More Tea Vicar?

Last week, The Partner was chatting to his friend on the phone. They were obviously trying to make an arrangement for something, as he kept asking me when we were free (yes, I am the walking diary). A date was agreed and they hung up. The Friend and his wife had invited us over for tea on Sunday. How lovely.

Now you might think being invited round for tea would be a fairly casual affair; sitting around drinking tea, maybe eating a slice of cake or two. But not so with this particular friend. The next day I discovered a hand delivered, beautifully designed invitation to High Tea on our doorstep. And as if that wasn't enough, with it came a very descriptive menu full of wonderfully exotic teas, like Silver Needle White Tea, Monkey Picked Green Tea and Pu Erh Tea, which apparently gets better with age like vintage wines. We were asked to mark our first and second choices on the menu and post it back to The Friend in time for Sunday. I asked The Partner if this was a joke and was told it most certainly was not and I should regard the event with the utmost sincerity.

The day of the High Tea arrived and we were greeted at The Friend's house by a simply breathtaking sight: a large table laid with the most exquisite art deco tea set you can imagine, complete with vintage lace napkins and delicate 1930s butter knives and cake forks. Antique cake stands and serving platters were adorned with cucumber sandwiches, mini onion tartlets, fresh fruit scones and even a fruit cake made by The Friend himself (a rare feat according to his wife's aunt apparently: "Fancy that! A man who can make a fruit cake!") On a sideboard near the table stood a proud display of beautifully ornate teapots and an array of different teas in packets, each with comprehensive instructions on the optimum brewing times and even temperatures. Instructions which were, of course, meticulously followed by The Friend and his new little helper, The Partner, now affectionately known as Chai Wala (or Tea Boy to be perfectly English).

Well, what a delightful afternoon we had, sipping our way through cup after cup of delicious tea and daintily nibbling on the delicious homemade treats. Now that's what I call a real High Tea. The only thing is, the next time someone invites me round for a cuppa they'll have some rather high (tea) standards to live up to. Simply spiffing dahling!