THE SECLUDED (EASTER!) TEA PARTY - WRITE UP : )

Oh my!.... I could not have asked for better weather for this seasonal Tea Party... the sun was shining and it had been so for days....  PERFECT weather for a Tea Party!

And so, The Secluded (EASTER!) Tea Party was held on, unusually, a Saturday afternoon for my largest group of guests yet, 19 guests to be precise! - It was nerve wracking! : ) 

This was to include 3 of my first ever mini Tea drinkers.... including my youngest guest of all, 7 month old Harriet, who enjoyed the cutest plastic beaker of Red Bush Tea to enjoy with her cake. Start them young I say! Bless her, she was as good as gold, as were the other two children, who made friends very quickly and enjoyed the Easter Egg Hunt that I had prepared for them. It was great to see such sweet and happy faces enjoying my afternoon! 

The venue itself was a tranquil and pretty village called Harlton, not far out of Cambridge, but a far enough sanctuary for my guests to enjoy my tasty treats in a very traditional Village Hall and a walk around this chocolate box village prior to being seated. 

Some of my guests had travelled from London and Colchester to visit, and enjoyed the location, so that was great feedback to have : )

My menu consisted of Home-baked Hot Cross Buns, served warm with a sweet Lemon Curd as well as my attempt at Martha Stewart's' Cheeky Chick Easter Cupcakes, a selection of sandwiches and the moist Guinness Loaf cake recipe, served with Wensleydale Cheese (Recipe Courtesy of the fabulous BakeLady)

 and to end, the rich and moist Chocolate Cake, thanks to Lorraine Pascale and her dribble-inducing BBC TV series! 

- Admitedly, it was so hot outside, that the chocolate decoration had started to melt before it had even left for the venue... So the kitkats that I used (Yes, Kitkats... I know... Not as glamourous as Cigarellos, however I used the resources I had access to at this time haha!)... started to melt a little, but I think it added to the charm.... Possibly.

I had also found some beautiful ribbon at a local shop in Cambridge, CallyCo... It read *Made with Love* which I thought would be a great touch to the masterpiece, so the Chocolate cake was wrapped with said ribbon. It was a better finish to this cake than expected!

The owner of the shop gave me a few ideas for this ribbon, so expect to see it again in other formats in the future : ) 

She also convinced me to purchase a new table cloth, which was very neutral in colour, and the perfect size for this venue, so it appeared on the Easter table too. I love it! A great investment!

I will also be sending in a photo to CallyCo to go up on their *Wall Of Fame*... check it out in the coming weeks if you pass by this fantastic shop of wonders! ; ) 

The most popular tea, was again the Rhubarb & Custard from Teaboxonline!... however their newest blend, The Cricketers Tea was also a popular and most-enjoyed choice today.. and some of the proceeds of this mix goes to  a great cause!...  So do try it out! It was very enjoyable, and a great tea to be enjoyed black or with a splash of milk. 

I also produced my own Easter Soundtrack, a mix of different music that I love and that I wanted my Easter guests to hear. 

I think it was perfect alongside the relaxed atmosphere, and my guests got on like a house on fire, with conversation flowing at every corner of the table. It's a great feeling when you get to hear that sound! : ) 

And after chatting with my guests, I have come away with some very inspiring ideas for the future, so thank you to all who had ideas to pass on!

All in all, a very satisfying outcome, and a very chilled out Tea Party... I loved every minute... even if my savoury starter didn't appear - No thanks to the cheese supplier who let me down without any contact prior to the tea party, and the cremating of the fall back Cheese Straws...DOH!....I guess there has to be SOME kitchen failures from time to time hehe!....

MSF 

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