaf fortunes. Your photos are divine.

(PS I wrote this in calligraphy in my imagination)

Dan said...

Does Frank have a pet-name? If not, you should assign one or more for various circumstances. HA!

For High Tea: Crumpet

Everything looks so tasty. I for one would have enjoyed the treats and company. Just saying...

Linda Reeder said...

Oh, that all sounds lovely. We celebrated my granddaughter's birthday with high tea at the Brown Palace Hotel in Denver. It was amazing.

Anyes said...

I traveled back in time through your lens, Hilary :-)

Brian Miller said...

that is really cool..what a fun time...and interesting on having your fortunes told as well...

Rita said...

I really enjoyed reading about your High Tea; it brought back good memories.
Rita

Stewart M said...

I think High Tea demands a hat and fine bone china - seems you got both.

Nice set of pictures.

Stewart M - Australia

sage said...

What a lovely afternoon, Lady Hilary!

Linda at To Behold The Beauty said...

You ladies and your hostess certainly seem to have done this up right...the way high tea was intended to be done. And your photos, as always, enhanced the entire experience.

Anonymous said...

Have never done a 'tea'. I do like chai vanilla flavors though so would probably have loved your choice.

The goodies look so pretty.... What a fun day you had. :-)

Ruth Hiebert said...

Oh my,this looks like an elegant affair.Lovely images.

Daryl said...

what fun ... I went to a tea like that once .. here in NYC, in Irving Square Madame Mendl is the place to go .. the tea I attended was a baby shower .. you had a much nicer time

Tabor said...

Lovely and I am so envious. Wish I had something like this near here. Unfortunately I am the lady who would giggle a little too often or talk just a little too loudly! I try to be delicate, but I am not.

Out on the prairie said...

What a fun time, lovely shots of your experience

Anvilcloud said...

Thanks for giving us the lowdown on your high tea.

Bob Bushell said...

When I was younger, last week, I can remember those sort of days, high tea with our aunts, yuk, it was horrible, I was terrrible. In the end, I decided to be hippie!! Beautiful photos instead, lol.

yaya said...

How fun! I've always wanted to do that...and you've made it sound even better than I thought it would be. The food looked so elegant and lady like. I've had tea leaves read before and it's actually a pretty funny tale. Thanks for sharing and making me feel like I was there!

DJan said...

How wonderful! I have never been to High Tea, but I've heard of it. Your pictures capture the occasion perfectly. Lady HIlary, you have outdone yourself! :-)

TexWisGirl said...

have had my palm read, have had my aura examined, have had a personal effect vibrationally read, but never tea leaves. :)

CiCi said...

I am a huge fan of high tea. My daughters took me to a different place each year for Mother's Day High Tea and I attended high tea various places when I traveled. There is something so relaxing about taking the time to enjoy the ambience, the people, and the drink and food. Relaxing is almost a lost art, so thank goodness high tea is still available. I am so glad you showed the photos and I hope your tea leaf reading brought you joy.

messymimi said...

It's been forever since i've been to tea! Thank you for taking us along, i've missed it.

Zuzana said...

Oh, that sounds like a great experience, I have never tried anything like this.;) Beautiful shots, and I sooooo wonder what your fortune was.;))
xoxo

Rita said...

That looks like such fun! Everything--from the tea to the fortune telling to the beaded lamps. I love the outfit the hostess wore, too. What a treat! :)

Liz Mays said...

What a special thing to do. I've never enjoyed a high tea, but it looks delightful!

I'm very glad your reading was pleasant too.

Barbara said...

How fun!! I'm not sure I'd have my leaves read - I just don't want to know! - but the china is gorgeous!

Dawning Inspiration said...

I LOVE going to High Tea. How fun!!! I don't go often - but oh - it's definitely something I want to add to my summer calendar!! ;o)

Sarah Anne said...

That looks so fun! I love the photos.

Jinksy said...

Well, that was a blast from some far back past?!*smiles*

Gary's third pottery blog said...

LADY HILARY indeed! :)

Rob-bear said...

HIgh tea. Low tea. Doesn't really matter. So long as the sandwiches and scones are tasty and the tea is good.

Looks like you had a wonderful time.

lime said...

oh it sounds like such a charming afternoon. and what lovely pictures to share with us. now i am curious what ther leaves said ;)

Red said...

