It was a warm and perfect night. The girls came in their finery, and Cindy had made some incredibly beautiful fastinators that were inspirational!
I thought, after ten years of December parties, I wanted to host a summer one. The weather called for thunderstorms, and wikipedia suggested a high tea starts at 5 pm. Thankfully, we had a clear, if not a little warm, evening until dusk set and we cleared away the dishes. Only then did it start to rain!
Even those who weren't sure they couldn't make it did, and the places around the outdoor tables matched the number of verrines, plates and spoons. 8!
It was an evening full of food, laughter, and love. The courses went off without a hitch, and my Princess Pirate helped with the festivities. I think I may have to expand my party repertoire to twice a year!
Served with everything was tea I recognized from my Uncle's good taste and collection he sent to my grandma for gifts: Taylor's of Harrogate, which I found at my local Bramble House. I picked my favorite Earl Grey in leaf form, but figured that an afternoon tea might be best served with the Afternoon Darjeeling Tea. I was not wrong. It was the most popular tea served!
On the list for next time:
tomato bruschetta
vanilla macaroons
rhubarb crisp
fruit skewers (strawberry bocconcini)
almond marzipan dates
apple or zucchini cheddar rose pastries
spinach egg squares
quinoa salad
Allergy list
pineapple
gluten
milk
hazelnut
raw apple/peach/apricot
Served with everything was tea I recognized from my Uncle's good taste and collection he sent to my grandma for gifts: Taylor's of Harrogate, which I found at my local Bramble House. I picked my favorite Earl Grey in leaf form, but figured that an afternoon tea might be best served with the Afternoon Darjeeling Tea. I was not wrong. It was the most popular tea served!
On the list for next time:
tomato bruschetta
vanilla macaroons
rhubarb crisp
fruit skewers (strawberry bocconcini)
almond marzipan dates
apple or zucchini cheddar rose pastries
spinach egg squares
quinoa salad
Allergy list
pineapple
gluten
milk
hazelnut
raw apple/peach/apricot
 |
| White roses being watered, inspired by Camilla, and a pink ribbon topper, inspired by Eugenie |
 |
| Currant scones, almost perfectly done this time, with Devon custard (from Devon!), clotted cream (overpriced butter), marmelade and a gift of pineapple sriracha jam |
 |
| English tea cups from the family collection |
 |
| Mint and edible floral ice cubes |
 |
| Mint water in champagne glasses and colours of summer with floral arrangements |
 |
| Crudités in hummus |
 |
| Red Pepper soup, served cold, with quinoa and avocado, rice crackers with red pepper pate |
 |
| For the gluten avoiders, roasted chicken and almonds, mayo, chives and cucumber slices. The recipe comes from one I copied from Cooking Light 2005. It was originally made with rosemary, but I had fresh chives and enjoyed the variation at least as much. |
 |
| Cucumber and roasted chicken, and almond crustless sandwiches |
 |
| Seaweed and tofu salad by Jae |
 |
| Veggie chips, Deviled eggs |
 |
| Dulce de leche, brownie, custard and strawberry verrine |
 |
| Sesame graham crackers, lemon poppy seed petits fours and brownies |
I was privileged enough to enjoy this summer high tea first hand. Yum!
ReplyDelete