Tea the Thirty-Ninth

Epicures drink it for want of an appetite; bon vivants, to remove 

the effects of a surfeit of wine; gluttons, as a remedy for indigestion;

 politicians, for the vertigo; doctors, for drowsiness; prudes, for the vapors; 

wits, for the spleen; and beaux to improve their complexions.

Arthur Gray - The Little Tea Book

Peacock Alley, The Caledonian Hotel, Edinburgh - Friday 11th July, 2014

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Tea Takers

Sarah Ryan

Paul Ryan

Olivia Ryan

Bronwyn Henderson

Philip Henderson

Agnes Henderson

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Summer holidays having finally arrived we headed Northwards for a wonderful week on Lindisfarne with the Hendersons. Inspired by our day trip at Easter (Tea the Thirty-Sixth) we had little difficulty in persuading them to join us for a longer stay and with a cottage rented in the centre of the village we mostly enjoyed time on the island and in its immediate surroundings.

However, at the end of the week we made a more intrepid journey up the coast and into Scotland for a trip to Edinburgh. This seemed an excellent opportunity to add another country to the odyssey in excellent company.  A little research found significant recommendations for The Caledonian (now officially the Waldorf Astoria Edinburgh) but particularly in its favour was the fact that tea is taken in a part of the hotel called Peacock Alley.  Given my great liking for the peacock (as a bird and as a design feature) the combination of this with tea was clearly irresistible.

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It turned out to be a rather longer walk than we had anticipated... We knew that walking from Holyrood Palace to Princes Street was something of a way (a mile, or something similarly royal), but hadn't quite reckoned on The Caledonian being right at the other end of Princes Street on the far side of the castle. It was a warm day and Edinburgh was thronged with tourists and so we were in significant need of refreshment upon arrival. To enter the stylish cool interior of the hotel, and the beautiful airiness of Peacock Alley itself, was a particular joy.

The Caledonian was built in 1903 by the Caledonian Railway Company, and Peacock Alley is actually a glassed in courtyard between buildings and was originally the platform and concourse of the station which the hotel was built to serve, still featuring over it the original station clock.

It is a very attractive space with the wonderful outdoor architectural features of the striking Victorian red sandstone building combined with elegant and comfortable lounge furniture and design. I particularly liked the very fine art deco style light fittings.  Paul and Olivia, through striking up conversation with a member of staff discovered that all Waldorf Astoria hotels have a Peacock Alley and why not, especially if they are as fine as this one.

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The tea was excellent - generous, stylish and of a very high quality.  The service was friendly and obliging, and we enjoyed the whole experience enormously from the arrival of pots of tea and glasses of iced water to the ceremonial placing of the cake stands (anticipated from affair as our smily waiter Vasilis carried them over).

They have no qualms about shop-bought jam here...

The sandwiches were lovely. Olivia was able to have the child's tea, which featured jam sandwiches to her delight, and meant that I was able to enjoy the peanut butter sandwich which she avoided - another first for the odyssey, even at this late stage.

The scones were good (if not the very best) and cream and jam were in generous supply, and the cakes and pastries varied and lovely, and supplemented by a plate of fruit cake and pecan cookies, just in case we were not already amply supplied.

It certainly held its own with many of the best teas in the odyssey and was much more reasonably priced than its London counterparts.

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Tea with friends

It was very fine to be taking tea with Bron, Philip and Agnes again, after our last tea outing in Guernsey (Tea the Twenty-Second). They are such very fine tea and holiday companions and very understanding of general Ryan chaos.  It would be fair to say that Agnes is the most changed since our last official tea event - the difference nine months makes when you are only thirteen months old is pretty considerable. 

She is now walking and laughing and generally charming at every turn, and is doing a good job of coming to terms with her god-parents. We all loved having so much time with her last week, but very especially Olivia who was thrilled to be able to help with bathing, pushing push-chairs and generally entertaining. Thank you so much to Bron and Phil for sharing her with us, especially in their precious family holiday time.

It should also be conceded that Bron and Philip, in their own right, were reasonably charming too.

Agnes worked her particular charms very effectively on all the staff - melting hearts and being generally winsome. It turned out that she was more than a little partial to the berries that were decorating the cakes, so, when Bronwyn asked if it might be possible for us to have a few more, she was swiftly supplied with an enormous bowl full - which, to her credit, she worked through very seriously.  Another big tick for the staff and general helpfulness of the hotel.

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Thirty-Ninth Tea - Thirty-Ninth Year

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As a child I was acutely aware and deeply proud of having Scottish ancestry. Three of my Mum's grandparents came from Scotland and she had still regularly visited family in Edinburgh as a child. In that way that children have, I attached a great deal of significance to this seemingly exotic otherness and  considered this as an important part of my identity (despite the fact that a couple of day trips and short family holidays were as near as I had ever come to living this particular dream). Growing up rather relieved me of all that sense and I had almost forgotten how very attached I used to feel to the place. So I am very pleased that Scotland did just make it into the 40 and additionally to rediscover how much I like Edinburgh. I look forward to more such excursions when we are holidaying in Northern parts again.

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