Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Valentine's Tea at Tea Leaves & Thyme

On Saturday, my sweetie continued his tradition of taking me to tea for Valentine's Day. Can you think of a better gift for a tea lover? I can't!

This year's tea room was Tea Leaves and Thyme in Woodstock, about 60 miles north of our home. I had been to this tea room about a decade ago when it was located in a row of shops along Main Street, but I had not been to visit since they got their own building. It was an entirely different experience this time and seemed like a totally new place.

When we got to our table, we were greeted by a small hand-stamped Valentine's greeting. The tables were styled like some I've seen in other tea rooms, with photos of patrons tucked under the glass table topper. I always enjoy looking at who has been to tea before I came along!

With their Full Afternoon Tea, you get a choice of either Chicken Salad Croissant, Chicken Salad on a bed of lettuce or a Sun-Dried Tomato Tartlet. Alex got the Chicken Salad Croissant and said it was good. (The bite I tried sure was!) His tea for the day was a Darjeeling.

I chose the Sun-Dried Tomato Tartlet and enjoyed it very much. And I was in the mood for a frou-frou tea blend and ordered the Chocolate Macadamia Nut Coconut, which was delicious.

Soon enough, our tea tray arrived.

They served three different types of scones, plain, Cranberry-Orange and Currant. The texture was nice and they tasted freshly baked.

They served their Lemon Curd and some very delicious Amaretto Cream in miniature teacups that looked like pieces from a doll's tea set. I liked that idea and may try it myself sometime!

The sandwiches were Cucumber Mint, Egg Salad with Bacon, Turkey and Avocado, and Pineapple and Cream Cheese. My favorite was the Egg Salad, which at first I didn't quite believe was Egg Salad because it was orange and not yellow! Wonder why? (Should've asked, I know.) And I must confess I had a bit of an accident with the cucumber one! I'd seen Alex sort of catch his as he moved it from the plate and comment that it was loose. I made the mistake of picking up mine by the cucumber, which was the first part I grasped, and promptly plopped the round piece of bread right into my teacup! I watched it swimming there for about a second and then removed it to my plate, finished my now-spotty cup of tea, and resumed eating. Lesson I learned: Make sure cucumber is firmly affixed to sandwiches or be sure to pick them up from below!

The sweets included Creme de Mint Brownies (very good, with very subtle mint flavoring), Carrot Cake with frosting, Lemon Squares and, finally, Chocolate Chip Bars with Cherry Jam. The chocolate chip bars were the favorite for both of us, just delicious and with a yummy texture. Our server said the jam filling changes almost hourly on that one. It was a beautiful day and I greatly enjoyed getting to experience another Valentine's Tea with my man!

Tea Leaves & Thyme also has a large, well-stocked gift shop, and I got this cute teapot ornament as a memento of the day to hang on my tea-themed Christmas tree this year!

14 comments:

  1. So glad it was good. It will go on our list for a road trip.
    You got real Valentine with that man of yours-Mine would never think of a tea room trip-BBQ maybe ,not tea room.

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  2. Tea Leaves & Thyme has been on my list of tearooms I hope to visit. Thanks so much for sharing your beautiful photos and details of your visit! It is almost as though I was there.

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  3. So glad you enjoyed Tea Leaves & Thyme. I haven't been there since my 2004 birthday tea. Those finger sandwiches can be tricky sometimes - at least it fell in your cup and not your lap. :-)

    Your teapot ornament with crystals is very pretty.

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  4. Egg salad may have been orange because the eggs were fresh. We have chickens & the yolks in fresh eggs are dark, not pale like store-boughten eggs.
    Sounds like a fun day.

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  5. i am plannng a tea party and you gave me ideas!
    thank you!

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  6. Hello Angela, what beautiful photos - I will go to this tea room! The food looks so delicious and is so varied, and to go there on a Valentine's date, you can't do better than that!

    Alex gets a gold star from me - I will share your review with my husband to see if he gets the hint.
    Love the ornament too, so pretty.

    I am so glad you had a great Valentine's Day, you made your readers week so special, how thoughtful you are.
    With much appreciation, Joanie

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  7. Everything sounds delightful! Plus having your sweetheart with you makes it a very special time. the Christmas ornament is adorable. ♥♫

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  8. Everything looks delicious. You both had a lovely Valentine's day...Wish I lived near this tea room :-)

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  9. How fun! Your great photos put me right at the table. That's so sweet of your husband. I'm so glad that you had a happy Valentine's Day.

    Your keepsake is so pretty that I thought it was a jewelry pendant. It will be beautiful on your Christmas tree.

    You've made this week so enjoyable!

    Love, Carol B.

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  10. This looks so good! What a great idea for celebrating V-Day. We have a tradition of going out for lunch as a family. When our son was small we started picking up dad at work to go out for lunch on valentine's Day. He's a senior now so after he leaves home we may have to start a tea tradition with the two of us!

    I've never experienced a tea this nice before though we have friends who lived in England for awhile & they served tea for us years ago with all the trimmings.

    Our local tea room is serving a royal tea in honor of Will & Kate's wedding this year. I'm hoping very much to try it out!

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  11. What a lovely tradition. I especially loved seeing the tartlet, it looked so good. Then everything else I would have loved too. Happy belated Valentine's.

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  12. Happy belated Valentines Day! Oh what a lovely memory you made! I lurve the giftie too!!!

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  13. Your special Valentine's Day tea was fun to read. Thanks for sharing... including the cucumber mishap! Happy Belated Valentine's Day!
    Nancy

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