A Right Royal Afternoon Tea Party

If you need a sophisticated excuse for a Hen Party in Cambridge, then I am your girl... I can throw quite the afternoon tea party, if you didn't know by now hehe and it's the perfect way to spend an afternoon with your fellow hens and relax with a few homemade afternoon tea treats in a secluded Cambridgeshire location.

I don't like the willy waving hen party, it's really not my bag, however, sophisticated afternoon tea and hen party pampering, I love to offer and see my guests enjoying. 

With all the Jubilee celebrations being held recently, I was honored to witness such a lovely Hen Party with 16 lovely hens in the Cambridge Countryside over the Queens Diamond Jubilee weekend and saw just how lucky the Hen in question was, the lovely Emily, with her fantastic friends, who lovingly put together a relaxed Hen Party to overshadow all Hen Parties!

It was held at one of my most favourite and most secluded secret tea party venues and the girls arrived early to decorate the venue and make it their own. And they did this in true *British* style!... 

Union Jack bunting adorned the venue from floor to ceiling, paper chains curved around every decorative arch or doorway and miniature flags were pushed into meringues and tartlets as well as a service bell at the *Bride-To-Be*'s place setting for her to ding every time she needed something or anything. She was one pampered lady, which is just how it should be on your Hen party. 

Bunting and flags had also been set up outside the venue for a right royal welcome once the lovely lady arrived. Hens waved her in just like they would The Queen Herself, as she was driven up the drive to the stunning village hall of which she knew nothing about until she arrived. It was quite amusing watching her friends giving her the royal wave and helping her inside like royalty, with her genuine excitement being a really nice feeling for me, as she was expecting afternoon tea, she just hadn't realise it was with The Secluded Tea Party much to her happiness, as she had heard about me a while back, so bless her friends for arranging this for her - It was as much for me as it was for them : ) 

The afternoon tea party menu consisted of open top sandwiches (cucumber, fresh mint & soft cheese and egg mayonnaise & cress), warm cheese scones with herb butter & red onion chutney, chocolate and also raspberry meringue kisses with lemon curd swirled clotted cream, raspberry tartlets with vanilla creme patisserie, a Jubilee-inspired layer cake with blackcurrant & cassis jam (Home made by Deborah, my lovely jam lady) and decorated on top with blueberries & raspberries in the shape of the Union Jack to keep it in line with the weekends' celebrations. 

After my recent tea tasting tea party with Kandula Tea (a local tea supplier), I also offered these lovely ladies their very own private tea tasting within the afternoon tea festivities, with various tea options open for them to sample and they embraced into the spirit of this and enjoyed sampling the different teas on offer and enjoying them all, which was great to see. 

I even offered a Chai Tea course, serving some home made chocolate truffles with it, which went down very well and will be something that I offer at future events, should guests fancy trying this. 

The guests did play a few silly games (including a quiz on the Bride and also a *Dress the Bride* with toilet paper which was just hilarious to watch unravel... literally!) of which helped everybody get to know each other and to help break the ice before they all spend time together again at the wedding and I thought this was such a great idea, especially after the event, when a few of the later leaving ladies mentioned to me that this helped them to get to know some of the bride-to-be's family and friends, what a nice feeling to know this afternoon tea party helped them to feel more excited about the upcoming wedding : ) 

This hen party was going to be an all day affair in Cambridge, with my afternoon tea party being followed by cocktail making & a meal, along with a night of dancing to end this lovely day of celebrations. It was the perfect and very civilised Cambridge Hen Party and it was a delight to be a part of just a fraction of it. 

More importantly, congratulations to the happy couple, who tied the knot this month, I genuinely wish them all the happiness in the world in their new marriage. 

Miss Sue Flay 

xx