Hydrangea Tea Cottage and Gifts - MATBA April Seminar

Members of the Mid-Atlantic Tea Business Association traveled to Pottsville, PA to attend the April meeting held at Hydrangea Cottage Tea & Gifts. Owner and fellow MATBA member Erik Tice welcomed a group of entrepreneurs to his tearoom and gift shop. After some shopping, and before we sat down for tea, we were encouraged to select a teacup from the collection on display.

We enjoyed the intimacy of a smaller group at this gathering and thus we were seated around a large dining room table on the second floor. The gift shop occupies the first floor, and spills over onto the second floor where we were seated in the front parlor.

The menu was placed at each seat and announced a delicious assortment of goodies yet to come.

First up, we were served an Apricot and Almond Scone with clotted cream and apricot preserves.

Following the scone course, we enjoyed a warm cup of Spring Minestrone Soup topped with croutons.

Pedestaled cake plates filled with tea sandwiches and a fresh pansy garnish were brought to the table next. The sandwich selection included Truffled Egg Salad, Cucumber with Lime & Dill Aioli, and Ham with Green Tea Cream Cheese Spread. The sandwiches were petite, but each guest received two of each variety.

The colorful and tasty dessert medley included a frosted Pineapple Cookie, a Peanut Butter Snickers Bar, and Lemon Cake.

Erik made certain that our teacups were filled with the teas of the day which included Monks Meditation (a Ceylon black tea with catnip, grenadine flavor and calendula petals) and Beatrix Potter (a caffeine-free blend of green rooibos, rosehips, strawberry flavor, chamomile, spearmint and lemongrass).

Hydrangea Cottage Tea and Gifts is celebrating their fifth year in business. Their gift shop includes teas from Piper & Leaf Tea Company and Simpson & Vail Teas. They have soaps, marmalades, candles, dip mixes and more. In addition, they offer artwork from local artists. Tea is served on the third Saturday and Sunday of the month, by reservation only. 

Susanna Reppert Brill of The Rosemary House (PA) presented a program on The Ins and Outs of Selling Herbal or Functional Teas. Following the program, during the business meeting, outgoing president Karen Donnelly of Greenhalgh Tea, (PA) welcomed newly elected president Melissa Fitch-Ciccotelli of Tea You There (MD) to the helm. Karen has presided over the Association for the past four years. Melissa has accepted the role of president for the upcoming two year term.

International Tea Day - Tea & Chocolate Pairing

In celebration of International Tea Day, May 21st, we offered a complimentary Tea and Chocolate pairing, both under the pavilion and in the gift shop. It was a rainy and chilly day which made for a perfect day for drinking tea, and we simply pretended we were in a British cottage garden. The rain transformed the garden into a vibrant lush green locale with bird song overhead. Outside we featured five teas to taste alongside an assortment of chocolate. There was a Ceylon Kenilworth, a traditional black tea from Sri Lanka with a classic mellow flavor. We paired this tea with Dark Chocolate covered Blueberry Acai. Our suggestion was to sip the tea first, followed by a bite of the chocolate and another sip of tea to compare how the tea and chocolate enhanced each other.

Wilbur Buds is a well-known chocolate from Lititz, and we offered both milk and dark chocolate. The suggested pairing included a Kenya Milima, a bold black tea from the Kenyan highlands in Africa to be paired with the light milk Wilbur Buds. The semi sweet was paired with Irish Stout, a flavored black tea with hints of coffee and chocolate. This was a popular pairing. 

There were two teas that we paired with Lindt White Chocolate. Lung Ching Dragonwell, a traditional Chinese green tea with a flat green leaf and a sweet fresh vegetal taste was offered. And the other tea we paired with the white chocolate was Pine Needle. This tea was interesting as it is a Chinese Black Tea and it gets its name from the shape of the leaf which has been rolled to look like a pine needle. Several attendees described the flavor as 'earthy'.

The pavilion kept us dry throughout the day, and we were happy to hold this special event outdoors even though there was a gentle rain most of the day. The cooling rain was a blessing as the two days prior to this event the high temperature was in the 90's. The rain afforded a nice break from the heat and kept the chocolate at a good temperature.

The table set up in the gift shop featured a Decaffeinated Vanilla tea paired with chocolate mint candy, and a Golden Yunnan black tea that was paired with Dark chocolate covered cherries. Special thanks to everyone that joined us for our celebration.

 

Happy Mother's Day - Afternoon Tea - 2026

Our Mother's Day Afternoon Tea took place this past Sunday in the tearoom. With roses for love, and the menu on the table, everything was in place. As our guests arrived, they placed their tea orders from the extensive tea list. Individual pots of tea were provided for each guest. 

