As you may know by now,
I'm the queen of secrets when it comes to afternoon tea and all things related to this great British pastime. Well, if you share the same passions as myself, you may or may not have heard of
The Secret Tea Society.... I'm a member myself and this is a club worthy of a mention, having finally been to my first ever Secret Tea Society meet up since joining in December 2013.
And oh boy, this was an afternoon tea to remember!
Firstly, if you don't know what this Secret Tea Society is all about, well, you're not really too clever in my honest opinion! This is like Fight Club, but
without the fisticuffs... I hope! Swap the underground bare-knuckle fighting for afternoon tea in lovely secret venues and you've got the picture. Created by the very lovely
Claire Worrell, you can join The Secret Tea Society for a modest fee (you can opt for a pretty trio of china and loose leaf tea to arrive as one option), she has created a network of tea loving ladies who may first ask you to do a little dance and sing a song, but will welcome you into the fold if you adore these traditions as much as she does.
You can join this members only club at any time and there are many different themed events of varying costs (
sometimes free) throughout the year, which allows you to pick and choose the ones that sound right for you. As a Cambridge girl, I was concerned that I'd be travelling a lot to head down to these events, but Claire is open to suggestions for events further afield,
so who knows, I may have an idea or two up my sleeve to help her out. I was even suggesting the club to a friend of mine a few months back,
Cat of The Teatime Treatery and bizarrely, she had also just joined and had booked her very first event on the same day as my own first visit... It's a very small world!
And this truly wasn't just any old afternoon tea event, this was a very special day indeed, one that Cat and I spent a lot of time building up to, bubbling with excitement and nervous energy equally. This was an event to mark the first birthday of The Secret Tea Society and there was only one theme to mark this special occasion....
Downton Abbey. 
This was to be a
1920's inspired afternoon tea, with a suggested 1920's wardrobe to match. Not only that, but this was to be hosted at
Byfleet Manor in Surrey, better known to fellow Downton geeks as
"The Dowagers' House" where the mother of Lord Grantham (Dame Maggie Smith) lives
in this hit TV show. This was truly an honour, as Byfleet Manor is a private residence, not usually open to the general public, so a very lucky group of tea enthusiasts we were!
The guests made a terrific effort to dress up, with a mix of colour, beads & pearls, stunning hair styles, dresses and heels, the house was buzzing with excitement as we took our welcome cocktails to the tea lounge overlooking the
picturesque gardens to sit down for a few hours whilst getting to know some new friends.
Each place setting had a stamped envelope with a pack of loose leaf tea and a stunning hand decorated biscuit for everybody to take home with them, such a beautifully made teapot shaped biscuit, I ALMOST didn't want to eat it! The afternoon tea was served by staff dressed in black and white outfits,
the butler in a smart black suit and the waitress in a full maids outfit, they looked fantastic and knew their loose leaf tea, much to our delight. They even posed for photos with some of us sat in the world famous "Dowagers' chair" later on,
we really were nerds! 
The china was matching and the small silver butter knives were stunning, with ornate handles and shining beautifully in the sunshine. Because this was a family home, owned by the lovely
Julie Hutton and her family, there were animals walking around the house and the garden. Her gorgeous 8 month old Great Dane was standing on the patio looking in, drooling over our feast and her many cats, dogs and even pigs in the furthest end of the grounds entertained us as we explored.
What was lovely about this sunny afternoon was the fact that we were invited to make Byfleet Manor our home for the duration, we were allowed to wander around, use the bathroom (many members wanted to take their stunning copper bathtub home with them, myself included!) and we couldn't leave without looking around their little room of
vintage treasures, where many items could be bought and taken home.
All of this, the shop full of vintage china and trinkets (as well as some
Downton Abbey paraphernalia) the afternoon tea in the conservatory and the fantastic hosts offering their stories and fun as a huge part of this period drama was suggested as an offering to tourists after people (mainly American fans visiting the UK for a
Downton-themed tour!) wanted to visit this iconic home and see it for themselves.
