Dollies Tea Room, Clear Spring, MD

Members of the Mid-Atlantic Tea Business Association gathered at Dollies Tea Room earlier this month for their October quarterly seminar. Dollies has hosted the association members on previous occasions, but it's always a delight to return to Clear Spring, MD to enjoy this lovely tea room.

 We were served the October Tea Menu which Amy features in her tea room this month. The menu changes on a monthly basis. For starters, we enjoyed a tasty Tomato Lentil soup. That was followed by a Lettuce-less Greek Salad, with a colorful assortment of veggies topped with a sprinkling of Feta cheese.

The presentation of the three tiered tray is always a show stopper! The Afternoon Tea tray included a variety of tea sandwiches, On the bottom tier were Cucumber, Egg Salad, Chicken Salad, and a Deviled Potato.

The cucumber sandwich has a cheerful orange bow wrapped around it. And the chicken salad triangle has the cutest little 'apple' cut from a thin slice of cheese. That was a fun festive touch! And the Deviled Potato is stuffed inside a petite potato. Think of it almost like a twice baked potato! That's unique.

 Dollies always served her Signature cream scone, and there was Cinnamon Chip alongside it. Lemon Curd and Clotted Cream were offered in a miniature serving dish, and a petite fresh fruit skewer accompanied this course.









Desserts included Gingerbread, Prince William Cake (plain biscuits meshed with rich chocolate), Vanilla Toffee Cookie and a Shortbread Cookie. 
And the Afternoon Tea always ends with sorbet. The flavor for this month was Apple Cranberry.

Before the tea began, we had the educational portion of the meeting where members shared experiences, shared what works for their business, while others shared merchandise that they carry. Questions were answered, notes were taken, and new ideas swirled around the room. 

The business meeting was held after the tea. Following the business meeting, members headed back home to implement many of the new ideas. The next Quarterly Seminar will be held at the Red Brick Bakery and Tea Room in Red Lion, PA. Newest member, Chef Dani has offered to be the host location for the January 22nd seminar (weather permitting).