Hydrangea Cottage Tea & Gifts, Pottsville, PA

A Sunday afternoon road trip took us to Hydrangea Cottage Tea & Gifts for shopping and afternoon tea. They are located at 409 W. Market Street in Pottsville and serve afternoon tea on the third weekend of the month. They also have a lovely gift shop that features seasonal décor and assorted treasures that is open through the week, 10 am - 5 pm (closed Sunday and Monday). We arrived early and enjoyed walking through the many rooms in this gift shop/tea room before we were seated for tea.

Our table was on the second floor, where we were offered the opportunity to select the tea cup we wanted to use. It was a tough choice from a selection of elegant English bone china tea cups.

Various sized tables can be found in the different rooms of the gift shop, with intimate seating for two, or mixed groups at a table for 10. We enjoyed chatting with two women from the area that frequent the tea room when they have special celebrations. Both the noon seating and the 3:00 seating that day were sold out. They are currently promoting the weekend of January 20/21 for their next tea event with a new menu. 

The menu for day was at each place setting, and a Cranberry Basil Scone in the shape of a tea pot was placed on a side plate before we were seated. There was a generous bowl of 'clotted cream' for the scone that was passed around the table.

Opening a tea room has been a long held dream for the owner, Eric Tice. He helped to pour and serve during the event, along with his mother, and two other servers. He announced the teas that were being served this day which included Piper & Leaf Cherry Christmas (a black tea with coconut, almonds, and fruits) and Simpson & Veil Winter Wonderland (a green rooibos blend with cacao nibs and cinnamon).

Scone laden with clotted cream.

Once we all had our tea poured, and our scone devoured, the soup course was served. The St Nicholas Soup is made with a variety of root vegetables. Warming and hearty, topped with croutons, it was a tasty interlude before the sandwiches were served.

The assorted sandwiches were presented on pedestaled cake plates. The sandwiches included a Turkey with Cranberry Chutney, Pickle & Olive Ham Salad (garnished with a sprig of arugula on top), and Herbed Egg Salad Canapes. The egg salad canapes featured a small round toasted wheat bread topped with thinly sliced radish and egg salad. It was noted by the host that each plate included enough sandwiches for every guest to have two of each variety.

Following the sandwich course, individually plated desserts were served and included a festive variety that featured Gumdrop Cupcakes, Coconut Cranberry Bars, and Chocolate Peppermint Cookies.

We enjoyed our Sunday afternoon getaway at this relatively new tea room, and came home with a few little treasures and surprises for under the tree.