High tea, low tea, it’s all just good tea at the historic site on Sundays.
I had the distinct privilege of enjoying one of the six seats for a Sunday afternoon tea at the historic site on July 8.
The Fort St. James National Historic Site offers Sunday teas for six by reservation through much of their season, and it was my first time experiencing the little bit of time travel.
It was a sweltering hot Sunday, and the historic site buildings were a cool refuge from the heat.
The dining table was set with Blue Willow china, and the first order of the day was to choose our two flavours of tea, with a fragrant bunch to choose from.
We opted for a really beautifully-scented Earl Grey with a contrasting pot of the more humble and local Labrador Tea.
We learned a little about the history of “tea time” and “high tea” versus “low tea” (the historic site afternoon is a bit of a blend of the two) and after our first cup, we were served a wonderful first course of homemade seafood chowder.
This was then followed with an assortment of finger sandwiches and a plate of devilled eggs and pickles.
While we worked on our delicious delicacies, we were also serenaded from the next room by our server Kelsey, who sang some amazing operatic vocal pieces to create an authentically charming atmosphere.
It was all a lot of fun, with the group of us being quite blown away by the service and the amount of fabulous food.
The sandwiches were followed by a three-tiered tray of pastry, biscuits, cake and cookies, which you could choose to sweeten up with some raspberry freezer jam from the park’s own raspberries.
It was all topped of with a final course of fresh sliced strawberries and sharp white cheddar, with more tea, of course.
The staff were great at accommodating us and at dealing with the little curves we threw at them, and everyone came away relaxed and very full.
It was a lovely way to spend a Sunday afternoon with wonderful company, steeped in history (pardon the pun).
