Christmas at Holly Cottage Tearoom

On Saturday, my longtime tea friend Beth and I celebrated Christmas together by enjoying the "Holly Cottage High Tea," a three-course event at our beloved Holly Cottage Tearoom in Newnan. Both of us have been to tea there quite a few times since it opened in September, but neither of us had ever taken time for the High Tea, or as my husband calls such occasions, "the Full Meal Deal." I thought I'd share a few photos of foods we enjoyed along the way, including the famous knot rolls (served with sweet heart-shaped butter pats) made by Chef Linda Rivers. Beth loves their Monk's Blend, and I am currently on a peppermint kick and ordered the peppermint herbal tea.

Your first course can be either the soup or a garden salad, and on this chilly, chilly afternoon we both opted for the homemade chicken noodle soup, a wise choice on such a day! (We also were treated to some strawberry tea bread, I believe it was, but I forgot to get a photo.)

The highlight of the tea, and our second course, was our three-tiered tray of goodies!

The savories included a pasty (meat-filled pie, and it was divine!), tarragon chicken salad, cucumber sandwich and an egg salad sandwich with tomato. Everything was as tasty as it was pretty!

Next, we each got a cranberry scone and a currant scone (served with jam, lemon curd and cream), as well as a chocolate chip cookie and a miniature eclair and a tiny and delicious little mincemeat pie. I was already quite, quite full, but who on earth could resist ...

... trying the petits fours, macarons, hand-rolled truffles and fresh fruit? Well, I knew there was another course to go, so I decided to save most of my sweets for later.

Good thing, because the crowning touch to this royal affair was this trifle, which the tearoom describes thusly: "Traditional English Sherry Trifle layered with silky Crème Anglaise, fruit and topped with fresh cream chantilly and a cherry." (Insert sighs here.)

I really should have asked for a photo of Chef Linda Rivers, her sweet daughter Michelle and her fellow servers Rachel and Beth, and Linda's delightfully British mom, "Miss Elizabeth," who have brought happiness to so many of us tea lovers in the brief few months they've been in business. Another time! So I'll just leave you with a couple of photos of the festive Christmas decor there. It was just a lovely way to end the year with my favorite tearoom!