The salad was a base of spring greens and romaine lettuce, various veggie toppers including broccoli, cauliflower, green pepper, and tomato, topped with Parmesan cheese, crispy croutons, and a Curry Orange Marmalade Dressing (a mix available at The Rosemary House).

The sandwich selection featured an Herbed Veggie Bar topped with a turnip cut into a heart shape, the Tomato Parmesan Muffin had a slice of roast beef, a tomato slice, and horseradish mayonnaise, the open-faced round sandwich was a Cucumber & Radish with garlic chive butter, the layered Goldenrod Sandwich had a layer of pimiento cheese like filling, wheat bread, and a thin layer of a sweet apricot cream filling between the two layers of white bread. The little bundle was a warm Chicken Sandwich with a crispy breadcrumb topping, and in the center, there was a melted Pimiento Cheese in a miniature phyllo cup.

The scone course included our Traditional English Cream Scone alongside a Lavender Sage Scone. The toppings included sweet cream, lemon curd, and strawberry preserves. The fresh fruit with orange and pineapple also featured a strawberry half topped with a chocolate fudge filling.

The dessert medley featured White Cake with a delicate pink frosting Rose, the crispy Phyllo Shell held Passionfruit Cream, and the little cookie was a Peppermint Meltaway.

                                     Happy Mother's Day!

Cous Cous Salad with Turmeric - Herb of the Year 2026

In celebration of National Herb Week, and the Herb of the Year 2026, which is Turmeric, we served a Cous Cous Salad at our Garden Tour this past week. Many guests requested the recipe. 

Cous Cous Salad 

1 cup couscous
1 cup water
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest

Bring the water to a boil, add the cous cous, turmeric and olive oil. Remove from heat, cover, and let sit for 5 minutes. Fluff with fork. Add chickpeas, and remaining ingredients. Toss gently. Add salt and pepper, if desired. Chill and serve.

Garden Tour by Susanna Reppert Brill

Dandelion Cookies

Spring - and yards are bursting with golden yellow dandelion blossoms. Now is the time to harvest the colorful flowers and make a batch of cookies! 

Dandelion Cookies

1 c. butter, room temperature

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

2 egg yolks

1 tsp. vanilla

1 c. dandelion petals (removed from flower heads)

2 c. flour

1/4 c. sugar

2 Tbsp. dandelion flower petals

Cream the butter, sugar, and salt in a large bowl until light in color and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, mixing fully after each egg. Add the vanilla and 1 c. of dandelion petals. Add the flour and mix until the dough is smooth. Roll the dough into a log. Mix 1/4 c. sugar and 2 Tbsp. dandelion flower petals and spread mixture onto wax paper. Roll the dough log over the sugar and flower mixture, until the log is covered in sugar and petals. Wrap the log in the wax paper and chill at least one hour. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Slice the dough into 1/4-inch slices, place on parchment lined cookie sheet, 2 inches apart. Bake 10 - 12 min. until cookies are lightly golden.

April Fool's Day Afternoon Tea

The colorful tables set the scene for a unique afternoon tea adventure in celebration of April Fool's Day. Each guest had a copy of the menu tucked underneath the napkin. Although the menu included everything that was to be served, it was not in any particular order. The saucers were placed atop the teacups to quietly announce the topsy turvy and somewhat whimsical nature of this tea.

If you take a closer look at the Tea Selections for the day, you might notice that some of the tea names have been scrambled just for fun. Once everyone had their pot of tea, the first course was served. Typically, we begin with a salad. For this tea, we served veggies, but not in salad form. In the little cup was a Hummus, Carrot and Cucumber Tower topped with a cherry tomato. The mini pepper was filled with spinach dip, and a sprig of dill was added to look like a carrot.

The plate of assorted sandwiches and savories included a Carrot Cheddar sandwich cut to resemble a carrot. There was a savory garlicky spread on the bread and broccoli lined the upper edge. A Cheesy Thumbprint cookie with hot pepper jelly surprised a lot of people with the spicy nature of the cookie. A warm Pimiento Cheese tart was extra cheesy. The petite Meatloaf topped with parmesan mashed potatoes was all vegetarian. Wrapped in the Hobo Bundle was a combination of craisins, pecans, and jalapeno bits served warm. The Deviled Egg was made using mashed sweet potato and topped with chives.

Served out of order, we served desserts next. The plated included a Spaghetti and Meatball cupcake. The meatball was a whopper dipped in raspberry jam to create the spaghetti sauce. There was a miniature Racoonburger served with French Fries (pound cake). The racoon burger was my nephew's idea. When we were brainstorming the menu, he felt we should include something with racoon. It's actually a peppermint patty between Nilla wafers with ketchup and mustard icing, and green coconut lettuce. And lastly, the large Brownie completed the plate.

Before our final course, we went to each table and offered lollipops. Many of our guests requested a specific flavor, cherry and chocolate the most popular, only to discover their pop was actually chocolate covered broccoli. Some were adventurous to try it, others said, 'nope'. It did elicit a round of laughter throughout the tearoom.

