Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Afternoon Tea - MATBA Seminar




Although our annual Mid-Atlantic Tea Business Association (MATBA) seminar was held in a church this year, we still enjoyed the special aspects associated with afternoon tea. Since our members travel from the tri-state area (Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and newest Delaware member) a casual morning reception is held while the attendees arrive. A simple buffet set up included a selection of teas (green, white and black) for your morning cuppa, and an individual portion of  Yogurt with fresh fruit and garnished with pistachios and mint leaves and a Pepper and Egg Frittata. It was a tasty beginning to our day.


Afternoon Tea was served following the presentations on tea blending. Typically we have our meetings at tea rooms that are owned by members of the Association. This year, although not in a tea room, the Afternoon Tea was catered by Association members Mike and Debbie Raab of Tea for All.
A salad with crisp green kale and mango cubes started the tea luncheon. This beautiful platter of tea sandwiches was placed on each table in anticipation of the next course.

 The individual sandwiches included a Yummy Pepper filled with rice and topped with roasted tomatoes, an Asparagus and Mozzarella wrap, a Minted Cucumber Crescent, Salmon & Dill on Whole Wheat, and a Florette with a Cheese Spread. Each sandwich was unique in flavor and creative in presentation. There was an abundance of sandwiches and the opportunity to select a few additional sandwiches was nice.

 Scones were served next with plenty of cream and jelly available on the table.

The dessert course featured a pineapple-tea sorbet, a macaron, and a crisp lady finger.
Following the tea, the group concluded the day with the business meeting. The next meeting for the Association will take place in the summer.

6 comments:

relevanttealeaf said...

The simple breakfast buffet and Afternoon Tea look delicious. I particularly like the red pepper filled with rice and topped with a roasted cherry tomato. It's so colorful and adds variety to the savory selections. I'll have to remember that one for my own tea parties.

Bernideen said...

Now that looks delicious and I am sure you learned some new tricks for the trade.

Linda Jennings said...

Everything looks delicious and pretty! I enjoyed your photos. I'm sure you enjoyed having tea without serving it.

Angela McRae said...

Yum! Those sandwiches especially appeal to me!

Marilyn Miller said...

What a lovely spread of goodies to eat. How I wish I could have been there. The one that really intrigues me is the pepper with rice and a roasted tomato. Were there spices in the rice or was the rice just plain. It would be perfect for those that can't eat bread.

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