The last holiday event, post Christmas celebrations with the family, included an appreciation tea for the faithful family and friends that lend a helping hand in the tea room throughout the year. The tables in the main dining room were pushed together to form one large square to host an intimate gathering of ten guests. The festive table. complete with traditional British Christmas crackers was ready for a celebration.
Going around the table (L to R), are Mike and Gail. Gail is frequently seen in the tearoom as a gracious hostess and tea server. Her husband Mike offers a helping hand at the
PA Tea Festival in September. The two young ladies, Tabitha and her sister Caroline were tea ambassadors at the festival, willing to provide assistance to whomever asked. Their mother, Kristin can be found at the tea festival also (it's a family affair), and willingly lends a helping hand in the tearoom when the need arises. Susanna and David are pillars of support for the ongoing operations for both The Rosemary House and Sweet Remembrances.
And rounding out the table, niece Angelica pitches in at the tea festival, and works behind the scenes and occasionally in the tea room when she is home from Penn State where she is working on her final semester for her Masters degree. Master salad preparer and tea server, Claudette, is an integral part of the tea room service. And Nancy savored the opportunity to sit and enjoy Afternoon Tea as prepared by Melissa and Michelle of
Manchester Tea and Tarts.
We were offered a variety of British teas including Barry's Gold, several Twinings favorites, and assorted fruit blends. Once we each had our tea, the three tiered servers laden with an array of delicious sweets and savories were presented to the table.
The bottom tier held an assortment of three sandwiches, and each guest received two of each sandwich. The sandwiches, all cut in the traditional British style 'finger' included Sliced Turkey Breast with British Stuffing and Cranberries, Five Cheese and Branston Pickle, and Cucumber and Tzatziki Sauce. A colorful array of fresh and delicious holiday flavors.
The middle tier included the warm Scones which featured a traditional plain English Scone and a Figgy Pudding Scone which included all the ingredients you would find in a figgy pudding. Large bowls of homemade lemon curd and strawberry jam were on the table, and a petite cup of true Devonshire Clotted Cream was on the tier alongside the scones.
The holiday medley of desserts included British Christmas Cake (laden with Sultanas), Scottish Snow Cake and Petite Mince Pies generously dusted with confectioners sugar. Scottish Snow Cake has a shortbread crust, a thin layer of jam, a white cake layer, and a sweet vanilla icing coated in coconut. Such a festive and delicious assortment of British sweet treats.
And the finale featured warm Sticky Toffee Pudding atop Devonshire Cream Custard. It was hard not to lick the plate.
Many thanks to Manchester Tea and Tarts for presenting such a memorable afternoon holiday tea. We enjoyed opening the Christmas crackers, sharing silly jokes, discovering tiny trinkets, and sporting colorful paper crowns. You'll have to imagine us in purple, orange, green, and blue crowns. It was a sight.
Extra special thanks to the family and friends that gathered around the table at this joyous event. It is with great appreciation that such enthusiastic and energetic friends and family are willing to share their time at Sweet Remembrances throughout the year. The opportunity to sit around the table and enjoy our very own special tea time was sublime. They all promised to be ready to pick up the mantel again in February.
We enjoyed some fabulous Irish breakfast spreads while traveling through Ireland two years past. We are fortunate to have an Irish café and gift shop fairly close, so we headed to Oxford Hall Celtic Shop and Café in New Cumberland, PA for their fabulous Irish breakfast. This Irish experience must be preordered as it takes an hour to pull everything together.
The last holiday event, post Christmas celebrations with the family, included an appreciation tea for the faithful family and friends that lend a helping hand in the tea room throughout the year. The tables in the main dining room were pushed together to form one large square to host an intimate gathering of ten guests. The festive table. complete with traditional British Christmas crackers was ready for a celebration. 
We were offered a variety of British teas including Barry's Gold, several Twinings favorites, and assorted fruit blends. Once we each had our tea, the three tiered servers laden with an array of delicious sweets and savories were presented to the table.
The bottom tier held an assortment of three sandwiches, and each guest received two of each sandwich. The sandwiches, all cut in the traditional British style 'finger' included Sliced Turkey Breast with British Stuffing and Cranberries, Five Cheese and Branston Pickle, and Cucumber and Tzatziki Sauce. A colorful array of fresh and delicious holiday flavors.
