Monday was my granddaughter’s ninth birthday, and I was thrilled when she wanted to go to afternoon tea to mark the occasion. Last weekend, Neal and I went to New Orleans to start her celebration. She had selected the Le Salon at Windsor Court Hotel as our tea destination. We published a book, Taking Tea, and one of the featured tearooms was the Windsor Court; so I was delighted to have tea there. It was on my wish list, too!
After the oohs and aahs of seeing the traditional rose floral arrangement in the lobby, we made our way to our table. The Wedgwood Wild Strawberry china was in place, and our table for three was perfect. The room was filled with groups of women, some who had worn lovely hats, all celebrating birthdays. There was a group of very young ladies as well, and it just made my day to see them enjoying tea.
My daughter-in-law Katie, Amelia, and I were close to the harp and felt like we were close to heaven. The harmonious notes just wafted through the room. Immediately, we knew this was going to be an amazing experience.
The first big decision was choosing the tea we wanted to drink. I am an Earl Grey devotee, so my decision was easy. Katie and Amelia opted for a strawberry tea that they really enjoyed.
Amelia was so excited and had many questions about tea and why we partake of tea with certain rituals. The savories were brought first, and the tea sandwiches were scrumptious. Her face lit up when she saw the tiny sandwiches with thinly sliced cucumber. I love the curry chicken salad and lobster salad served on a sliced cucumber. Each delicacy was precisely prepared and served.
The scones were next and were offered with whipped cream, Devonshire cream, jam, and lemon curd. That brought about a wonderful conversation about eating scones and explaining what a curd was. We all three devoured the scones.
The sweets were the finale, and they served a petit cupcake for Amelia with a birthday candle nestled among the wonderful offerings. Could anything be more splendid? I think not. I gave Amelia a little locket to commemorate our dreamy afternoon at the Windsor Court.
When I returned home with photos galore and memories that I will treasure for years, I found my book on Taking Tea, and in there are the recipes for many of the tea foods we adored. I will be making the scones when Amelia comes for a visit. I am blessed that we share the same love of tea and will enjoy many years of visiting some of our favorite tearooms.