Whilst getting to know Julie over a cuppa, she advised how she allowed one fan and her daughter to visit for a look around, offering them some afternoon tea delights (
she truly is the perfect host!) as they had been so respectful and excited to be there. From this visit, the idea developed to allow others to come along for this experience... and so the afternoon tea venue we enjoyed on this day had been created and a warm welcome allows fans to get close and personal to their favourite Downton character.
The afternoon tea itself was
homemade by Julie and it kept coming, there was so much, we were
full to the rafters by the end. The crustless finger sandwiches offered a selection of fillings, including cucumber, a spiced chicken, egg mayonnaise & cress (this was delicious and dangerously moreish!) and smoked salmon. These were
the perfect size, two bites per sandwich, which allowed us to sample them all fairly easily...it would have been rude not to! The large fruit scones were served warm with strawberry jam and clotted cream and were served with fresh strawberries to add colour and fresh flavour to proceedings, I loved them!
There were so many cakes, we really didn't know where to start - Cat and I were in
cakey heaven! Light vanilla sponges with fresh cream and blackberries, some sponges with lemon curd and cream, small petit fours including pastry cases filled with toffee and vanilla creme patisserie and fresh strawberries, it was a sweet-toothed paradise. She had also made tiny bite-sized chocolate brownies, gooey in the middle and
my favourite treat by far, they melted in your mouth and I couldn't get enough - I would have done the Dowager proud as her guest!
If this wasn't enough, we were also served a chilled trifle shot in a small glass, complete with jelly and topped with a fresh mint leaf, it was the perfect size and came with a tiny silver spoon that oozed cuteness. Yes
I did just say that, apologies, but it WAS super cute. I do love jelly in my trifle, it reminds me of the way my mum and great auntie always makes/made their trifles, it really isn't the same without some raspberry jelly in the centre,
much to controversy! 
This was
an amazing day, finished off with a guided walk by one of our hosts through their garden (heels and damp grass making for an interesting combination!) and a quick visit to their friendly & furry pigs before driving home,
what a day! A huge thank you to Claire for arranging such a superb experience and to Julie and her wonderful team for allowing us to descend and take over Byfleet Manor for the afternoon!
This was my kind of place, I felt right at home and I can't stop myself from enjoying the use of the photos with my "staff" next to me on my social media pages, it was so much fun. I really
could see myself hosting an afternoon tea etiquette event here, so pinkies crossed that Julie and her team may have a use for me
one day in the future... In fact, Julie mentioned to us before we made our way that she will be hosting
a grisly "murder mystery" afternoon tea in the summer with a couple who have actually worked in CSI, so expect finger print examinations, a dead body on the floor and an adult only afternoon with a difference.
My money is on it being
Lord Grantham, with the candelabra in the Drawing Room! 
www.thesecretteasociety.com www.byfleetmanor.com 
For my full photo album from this Downton Abbey themed event,
please click here.
Please Note - I paid my own way with this club & at this venue and I am in no means obliged to blog or write about this event or location, but I simply choose to share their offerings with my readers, should I enjoy the experience. Any questions or to discuss an independent review or
"Secret Stay", please do email:
hello@misssueflay.com
As a Cambridge girl myself, I'm both an occasional cyclist as well as a motorist in our fair City and I've gathered many thoughts on this topic over the last year or two. With Le Tour De France about to race on through Cambridge City centre and the surrounding villages en route, I've been thinking more and more about cyclist etiquette. In my own personal experiences, everybody seems to have road rage...and I mean EVERYONE. Cyclists, dogs, motorists, pedestrians, absolutely everyone - in fact, we all need to calm the heck down, chill out and put our manners into practice every which way. Cyclists like to blame motorists for bad behaviour, motorists like to shout about cyclists and dogs like to do whatever they want... Come on guys, let's all follow some simple rules whilst out and about and keep the peace whilst wheeling! Here's my guide to cycling etiquette... Cyclists: First rule of thumb, please don't expect that just because you have one light on at dusk that everyone can see you whilst cycling in dark clothing, even if it is still technically light outside - we don't always see you! Reflective and colourful gear makes it easy to spot you as motorists pass, dark clothes make it tricky to see you right away. Both front & rear lights need to be prominent, no bags hanging over your rear light please, it's simple sense. Do acknowledge it when a car gives way to you, especially if they have right of way at that time. Be nice to each other share the road, there's far too much agro between cyclists and motorist, which in turn leads to more accidents, so please be nice to motorists and help to keep the calm if they allow you some space. 