The middle tier included the warm Scones which featured a traditional plain English Scone and a Figgy Pudding Scone which included all the ingredients you would find in a figgy pudding. Large bowls of homemade lemon curd and strawberry jam were on the table, and a petite cup of true Devonshire Clotted Cream was on the tier alongside the scones. 
The holiday medley of desserts included British Christmas Cake (laden with Sultanas), Scottish Snow Cake and Petite Mince Pies generously dusted with confectioners sugar. Scottish Snow Cake has a shortbread crust, a thin layer of jam, a white cake layer, and a sweet vanilla icing coated in coconut. Such a festive and delicious assortment of British sweet treats.
And the finale featured warm Sticky Toffee Pudding atop Devonshire Cream Custard. It was hard not to lick the plate.
Over the years, we have typically closed out the year with our annual Candlelight Tea. This past year, 2024, was no exception. The final tea for the year, held a few days before Christmas marks the end of the tea room festivities for another year. The tea room is all aglow with the flickering candlelight, and our guests leave the hustle and bustle of pre-holiday activities to enjoy an elegant and relaxing evening tea.
The first course featured an Apple Cranberry Salad with fresh apples, craisins, parmesan cheese, and sugared pecans all topped with a homemade Cranberry Dressing. The sandwiches included a Cran Apple Chicken Salad Triangle, Swiss Pumpernickel Melt, Cucumber and Savory Feta Cheese Sandwich, Warn Artichoke in Puff Pastry Bundle, Turkey & Monterey Jack Wrap, and a Cheesy Pumpkin Tartlet.
The festive scone course included our traditional English Cream Scone alongside a Farmhouse Craisin Scone served with Sweet Cream and Jelly. Fresh fruit, including pomegranate arils. The dessert medley included a Cranberry Bliss Cupcake, Chocolate Cheesecake, Caramel Cream Sandwich Cookie, and Salted Caramel Truffle from a local Mechanicsburg chocolatier.
Although hot teas are listed on the website, we were only offered a variety of iced tea flavors. Since we were there in August, the iced tea was perfect. The host/hostess pour a small amount of tea in your mug, but come around frequently with different flavors to try.
As the bus travels the busy streets of the city, a narration of the sites you are passing is provided all the while another host snaps pictures of each table. There is a bit of singing by the hostess also.
For a brief moment we thought we missed the bus due to the Dominican Day Parade, but fortunately for us, the bus was also tied up in traffic. It was a relief to see the bus pull up and boarding began. Seating is on the top tier of the bus referred to as 'sky deck seating', with a bathroom and kitchen on the lower level. The tiered trays are already plated and on each table as you board the bus. 
A journey to Carmel, NY and a visit to Florrie Kaye's Tea Room was cause for a family gathering and a chance to celebrate a summer birthday. Family from NY, PA and CT converged at this charming tea room nestled in the quaint town of Carmel, NY in the Hudson Valley.
The English atmosphere of the tea room transports you to a faraway destination without having to cross the pond. The menu offers a wide variety of options, from luncheon specialties to British specialties to American burgers to Afternoon Tea. Thinking that everyone will be satisfied with the variety of menu options, the family group surprised me as they all opted for the Afternoon Tea. Tiered trays marched down the center of the table along with a variety of tea pots. We were each able to select our own tea flavors, hot or iced.
The tiered trays were laden with a variety of tea sandwiches including a traditional cucumber on white bread, roasted veggies with balsamic glaze on whole wheat rounds nestled on a fresh bed of mixed leafy greens. 
The Classic British Scones are served with fresh whipped cream, jam, and butter. They boast that their scones are made in small batches created from a family recipe. 
The top tier featured a wide variety of miniature yummy pastries and fresh seasonal fruit. From chocolate brownies to lemon squares to petite tartlets, they offered a delightful combination of sweet treats.
There is a gift shop in the back, and a stairwell decorated with a variety of ladies hats. The front desk has an area where you can purchase the teas that they offer in the shop, and decorative teapots adorn the shelves throughout the tea room. Reservations are recommended for this popular destination.