And lastly, we served a large Traditional English Cream Scone and a much smaller Cream Scone, alongside our mock Sweet Cream, raspberry preserves and fresh fruit.

The crew dressed down for the day. Angelica wore her PA Tea Festival tee shirt and embroidered sneakers with colorful socks. Claudette was in mix and match colorful top and Christmas pants. She had mismatched shoes and mixed-up earrings. Gail wore bunny ears and a festive apron. Nancy had on a casual TEA shirt. Susanna was behind the camera. We had fun. And judging by the chatter and laughter in the tearoom, our guests enjoyed the foray into our first ever April Fool's Day afternoon tea.

 

Irish Cream Bundt Cake

A guest at our St. Patrick's Day event requested the recipe for the Irish Cream Bundt Cake. She said, "the pound cake was scrumptious. The texture was light and reminded me of old-fashioned sponge cake. The chopped nut topping was so good!". We are happy to share the recipe.

This was a recipe that a friend of mine shared with me many years ago (2002), and for whatever reason, I never got around to making it. This was the first year I decided to serve it at our St. Patrick's Day event, and I too, enjoyed the texture, flavor, and nut topping. To me, the texture of the cake was similar to a pound cake, the Irish Cream adds a pleasant flavor to the cake without being overpowering and the nuts on the top are the prize! 

Enjoy!

 

Happy St. Patrick's Day Afternoon Tea

We celebrated St. Patrick's Day in Sweet Remembrances tearoom yesterday. Green was the color of the day, both in colorful outfits and themed jewelry, from necklaces to leprechaun hats. Irish blessings were included on the menu - May your heart be light and happy, may your smile be big and wide, and may your pockets always have a coin or two inside.

The first course featured our Emerald Isle Kiwi and Blueberry Salad with Kerrygold Irish Aged Cheddar and Lemon Caesar Dressing. Of course, pots of bottomless tea accompanied the meal including favorites such as Irish Breakfast, Shamrocks & Shenanigans with a chocolate strawberry flavor, and Irish Cream Stoudt mimicking a mug of Guiness with a dry, roasted profile with notes of dark chocolate and a hint of smoke.

The plate full of sandwiches included a Good Luck! and Good Cheer! Chicken Salad with basil butter, a Top 0' the Morning Reuben Spiral, Happy St. Paddy's Day Goat Cheese and Tomato Tartlet, A Wee Cottage Pie, Lads & Lassies Toasted Reuben and Swiss Cheese, and a Shamrock topped Cucumber Sandwich with herbed Kerrygold butter.

The next course featured a soda bread scone and tea bread. It held an Orange Marmalade Tea Bread, a savory Herbed Spinach Bread topped with Garlic Cheese Florette (a Rosemary House specialty spread) and cherry tomato and the Luck o' the Irish Soda Bread Scone served with sweet cream and Nancy's homemade lemon curd with a touch of fresh fruit.

The dessert trio included our Leprechaun's Lucky Irish Cream Bundt Cake, Grannies Chocolate Guinness Cake and a Matcha flavored Shortbread Shamrock.

Happy Valentine's Day Afternoon Tea

Happy Valentine's Day, 2026! The tearoom was decorated with vintage valentine boxes, showcasing love expressed over the years with chocolate and flowers. 

The frilly boxes were tucked here and there, the bright bold red color a cheerful addition and a festive addition to the event.

The tables set the scene for the celebration to come. Pinks, greens, and red scattered here and there. Pretty little die cut hearts circled the centerpieces. The menu and the tea list highlighted the theme of the day.

First up, I Love You Berry Much Salad topped with Heart's Desire Strawberries, Raspberries, Blueberries, Feta Cheese, Pecans and Poppyseed Dressing.

Sandwiches included Sweet Nothings Merchant Chicken Salad Triangle, Sweetheart Melted Swiss Cheese Heart, Spicy & Sassy Marinated Roast Beef on mini–Herbed Muffin, Heart's Delight Herbed Party Sandwich on Rye, A Bushel and a Peck Fruit Medley on Raisin Bread, and All you need is love Strawberry & Warm Brie Tartlet. 

The Scone course included Loves Me, Loves Me Not English Cream Scone, Love Me Tender! Double Chocolate Scone served with Love Me True! Sweet Cream, Strawberry Preserves, Fresh Orange Slice and a fudgy chocolate topped Strawberry.

And the Afternoon Tea was rounded out with a tasty selection of sweet desserts. There was a Love Is....Rose topped Yellow Cake, Love you to the moon and back Peanut Butter Pie, and Hugs and Kisses Strawberry Jam Linzer Cookie. Yum!

Happy Valentine's Day! 

We hope you celebrated YOU!