This also goes for vehicles who give you a wide birth when driving past you, I know personally that there's nothing more scary than a motorist who almost clips your handlebars. So, please, acknowledge and show your thanks when a driver gives you plenty of space, a simple nod and/or hand risen in thanks shows your appreciation of their gesture. Don't be a road hog, stay as close to the lines as you can where possible, motorists can find it highly irritating to have to pass a wobbly cyclist in the middle of the road when there's a designated cycle path right next to you. And please don't double/triple up on group rides, especially on city roads. The amount of cyclists I see chatting away to each other as they swerve around side-by-side is very high up on my personal pet peeves! Get off your phone whilst cycling. No further explanation needed, surely? If it's dangerous for motorists to be doing at the wheel, it's most certainly equally so whilst cycling. It's a scarily high volume in my own experiences on the road, cyclists making AND taking calls whilst wobbling around in the road... Please stop to take your call and save us all the potential dangers and hazards! DON'T jump red lights - ever. There's no excuse, getting somewhere a minute quicker isn't going to change your life. As cyclists we are as responsible for our actions as car/lorry drivers are for theirs. I've personally seen accidents where a car has hit a cyclist in town, who decided to jump a red light on a cross roads, it's scary just HOW many people I see doing this - why would you do this?!?!?! If cycling through a highly populated pedestrian area, please dismount and show some patience if required. As required of motorists, watch the road ahead and gauge any potential hazards before approaching. I've personally experienced passing fellow pedestrians in Cambridge where somebody has literally pushed me off the pavement and into the road - a cyclist nearly hit me and stopped to scream, swear and spit at me. It was as unexpected for me as it was for him, but he didn't care to show me some patience, even with an apology from me regardless - road rage doesn't just occur from motorists! 
Cycling Groups: Come prepared when cycling in a group, bring plenty of water and follow the right nutrition for your ride, make sure that your tyres are at the right pressure and that you have the relevant emergency supplies in case of a puncture or other such incident. Slowing down a group die to poor planning is bad etiquette and won't go down well with the other cyclists, so show consideration and be prepared. Always point out the road conditions when riding in a group - if somebody is riding fourth wheel, then the chances are they won't see a danger up ahead, such as a pothole, so help each other out and signal accordingly. Never criticise someone's riding style or their bike and don't leave them behind, make sure you stay as a group for everybody's safety, including the motorists you may encounter. Motorists: As listed above, please give cyclists a wide birth when passing where possible, especially in tougher weather, as there's nothing more terrifying than a fast-moving vehicle almost brushing you as they pass. Please be patient and don't get aggressive because you may to be able to pass right away, it's intimidating to square up, so do bare this in mind. Cyclists WILL wobble, perhaps because of a large pothole or because they're sipping water as they steam ahead, so a bit of space is a safe precaution. 
If you hit a cyclist it will hurt them far more than you, but it will AFFECT you. It may just be the insurance claim, it may well be the blood on your hands. THINK. There's no excuse, getting somewhere a minute quicker isn't going to change your life as much as an accident could. Please do not drive OR park in designated cycle lanes, even if you are "just going to be a minute" - this is infuriating for any cyclist and makes it dangerous should they need to swerve around your vehicle into the road, not to mention, I'm pretty sure this is illegal as well as darn right irritating. Look at the road as well as the cyclist. If you're approaching a junction, don't over take a cyclist and cut them up by turning left. Is there a pinch point coming up? Yes, well, stay back and hold off overtaking until it's 100% safe ahead. Le Tour De France comes through Cambridgeshire on Monday 7th July 2014, will you be joining in with the festivities? What are your pet peeves when it comes to this topic? I'd love to hear from you below! 
With special thanks to those who helped with advice on this subject: Dan - @Moosola Dave Jackson - @CambridgeAroma 
