The Willow Tea Rooms, Glasgow, Scotland

When traveling with on a group tour, time is limited and free time is precious. We actually skipped the planned agenda for this day and made our own adventure which included the tour of the Botanic Gardens in Glasgow, a walk around the Glassgow University and the Hunterian museums and a taxi ride to the Willow Tea Rooms in Glasgow on Buchannan Street. This tearoom came up frequently in our quest to decide what tearoom we would visit. We were able to make reservations for 2:00.

The menu options include a Savory or a Sweet Afternoon Tea. We selected both so we could see how they differed.

Our table was filled with assorted tiered trays. Between the savory option that included an extra assortment of petite savories instead of the dessert selection, and those that selected the sweet option were able to select a large dessert from their pastry case, which was a hard decision in itself.

Sandwiches included Egg Mayonnaise and cress, Cucumber and cream cheese, Avocado with tomato, and Cheddar Cheese and chili jam. The sandwiches were served on a mix of white and wheat bread. The middle tier held a Sweet Scone with jam and clotted cream while the savory tier held a Cheddar Cheese Scone served with butter.

Among the dessert selections, we opted for the Victorian Sponge Cake and a slice of Carrot Cake. In the background you can see the Cheesecake with a yummy cherry topping. They were all a large portion. Shortbread cookies were also on the top tier with the desserts.

Instead of the desserts, if you selected the savory option, you were served additional warm and tasty savories made with puff pastry or miniature tart shells.

The history of tearooms in Glasgow dates back to the late 1890s, when an eccentric Glasgow businesswoman, Miss Catherine Cranston, a pioneer of the Glasgow tearooms, joined forces with a young architect, Charles Rennie Mackintosh to design every detail of her tearoom to create her perfectionist's vision, and his artistic style to include every detail in the interior from structure, to furniture, to the uniforms worn by the waitstaff. Their tearooms became internationally famous. Influenced by this dynamic duo, the Macintosh design can be seen throughout the Willow Tea rooms of today, from the high back black chairs to the lighting, to the graphic designs on the napkin. All complemented by the blue willow China. These two pictures are from the Charles Mackintosh display in the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum.

Glasgow Botanic Garden and The Tea Room at the Botanics, Scotland

We enjoyed an early morning stroll of the Glasgow Botanic Gardens located in the west end of Glasgow providing a lovely green oasis among this bustling city. There are several greenhouses including a Victorian glasshouse and a tropical greenhouse, one which features the United Kingdom's national collection of tree ferns. Wandering around we found the chronological bed which had us wondering what might be featured, only to discover it was a bed with plants arranged according to their introduction to Scotland.

Kibble Palace

Scotland's national flower is the thistle. Said to have protected the Scots from barefooted Norse invaders of the country, when they were sneaking into the country, suddenly letting out a loud yelp after stepping into a thick thistle patch thus awakening the Scots so they could then defend themselves from this secret attack.

This bench was fun to discover, covered in a patchwork of different knitted squares, it was colorful to behold.

As noted, many of the destinations we visited had tea rooms, and the Botanic Gardens are no different.

Although we had our typical hearty Scottish breakfast, we didn't pass up the opportunity to enjoy a Cream Tea in the courtyard on a beautiful day. A Cream Scone with jam and clotted cream and a pot of tea just hit the spot after our morning walk about the grounds. And in the background, students were practicing for the bagpipe competitions that were to be held later in the week in Glasgow. There was no doubt we were immersed in Scottish culture.

Cup Tea Salon, Aberdeen, Scotland

Searching the Internet before we headed to Scotland led us to this Tea Salon in Aberdeen. Cup Tea Salon is a busy little tearoom tucked on 9 Little Belmont Street. This cozy little spot, with an Alice in Wonderland theme, had people popping in all the while we were there. They have a lovely display case with tray bakes and items for take away. We were able to make online reservations before we left the States.

The decor was certainly fun and festive.

There were six of us at this tearoom, our bell ringer was at practice, and Cedar was on a fly-fishing expedition with another bell ringers' husband. Our older sister, Carrie was with us on this vacation, and seated beside her is Cedar's girlfriend, Mallory.

We each ordered something different and depending upon what you ordered determined the type of teapot they used. Our green tea drinkers got the tetsubin pots, a Japanese cast iron kettle/teapot. Those who ordered a black tea were offered a teacup with the little pitcher tucked in the cup for ease of serving purposes. It was presented this way at most of the cafes we visited.

Three of the four sisters. The fourth stayed home and enjoyed reading our agenda from the comfort of her home.

You could order off the menu, and they certainly have a great variety of options, however, we were there specifically for the Afternoon Tea option. A cup of Cream of Cauliflower Soup was served first followed by the tiered trays which are prepared for two people to share. The sandwiches were varied and served on a nice sized roll. There was Egg Mayonnaise with Arugula, Sliced Brie with Jelly, Sliced Cheese and Tomato and a Chicken Salad. There was one large Cream Scone served with Clotted Cream and Strawberry Jelly. And the dessert tier held an assortment of little desserts including Chocolate cake with Chocolate Frosting, White Cake with a White Frosting, Rocky Road Bar, Lemon Tea Cake Triangle, and Shortbread with Caramel. A small bag of gummy candy was on the tier for each guest also to carry out the whimsical Alice in Wonderland theme.

Cream Scone with Toppings

This little touch of fun was in the hallway to the restroom. And the Alice theme was well represented at the checkout counter. They had a lot of fun putting their theme together.

Scottish Breakfast and beyond

Every morning started with a Scottish breakfast buffet laden with scrambled eggs, baked beans, roasted tomato, black sausage, haggis, sausage links, bacon, potato cakes, fresh fruit, cheeses, and assorted breads, rolls, and toast. There was no reason to go hungry! Any type of coffee, tea, and juices were also available.

The rolled pastry is pain au chocolate; a puff pastry delicacy filled with chocolate pieces and baked until golden. Some of them had a creamy filling in addition to the chocolate pieces throughout the pastry. The thin flat triangle is a Scottish Potato Scone, also known as tattie scones. They are a thin, flatbread made with mashed potatoes, flour and salt and baked on a hot griddle and typically served with a full Scottish breakfast. They were, well, different.

Any museum, public garden, tourist stop, or castle would have a cafe where you could simply order tea and be served a hearty black Scottish tea with cream and milk. Of course there was usually a display case laden with Scottish pastries, tarts, tray bakes, and cookies to enjoy after having visited the destination. We shared some treats after walking through the glass houses at Duthie Park Winter Gardens in Aberdeen.

Later in the week, we stopped at a cafe in Aberdeen that offered a palate cleanser to enjoy after finishing your tea. The little glass jar held a flavored water to freshen your mouth after having enjoyed the tea. They also served it if you ordered coffee.

We enjoyed a pot of tea at every opportunity. Isn't the little creamer adorable.

And dessert options, Sticky Toffee Pudding was the dessert of choice for many of the catered dinners we attended. Delicious, all of them, with slight variations. Some of the cakes were more like a soft gingerbread while others were a bit denser with a crispier outer crunch but always served with the warm toffee sauce and a dip of vanilla ice cream, and always a real treat.

Banoffee Pie a classic English dessert, think banana and toffee, atop a pastry crust and served alongside a slice of caramelized banana. It was a treat, one we only ordered once, but I'm sure there are other delicious variations to discover.

And the younger generation in our group found their happiness on a totally different menu.