Tea Time with the Birthday Girl

Yesterday was my friend Pam’s 1^st anniversary of her 29^th birthday. Since this anniversary is such an important landmark in one’s life, we decided to celebrate the occasion all British-like and meet for High Tea at the sophisticated Marcliffe Hotel and Spa. This is where my girl friends and I went for my past birthday as well and it was a fancy affair both times. 

I love the atmosphere of their tea room. It’s full of plush couches and fireplaces, perfect for a cozy afternoon of girl talk and birthday spoils. 

For traditional afternoon tea, you have your choice of several very British sandwiches in addition to your choice of tea, a plate of scones, and a 4 tiered display of various desserts. Since I was in an especially fancy British mood, I ordered a sandwich that only an anglophile could love: Cheddar and Mayo. I was picturing slices of creamy cheddar topped with decadent mayo (kind of like a sophisticated grilled cheese), but instead I got what looked like a cheese and mayo food-processed concoction. 

It was whipped. Straight up. That’s the last time I experiment with obscure tea time sandwich varieties. When in doubt, just order ham and cheese. Lesson learned. 

But the warm scones more than made up for my ordering indiscretion. 

Slather some clotted cream and jam on those babies, and I was a born again anglophile. Seriously America: *Scones*. It’s where it’s at. 

And then there was the 4 tiered dessert tray which contained  individual sized sweets for each of us.

Perfection. Too bad I was so stuffed by the end of our ‘afternoon snack’ time that I couldn’t eat dinner until 9 that night. 

After we had our fill of dessert, it was time to shower the birthday girl with gifts. 

In keeping with the British birthday theme, we decided to get Pam a pair of Hunter ‘wellingtons’ and matching ‘wellie socks’, an accessory I’d never heard of until moving to the UK. Thus, us American girls rang in a new decade for Pam in true British fashion.   

P.S. Have you read Pam's blog? I almost hate to send you over there, because her blog is sooooo much better than mine. So you can only follow this link if you promise that you won’t abandon my blog in preference of hers. Just kidding, I’m sure there is room in your heart for both of us. She’s hilariously witty and poignant at the same time, and it makes my day when I see a new post from her. Happy reading!