Sunday Afternoon Tea

You know, sometimes life gets crazy. That's when it's extra special to take a timeout with a friend or two and do something fun and relaxing. And if it happens to involve food, it's even better.

My friend, Debbie, and I met for afternoon tea this weekend at one of the bed-and-breakfasts in our little town. By the way, did you know that there is a difference between afternoon tea and high tea? Afternoon tea is what most of us think of. It typically has three courses made up of tea sandwiches and petite savories, scones with clotted cream and jam, and then rounded out with bite-sized desserts. High tea, on the other hand, is served later and is more of a full-size meal served with tea. One website referred to it as a working class family's evening supper. So there you have it. When it comes to tea-time, you are in the know. 

One of the things that always makes afternoon tea feel extra special is the pretty plates and cups. I don't know about you, but I'm a sucker for chintzware.

But the food is the star of the show. 

The savories...

The scones, one savory, one sweet. Here we have a Pimento Cheese scone and a Cookies and Cream scone. The Pimento Cheese one was amazing.

Finally, it's onto the sweets.

And lest we forget the teas. One fun thing about going to tea is getting to sample a couple different varieties. On this day we had Cream Earl Gray which is a pleasant, more delicate version of traditional Earl Gray, and Chocolate Mint Rooibos. That one didn't do much for me, so I stuck with the first tea.

Of course, the best thing of all is sharing that time with friends, catching up on all the things that have gone on in our busy lives. That right there is worth the price of admission.

What would be your favorite part of afternoon tea? The food, getting together with friends or all of the above?

Three time Carol Award finalist Mindy Obenhaus lives on a ranch in Texas with her husband, the youngest of her five children and two dogs. She passionate about touching readers with Biblical truths in an entertaining, and sometimes adventurous, manner. When she's not writing, she enjoys cooking and spending time with her grandchildren. Learn more a mindyobenhaus.com.