A Little Tea and Scones

Even when my life is dreadfully busy, I can always make time for tea and scones. That is just one of the pleasure of life I am not willing to compromise for anything. This past saturday, I took a trip out to Grandview to the Cambridge Tea House with the fabulous Elle "Mulebomb" for a chance to taste the finer things.

Elle is guest photographing for this blog post, which is why all of the pictures are better than usual. For more of her wonderful shots, check out her own blog: Days in the Life

Here's Cambridge Tea House from the outside. I assume that it is meant to look like a replica of a country home in England with a faux thatch roof. This made me very happy.

On the inside, it is an adorable establishment. Admittedly if there was one thing wrong with the space, it is too small, as Elle and I basically sat in on a date with the people next to us (really nice people, just probably didn't want to listen to us plan a Meshuganotes Retreat on their romantic morning out). The decor is also sort of frilly for my taste, but I am goign to forgive this on the grounds that it was kinda cute, and it's a tea house, so it's not like the inside would be post-modernly designed anyway.

The china is delicate and ornate, which is perfect with their aesthetic, but the cutest thing about CTH is their handmade tea cozy's that you place over your pot of tea to keep it warm. It made me think of Dobby, and how if he had popped in wearing one of these I could have died of happiness. Alas, he is fictional.

Alright, on to the main event, the tea and scones. Elle and I both partook in a very tradition English Cream Tea, two scones, clotted cream, jam and a pot of tea. CTH does a really interesting version of clotted cream, since they cannot replicate the original English version due to a discrepancy in pasteurization laws between us and them (stupid FDA ruining everything). Their version is very good though. A little bit of an orange citris kick to it, which is a nice compliment to the jam they serve.

Pictured here is one traditional cream scone, and then the scone of the day, which was a sweet raisin with an icing drizzle. I'm salivating just thinking about them again. I don't even like raisins (they are humiliated grapes) but this scone was awesome. And God knows I can't turn down anything with an icing drizzle.

I had the Pomegranate Oolong tea, while Elle had the Florence, "A Delicate Blend of Chocolate and Hazelnut" or what we are now calling, Liquid Nutella. Both excellent choices, her's was sweeter and creamier, while mine had a more natural sweetness and fruity blend. My only complaint, CTH doesn't serve English Breakfast Tea. This is a major oversight in my opinion, as English Breakfast Tea is 1. My favorite tea, 2. An absolute staple of English Tea in the UK and 3. CTH claims to be an English Tea House. That's like going to any ice cream establishment in the United States and there not being any version of Chocolate Ice Cream on the Menu. It's just sort of bonkers in my opinion.

If tea and scones isn't your MO, there are also lots of food options on the CTH menu. And I have to admit, as I was watching the waitresses bring them by to the other tables, I was sort of envious I didn't have infinite amounts of moolah and stomachs, because I probably could have sat there all day and just eaten. And for those of you with small children, there is an adorable Prince or Princess tea that comes with Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches, sweets and a tiara for the little princess in all of us. (Take note Mother, we are paying a visit soon).

I don't usually rate the establishments I visit, but why not start. Cambridge Tea House gets 4 out of 5 stars. Excellent if you aren't in a hurry and really want an intimate and heart-warming tea and scones experience.

http://www.cambridgeteahouse.com/