It is fast becoming a tradition around here to go out for high tea when it is someone’s birthday, even more so when it is a special birthday, or one of the big ones. My youngest daughter, Klara, turned 30 recently, and to celebrate we went to high tea.
We have been to many places, but this was a first for us. I did do a high tea here once before, but it was over 20 years ago, and I don’t really remember it. It is such a lovely place to do it. The staff were wonderful and it really is a very posh place. The only thing that didn’t seem classy was having to queue up before it opened. Not what I would expect from a place like that.
I love it when you go somewhere like this and they have extras on the side, just in case what you were given wasn’t enough. I knew I should have stayed away from that. I ended up feeling sick and could not eat another bite.
The sittings are for 2 hours, and we stayed for the whole time. It was that nice. My daughter declared it was the best high tea we had been to. I don’t know if it was, but it was up there.
Here is some of the food.
I had to take a few photos of the place and the birthday girl. I didn’t plan on taking a photo of her, but she jumped in when I was taking it. She thinks it looks like she is a celebrity leaving a classy hotel.
The place has that old Victorian feel. My husband and I had our first date there back in 1989. We went there for afternoon tea. I think it must have been before they were doing high tea. We also went there to drink champagne after we got married and then spent our wedding night there. It has special meaning to us.
It was a great way to spend her 30th birthday. Happy birthday Klara.
congratulations! The food looks wonderful and tasty!
It was all that Lena, thank you.
And a place with many memories. Food for your thought of the past.
Thank you Geoff.
Tasty!
It was, thanks.
Tea looks wonderful. Great photographs. I was surprised by the thickness of the bread. When my mother served, what we would call afternoon tea, she made cucumber sandwiches with wafer thin bread cut into triangles. When we used to go and stay with my grandmother in Wales, we had the main meal at lunch time and then about 5-6pm we would have High Tea, which was a cross between tea and supper. There would be tea and bread and butter and cake but also something like eggs and cold ham and tinned peaches. I don’t know how many families still have High Tea but hotels do offer an Afternoon Tea similar to yours.
Thank you RJ. Maybe the thickness is so it is more filling, I don’t know. Sounds like you have wonderful memories from that time.
Thanks!! I was just kidding about the King. I guess it was a bad American joke.
Yeah, it went right over my head, lol.
How special Leanne to spend quality time with your daughter. My son and his wife also live in Melbourne and he turned 30 this year. So we have something in common. We are due for a visit on October 13 and will be staying at The Cullen.
Thank you Alison, it was wonderful. She is always good company. Wow, that is great, does your son love it here. Definitely something in common. You will have to email me for information if you like. I don’t know the Cullen, I looked it up, different side of the city to me, I’m near Heidelberg.
Yes both him and his wife love it
So many of their friends are there also
They live in St Kilda
Yeah, I saw the place you are staying is near there. I first lived in Prahan when I first moved to Melbourne, 40 years ago next year.
Yummmy!
I’ve never been there for afternoon tea, but have tasted The Hopeturn Tea Room’s wonderful array of cakes, slices etc when they were located in the Block Arcade (now moved to Bourke st I believe). I assume you’ve been there if you love high teas.
I have been to the Hopetoun Tea Rooms, but never for high tea. We have tried high teas all around the city. I haven’t been to the new location at all. Though I hardly go into the city now. Thank you Vicki.
What a lovely way to spend a birthday!
It was Nora, thank you.
That is a really beautiful place, Leanne. After looking at your food photos, I can see why you left a bit over stuffed. 😂
So I do have a question. For those of us who rebelled against the King a couple of hundred years ago, what is “high tea”?
It is Tim. Really nice that a place like that still exists. The food was amazing, and there was so much.
High Tea, I believe is what Brits call Afternoon Tea. So a mix of small sandwiches, small savouries and then some cakes, plus scones. Just a really fancy tea really. I hope that answers the question. Though I don’t think it has anything to do with the King or monarchy in any way. Thank you Tim.
I loved this and sent a reply on your site.
I got Eunice, thank you.
Leanne thanks for this post! It brought back lots of memories of my time spent with my Great Aunt (English/Scottish ) she would make what she called tea sandwiches, cream cheese on white bread, tiny triangles of egg salad ones too. It was mid to late afternoon but being little she never thought to tell me the story 🙂 When I went to trade school and took culinary arts I made many petit fours and small bites that was back in 1970.
Happy birthday to your grown up little girl <3
What great memories Eunice, they sound very special. So glad to have brought them back for you. I’ve never tried making any of those small bites, they seem to fiddly for me. Thank you and I will pass on the wishes to her.
I always thought it was a lot of work to make Tea sandwiches but now I know it is more about passing on family tradition <3
Passing on traditions like that is wonderful. I love doing it.
Me too
😊😊
Bringme next time please. Never been to a High tea.
Sure Mike, you come here and we will go, lol. Thanks.
Happy Birthday to Klara! The food all looks amazing!
Thank you Laura, I will let her know. The food was incredible.
Ooooooohhhhhhhh great!
Thank you Joke.
Everything looks so tempting, Leanne 😀. Wishing your daughter a very Happy Birthday!
Thank you PR, I will let her know. It was very tempting. I enjoyed it.
How fun! Everything looks delicious.
It was Beth, a real treat, thank you.
It all looks so lovely, Leanne 🙂 I have never been to a high tea.
It was Jean, it is a great way to spend time with close friends. Thank you. 😀
Oh my goodness that looks like a wonderful way to celebrate! So very lovely
It really is, we love it. Thank you.
happy birthday and what a lovely way to celebrate!
Thank you Beth, I will have to get her to read the comments. It is a great way, we have started doing it for all of us.
Now that was a special celebration. Everything looked delicious. A very Happy Birthday.
It was Ruth, something we have been doing a lot. Thank you and I will pass on your wishes.
Well, that looks wonderful, but you had what we call ‘Afternoon tea’ in the UK. ‘High tea’ here is quite different, a very workmanlike affair, being a meal eaten in the late afternoon or early evening, typically consisting of a cooked dish, bread and butter, and tea. What you’d have after a hard day’s manual labour! A very different vibe – how interesting. That looks VERY tempting – if overwhelming!
We call afternoon tea, the same as morning tea, a cuppa and maybe a piece of cake. So very different. Interesting really. Thanks Margaret.
We often find different terms in American English, so it’s interesting that Australian English is also different. Though unsurprising.
No not surprising, though we are way more English here than say Canada I think.
Definitely! The Canadians have American and French to cope with too.
Very true.
My sweet tooth loved this post! Happy Birthday to Klara! 🎂
That’s great Lois, my sweet tooth enjoyed it. I will pass your wishes, thank you.
Okay, now I feel full too! Great images Leanne. I think taking me to a High Tea would be a waste of money because I can’t eat too much at once. Did they let you take home food that was left over on the table?
Hahahaha, Anne, I’m not surprised, it was a lot of food. You get a couple of hours to eat Anne, so you can eat very slowly. I don’t know that they let you take stuff home, but we smuggle stuff if we can. Thank you Anne.