Unlike many people who live in cities where tea shops and events are within walking distance, or a short drive, we in rural Maine don’t have the luxury. As with most things, unless you live in one of the bigger cities or towns, one must drive some distances to enjoy the finer things in life like dinning, theater and a four-course tea!
So, today Dave and I drove a little over an hour to enjoy the annual Tea By The Sea at Higgins Beach in Scarborough, Maine. Not only was this exactly what I was looking for, it was a perfect, snowy day for a tea. Having the brilliant ocean view was another added bonus.
The tea, held at The Breakers Inn, was hosted by Marianne Russo from Nellie’s Tea & Gifts a local tea room and business who’s mission is to “offer the highest quality teas at a good value, educate our consumers about the wonderful world of tea, and promote the culture and civility associated with having tea“. In my book, that’s what it’s all about!
A light snowfall started as we left our house. As we drove down I-295, the snow picked up, the Christmas carols came on in the car and we both decided it was a PERFECT day for a tea. Upon arriving at the beach, we saw a surfer out on the water, but he was paddle surfing. The waves weren’t that high and he had on a body suit, but still…looked odd this time of year with the snow falling. Hey, it’s MAINE! LOL
We had a short wait to be seated, but the view in our rocking chairs inside was spectacular with the rolling surf coming in on the beach. I LOVE the sound of the surf. Could have sat there all day…but with a cup of tea, of course.
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Dave and I were seated in a lovely corner table overlooking the sea and were soon given our choice of two or three teas. I opted for the Winter White tea that had a lovely scent of almond and vanilla. After asking if he could have coffee instead, Dave succumbed to tea as well and I recommended the Darjeeling tea for him. He ended up actually liking it…good thing, because I don’t think he could have ordered anything else! LOL Hey, I’m just lucky he agreed to come along and during our time there he was the only man! He was my “girlfriend” for the day and I’m grateful.
Our first course was a carrot ginger soup that was really quite tasty. I wasn’t prepared to enjoy it as much as I did because I don’t like cooked carrots, but we both finished our bowls.
Then some lovely, warm oat scones with devon cream and lemon curd were served. Dave and I both thoroughly enjoyed those! And doesn’t lemon curd just make anything taste good?
The perky waitress brought more tea throughout the sitting and our cups never went dry. Dave stuck with his Darjeeling and I stuck with the Winter White. Perfect cups for a wintry day.
The next course were the savory yummies complete with tasty mushroom and leek tarts, uniquely flavored dilly shrimp salad on toast rounds and some rather zingy, but wonderful cucumber and radish tea sandwiches. I could have eaten several more of those. Perfect!
The top tier of the tray consisted of the scrumptious dessert course. Raspberry-chocolate squares, pumpkin walnut bread with cranberry cream cheese sandwiches, and chocolate roses. Then the course was finished off with individual english trifles served in individual cups to each customer. Needless to say, at the end of the trifles, we were both sufficiently full.
I’m so glad we made the trip down to enjoy this lovely event. The food was wonderful, the staff was friendly, and the other people who attended were also there to support a local business, in a beautiful location and to enjoy the community of tea lovers.
I purchased some of Nellie’s Winter White tea to take to the office with me. It’s a very comforting brew and I think it will perk up my afternoon or evening teas during the winter months.
Now if we could just get a tea room like this in MY area! LOL Oh, well…I’ll continue to scout out the local tearoom like this and hopefully Dave will continue to put up with my requests for his company at teas. At least I didn’t make him dress up.
Tea, Travel & Brain Aneurysm Awareness 