I took my Mum to High Tea at the Duxton Hotel today, for Mothers Day (a week late) - a long overdue rendezvous promised since before Mothers Day last year. The online menu http://duxton.globaldial.com/docs/High%20Tea%20April%202010.pdf looked promising, a selection of fancy or ordinary teas, the option of a glass of Chandon, and delicacies such as; sandwiches with Tasmanian Smoked Salmon, Lemon & Rocket...Black Forest Ham with Brie... Margaret River Goats cheese, Basil and Cherry Tomato... Free Range Egg with Saffron Mayonnaise. Scones, jam and cream. Petit Fours; Belgium Chocolate Tart... Vanilla Shortbread... Strawberry Tartlet... Hummingbird Cupcake with Creamed Cheese Icing... Kiwi & Berry Fruit Compote with Saffron Fairy Floss.
I had never experienced a High Tea before, and will admit to having some preconceived notions of how it might go. I had visions of being seated in some kind of indoor fernery, on old fashioned outdoor cast iron furniture, while being plied with delicacies from a trolley or platter by quietly efficient waitstaff. Cucumber sandwiches on crustless wafer thin white bread were definitely included. This, even when I was well aware of the Duxton's layout having stayed there and was pretty sure