Magnolia & Ivy Beach Tea

Well. I was SOOO good about doing posts before I went to the beach so I could simply hit "Publish" each day and have something new to share (I like blogs that are updated regularly), but then I slipped and missed a day. But I shall try to redeem myself now that I'm back home.

My husband and I were in Seagrove Beach, Fla., this week, and on Tuesday as DH was finishing up catching a really big fish of some sort (I had a witness confirm the size, by the way), I was making plans to go off for a few solo hours of girly-girl shopping and tea. I wasn't sure if it was possible to get a drop-in seating at the Magnolia and Ivy tea room in Sandestin, but it was, and I had my first (I hope it was merely the first!) Beach Tea! Here's the description from the menu: "A plated tea, seated fireside in the tea salon. Soup of the day, slice of quiche, fruit garnish, finger sandwich, freshly baked scone, your choice of pot of tea." (And no, the fire wasn't going, since this is June in Florida, after all.) My tea blend was Whispering Heaven. Ahhh ...

What a lovely hour I spent there! The food was just delicious, and while the Tomato Dill Bisque was divine (I forgot to ask for the recipe!), I was perhaps most impressed that it was served in a small, stemmed, pressed glass sherbet cup. What a great idea! I happen to have about a dozen or so of those stored out in the garage, but next time I give a small tea party I do think I want to serve soup that way.

I also liked that my plate came with a small Bible verse perched on the edge. A tiny card read, "Like apples of gold in settings of silver is a word spoken in right circumstances. Prov. 25:11." The young girls who served me were just charming, and I even had a happy find in the (enormously well-stocked) gift shop: this fabric tea room menu holder, above. It has that pretty Victorian style coiled metal thread embroidery (hope the close-up shows), and there's a magnet on back to attach it to the fridge. It's rare for me to find some tea doodad I've never seen before, so this was a particularly fun find. So if you're ever in the area, do give Magnolia and Ivy's Beach Tea a try!