Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Spoonfuls Tea

Having afternoon tea with friends is always a delight, but this afternoon tea definitely was the highlight of my recent trip to Southern California.  A dear friend honored me and three other friends by having tea in her home.  The theme had to do with spoons and there were many delightful spoons involved in tea.  The hand carved spoon in the red rose centerpiece was carved by her great-grandfather to prove his worth and ask for his future brides hand in marriage.
We started our afternoon tea with Baozhong Oolong from Taiwan on the patio.
All the food from the sesame cashews to the rose petal ice cream were so lovingly prepared.  Beside tea on the patio, we had Golden Star Sparkling White Jasmine Tea, Chinese Golden Monkey Tea, and flaming brandy with Dong Ding Oolong.
There were three different scones served with clotted cream and Marmalady's Rose Tea Jelly.
Amazing savories and sandwiches which included a cheese boat with young preserved walnuts, a salami and fontina panani,  ham and boursin cheese sandwich, cucumber with lovage, hummus and turkey roll, strawberry butties sandwich, egg salad sandwich, and smoked salmon roulade with mascarpone cheese.

After the flaming oolong was served, we enjoyed wonderful desserts of rose petal ice cream (made from roses in my friends garden), lemon tart squares, creme brulee in a spoon, and macarons.
This afternoon tea will always sit in my memory as the best tea made by a friend. 
It was indeed an honor and joy to sit at this table and share with dear friends.

22 comments:

Laurie said...

Marilyn! What a grweat afternoon! Everything looks so perfect and it has my mouth watering. What a special time with friends. Love the story of the spoon. How romantic!

La Tea Dah said...

Everything looks beautiful and I know it was served with perfection. Friends who serve a tea like that are pure delight! Thank you for sharing!

LaTeaDah

Adrienne said...

What a wonderful post - and just on the day after my wonderful time over tea with you. Thank you for sharing your beautiful photos and the story of the spoon. I'm ready to make some tea!
~Adrienne~

CindyW said...

I saw a few of Jan's photos of the tea and was wondering what the flame and spoon with sugar cube were all about. What an absolutely delightful experience! Thanks for sharing this.

Phyllis said...

Beautiful photos of a beautiful tea!

Linda Jennings said...

What a beautiful tea! I can see why you will have the memory of this being the best tea made by a friend. I so enjoyed your photos!

Kathy Walker said...

How lovely to have a friend honor you in such a special way! There is such an aray of wonderful items! The tea sounds delightful.

Patti said...

What a lovely and delicious sounding afternoon!! And rose petal ice cream!! Sounds quite intriguing. Perhaps your friend will allow you to share the recipe sometime.

Blessings on your day,
Patti (Fill My Cup with Beauty)

Bernideen said...

I see a lot of love in this food! Very delightful presentation!

Faith, Hope, and Love said...

I'm not sure I can think of a nicer way to honor someone. How beautiful!!!

Love and blessings,
Robin

Angela McRae said...

What an incredible tea time! This definitely sounds like an afternoon you will never forget. Lovely!

Sheila said...

It looks delicious, and so beautifully prepared.
Certainly an afternoon to remember.
xxoo

Yellow Rose Arbor said...

This all looks wonderful!! What a fabulous tea! Food looks delicious! I enjoyed the pictures! Do you have the recipe for Creme Brulee in a spoon? I'm wondering how that is done!

Katherine

Please come back to see my yellow depression glass tea time!

Anonymous said...

What a wonderful afternoon tea. Your photos are delightful.

Duchess of Tea said...

Marilyn darling everything looks lovely and delicious. I am delighted you enjoyed yourself. Wishing you a sunny, joyful and blessed summer.

Love & hugs
Duchess

kimberly shaw said...

It looks perfect! Love your wedding spoon story, what a heritage!

parTea lady said...

Your friend did an amazing job preparing this wonderful looking tea. What a delightful theme - a spoon tea. There were so many food items that I'd love to try, as well as those delicious teas.

That certainly was a memorable teatime with your friends and thank you for sharing the lovely photos.

Mary Jane said...

Marilyn,

Your photos are scrumptious!

What a wonderful gathering. Kudos to your beautiful host and what fortunate guests you are to be invited to her welcoming table.

Have a joyful day,

Mary Jane

Anonymous said...

It brought me great JOY to plan and prepare this tea party for friends special to me. I'm so happy that you enjoyed it. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and your beautiful photos.

Steph said...

What a unique and fun theme for a tea party, and what beauty!

Donna and Miss Spenser said...

This is so beautiful...you are so talented with picture taking...it looks like Martha out-did herself for sure...Just lovely! Oh, Rose Tea Jelly...sounds yummy too!

Donna

Mary said...

Certainly makes my run-of-the-mill quick afternoon cuppa appear bland!! What a beautiful teatime - know it will always be a cherished memory when you look at your pretty mosaic.