Pretty ritzy! I bet you had a lot of fun.

Nadezda said...

What a wonder table cloth! What a wonder cup with a golden tea spoon!
Oh, lady Hillary...

Unspoken said...

This is type of stuff women thrive on :). I want to know what the leaves said!

Sharon Wagner said...

Jealous! Your tea time was sweet. And I bet you savored every food pick and photo pixel!

Suldog said...

You folks did it up right! I have had the pleasure of accompanying MY WIFE to a High Tea on a couple of occasions. It was extremely enjoyable. It is one of the "girlie" things in this world for which I will vociferously vouch.

Reb said...

What a lovely setting for high tea. It's good to see someone put their collecting obsession to good use ;) I think the tea cup you had is a pattern that mom had and maybe sis has now.

I must admit, I am a bit confused about the hat pins in the fruit though, well and the shoe on the table. I guess that is a decorating choice though. ;)

Anonymous said...

How wonderful! That looks like a real British high tea!

Karen (formerly kcinnova) said...

I fear that I am not lady-like enough to participate properly in High Tea; however, I can still appreciate the beauty of it all through your words and pictures.

Unknown said...

A very proper event, Hilary! :) Sounds like you had fun!!

Wendy said...

Oh, what fun! How you must have enjoyed high tea. Did you place your napkin on your chair seat for the "necessary" and come back to sit on it? Ha. I probably would have.

Tea leaves? No, I don't as a rule read them, but I took a shot anyway.
I saw a duck, a frog, some flowers, a new hat for you and a trip probably at the end of the summer.

What a great post. Thanks for sharing.

Gail Dixon said...

The necessary! Ha, love that. Enjoyed your tea party story and photos so much. I've always wanted to do one of those with my daughter.

~JarieLyn~ said...

I've always been curious about high tea luncheons. You captured the event so well. I love all of your photos very much. It sounds like it was quite fun and delicious. So funny, that the restromm is called the necessary room. I like how you excuse yourself from the table though. Perfect.

Sandi McBride said...

How absolutely stunning! From the beautiful behatted lady to the tea service, the cakes...lovely! So glad I took time out from recouperation to stop in and visit!
Sandi

Kappa no He said...

Oh, I love high tea. I saw something on TV here where they do something very similar in Tokyo. I didn't realize how close to the real thing it was. What a delightful post. But now it is necessary for me to place my napkin on my chair and leave the room. I think I might have had too much tea.

Deb said...

I would love to go for 'high tea'. I read that high tea is done later in the afternoon and at a higher table. I find all this tea talk so interesting. Lovely blog. I'm a real tea-cup lover. Deb (Ontario, Canada)

photowannabe said...

How delightful.
I attended a high tea several years ago with my Granddaughters. It was so much fun and so quaint.
I love your pictures, especially that gorgeous lamp on the sidetable.

Indrani said...

Gorgeous china pieces! What a precious collection!

Don said...

Did you talk about sports and power tools at all?

Dave said...

How absolutely civilised your visit must have been Hilary. Your photos make your outing look great! - Dave

Pauline said...

like a story from the delightful Victoria magazine! Roses, tea, beautiful china - lucky you!

Shammickite said...

I am compelled to say that shoes on the table (the ultimate photo) is a definite no-no.... according to my mum, who would have a fit if she ever saw such an indiscretion.

Dianne said...

what a lovely day
Lady Kimberly looks wonderful
I like the china you chose
do we curtsey to you now :)

Gillian Olson said...

I think high tea is such an interesting tradition as well as a great treat, love your pictures.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anita said...

Ahhh... a switch from the beautiful outdoors. :)

Lovely photos featuring sophisticated surroundings and scrumptious food!

I'm glad you had a fun and pleasant day.

Hilary said...

Love it.....oh, why do I live so far away???

Hilary said...

Thanks for the kind comments, everyone! They're very much appreciated. I'm glad you could all join us for high tea. :)

Country Girl said...

Dear Lady Hilary,
Sweet photos of what looks to be a fun day!

Betty Manousos said...

all these are marvellous!

looks and sounds like a great outing.
i'd love to go for "high tea".
your photos look heavenly!!

xx

i was on a blog break, hence my late comments.