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!