Tea the Twenty-Second

A man who wishes to make his way in life could do no better 

than go through the world with a boiling tea-kettle in his hand.

Sydney Smith

The Old Government House, St Peter Port, Guernsey - Saturday 24th August

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Tea Takers

Sarah Ryan

Paul Ryan

Olivia Ryan

Bronwyn Henderson

Philip Henderson

Agnes Henderson

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An end-of-summer visit to the lovely Henderson family to pay homage to its newest member, provided the opportunity for a Channel Island tea.  Back in February, a birthday scroll from Bronwyn and Philip had invited us to tea at The Old Government House, so this has been long anticipated.

Guernsey is a great place to visit and we have enjoyed several trips and much entertainment since Bronwyn came here in 2005, including a rather fabulous wedding in 2011 and now the excitement of meeting Miss Agnes. Bronwyn and I have been friends since she arrived at King's, Bruton in January 1999,  and tea has always been an important feature of our socialising - she is one of those people around whom I visualised the whole 'tea odyssey' concept so it is particularly good that, at last, we are taking tea together.

The Old Government House (Guernsey's only five star hotel - Philip's tourism fact) began life, in the late 18th Century, as the residence of the Governor of the Bailiwick. It was only 1858, however, that it became a hotel, and so has now been such an institution for around three times as long as it had its Government House function. An interesting hotch potch of buildings, inside it is elegant and comfortable, and we had a well-appointed corner for our enjoyment.

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Tea was of a highly creditable standard.  It was generous in proportions and there was a wide range of both cakes and sandwiches.

Paul felt the sandwiches lacked daintiness, but especially enjoyed the chicken, almond and mayonnaise number, which was cut in a pleasing roundel.

The scones were a very nice flavour, but a little chewy and not as light as some. Olivia felt they would have benefitted from being warm, but the clotted cream and jam were plentiful and they were a very enjoyable tea staple.

Service was pleasant and initally swift, but might have been a little more attentive over the time we stayed - we had to request fresh tea, etc, and whilst they were happy to bring a box for us to take away cakes we were left to fill it for ourselves.

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Additional Liquids

Bronwyn and I opted for the augmented 'Bellini tea' and respectively enjoyed our peach and strawberry Bellinis. 

Agnes opted for a more milk based repast.

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Agnes May Jessie Henderson

Born on 4th June 2013, Agnes is not only the youngest of the tea takers to date but also the only one who wasn't even born when the odyssey began. 

Even very small ladies dress up for tea - getting ready is half the fun...

She is, of course, the primary reason for this visit to Guernsey, as the daughter of very dear friends. We were so delighted for Bronwyn and Philip when she arrived and then deeply honoured and very joyful to be asked to be her Godparents. 

  Agnes seems to be taking the situation in her stride and is resigning herself to what this might mean.

She was an exemplary tea companion, with a very high cuteness quotient.

It can all get rather tiring though

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Twenty-Second Tea - Twenty-Second Year

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Tea making people generally happy:

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Tea the Twenty-First

There is a great deal of poetry and fine sentiment in a chest of tea.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Betty's, Northallerton - Sunday 18th August 2013

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Tea Takers

Sarah Ryan

Paul Ryan

Olivia Ryan

Lucy Matheson

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An impromptu tea on a pleasingly impromptu day.  We read in the newsletter at St Wilfrid's this morning that today there was to be the annual pilgrimage to the Middlesborough Diocesan shrine of Our Lady at Mount Grace, Osmotherly.  After summer visits to Lourdes and Walsingham it seemed only appropriate to take the opportunity to visit our most local Marian shrine.  Our weekend guest, Lucy, was, fortunately, easily persuaded of the virtues of such an outing, and so we made out way up the A19 and to the lovely chapel, high on the edge of the North Yorkshire moors, with its stunning views across the Vale of Mowbray to the Pennines. Mass there was wonderful and it was very good to catch up with some Ampleforth brethren. 

We subsequently made our way down to Northallerton in the vague hope that there might be the possibility of a cup of tea. The typical broad high street of the country market town was well supplied with shops, and to our great delight this included a branch of Betty's, which was still open at the tail end of a Sunday afternoon.

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I have written about Betty's elsewhere in this blog (Tea the Eleventh) and, given the consistent high standards and congeniality of this splendid Yorkshire institution, other establishments will almost certainly feature in the odyssey.  Northallerton did not disappoint.  Whilst not quite the extraordinary Art Deco extravaganza of central York, it is located in a pleasing substantial, traditional building which has been sympathetically extended into a bright and most attractive tea room at the back.  The menu is extremely varied and very enticing (only fruit scones though... tsk). Lucy and Olivia opted for warming toasted goods (Cinnamon toast and toasted muffin, respectively) whilst Paul and I partly solved the difficulties of choice by choosing two cakes to share.

Everything was beautifully prepared and presented.  Paul has declared the strawberry cheese-cake the best he has ever tasted, and the strawberry meringue was both elegant and delicious. Service was very friendly and efficient, and whilst the milk jugs might have been just a little on the small size, they were swiftly and cheerfully filled at our lightest whim.

Lucy finally overcame her Betty's jinx - she has been thwarted at attempts to visit all of their tea rooms, and so this was quite momentous.  Here we have photographic evidence of her taking photographic evidence of finally achieving this.

The location provided something for everyone, and Olivia found a suitably edifying item among the newspapers to which she gave serious attention.

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Twenty-First Tea - Twenty-First Year

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Our Lady of Mount Grace

The Chapel of Our Lady, Mother of Divine Grace, is on a site to which pilgrims have travelled for over six hundred years.  Originally a chapel built by the the Carthusians of Mount Grace Priory in the valley below (dedicated to the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin and St Nicholas), and for many years a hermitage, it remained a place of pilgrimage even in the midst of the religious persecutions of the Tudor period. Ironically it fell into neglect and disrepair after the emancipation of Catholics in this country, but was rediscovered and rebuilt in the twentieth Century.  The annual Middlesborough Diocesan pilgrimage to celebrate the Assumption began in 1958, and is a very special event in this historic place.

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A wonderful summer afternoon, ending in a splendid tea  - what could be better?

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