Monday 26 March 2012

Afternoon tea at Constable Burton.


The Queen's Diamond Jubilee is coming up shortly and a lot of our villages are planning parties to mark the occasion. This means collecting funds to mark the event and our neighbouring village has decided to do it by offering afternoon teas on alternate Sunday afternoons in the Village Hall.

I went along yesterday with two friends, W and S. We were there almost as soon as it opened and I must say that the Hall looked splendid. Every table had a really beautiful tablecloth - lacy and hand-embroidered - apparently they had been given to the village hall by some kind lady. Each table had a small vase of seasonal flowers - ours was pulmonaria and euphorbia and a tiny sprig of forsythia.

The cups and saucers were china ones and each table had a china teapot, sugar basin and milk jug.
And the cake table had to be seen to be believed. There were plain and sultana scones with cream and home-made jam, victoria sponge cake with cream and jam in the middle, fruit cake and Wensleydale cheese, butterfly cakes, fairy cakes with butter icing, ginger cake, coconut cake.
Everything was home made by the ladies in the village.

The sun shone, some people sat outside on the village green, among the blossom trees and daffodils. The place was full for most of the afternoon and to add to the pleasure there was a huge selection of books to buy for a donation. I resisted the temptation.

My son and his wife decided to come but they had forgotten that British Summer Time had arrived, so they arrived when almost all the cake had gone. They had sandwiches and fruit cake - so all was not lost.

A lovely afternoon in a lovely village and a nice start to the Jubilee Fund too I should imagine.

##As Gill quite rightly pointed out - it is not the Queen's Silver Jubilee - but neither is it her Golden Jubilee - it is in fact her Diamond (60 years) Jubilee. Sorry about the mistake and thanks, Gill, for pointing it out.

13 comments:

MorningAJ said...

I've not seen buterfly buns in years. My mum used to make them. I think I need to do some baking this weekend!

John Going Gently said...

how sad am I?
I was looking at the tablecloth

Heather said...

In a busy life when a tea bag in a mug will do, having a proper afternoon tea with tablecloth, fresh flowers etc., makes it a special event, and homemade cakes are always a treat. The ones in your photo look delicious and I'm sure those weekend teas will raise quite a useful sum for the Jubilee celebrations. Afternoon teas and bargain books - what bliss!

Robin Mac said...

Yum, how delicious that all looks, and how rarely it happens these days. Though I have to admit, what is called High Tea over here is becoming very popular at local restaurants. It is an afternoon tea similar to yours, but I suspect they just put tea bags in the teapot!

Gill said...

Surely you mean Golden not Silver jubilee!!

angryparsnip said...

I wish I could have been there. The tea sound lovely.

cheers, parsnip

it's me said...

I would so love to participate in that! homemade treats, tablecloths, flowers and all for a good purpose--

Bovey Belle said...

How lovely. Lovely tablecloths, cakes (only home-made will do) and pretty spring flowers. Just perfect.

H said...

Doesn't it make a difference when the care has been taken to prepare the surroundings so beautifully?! Those cakes do look delicious!

The Weaver of Grass said...

Sorry John - I should not have posted all that cake!

Anonymous said...

How lovely to see that table, I don't blame John for looking at the cloth.
I'm not usually a cake eating bod but I rather like the look of the butterfly cakes. I always make my tea in a pot as I can't cope with seeing awful brown stains in my bone china beaker. I hope that it all adds up to a big fund for the celebrations.

Dartford Warbler said...

What a lovely spread for a Yorkshire Tea! The cakes look delicious.

Our WI will be doing a Tea Tent at the village Jubilee celebrations. We shall all be frantically baking and sandwich making then!

ChrisJ said...

Oh my goodness! Butterfly cakes and a Victoria sponge and cream! I need an express flight and whatever else will get me there! I still drink my tea out of a china cup. Have to. Just wouldn't taste the same.