On February 2nd 2012 The Bay Penzance held a private Afternoon Tea Party to celebrate the launch of the Full Indulgence Afternoon Tea.
We had many guests including the three winners of our Afternoon Tea Story competition: Alex Hunter, Jane Hooper and Alison Livingstone. Excerpts from their winning entries are below
These are some of the comments we received from our guests
Mouth-watering sandwiches, delicious cakes and a lovely cup of tea all served on pretty china – the absolute epitome of what afternoon tea should be. And a wonderful view as a bonus!Thank you for a lovely afternoon. I shall certainly be returning and bringing friends with me. Jenny Fitton
I loved it and wished I could have stayed longer. The food was sumptious – one of those situations where you were so spoiled for choice that it was difficult to choose what to have. Steve Ryman Assistant Director Golowan Festival Office
It was a delight – from the moment we walked into the room and were presented with a chilled glass of prize-winning Cornish wine. The table was a visual masterpiece, with plates of tiny cakes, sandwiches and scones arranged on beautiful china. It was almost too lovely to disturb. Having a dairy intolerance I could only look longingly at the exquisite cuisine and would have been quite content to drink my tea – again served in the prettiest of cups – and sit back and enjoy the experience, but was thrilled to be offered a special plate of vegan fare. It was such a thoughtful gesture and very much in keeping with the quality of service the staff at the Bay provide. Thank you again. Jean Shirley
‘Afternoon tea at the Bay was such a nice way to spend an hour or so – I couldn’t fault it. Proper job!’ Peter Hopkinson
Excerpts from the winning entries:
Alex tells us of a lovely afternoon spent with her sister, a very special day where afternoon tea helped to seal a family reconciliation:
The day arrived, and it wasn’t raining, but it wasn’t exactly sunning either. Elizabeth and Armen arrived in Veryan from their hotel in Penwith, and we piled everything into Fleur’s capacious boot (apart from the Bolly – I’m a bit possessive about that…) and we headed off on a mystery tour of the Roseland, which simply means that we got lost, and spent the next hour or so trundling down tiny country lanes, through woods, and getting occasional glimpses of stunning scenery, when not stuck behind tractors. Finally we headed for a place called St Michael Penkivel, which began to materialise through the trees; a lovely church, very pretty houses, and, er, a gate. The road continued into what appeared to be the gardens of a large estate, so, hunger now making itself felt, we decided that this would be a good place to stop. My husband, admirably chauffeuring us, turned the car around and parked in front of the ‘village green’ – a small square of grass in front of the church. Nearby someone was mowing the lawn of a charming cottage, and the occasional inhabitant peered out as us as we tumbled onto the grass and set everything up. Much giggling ensued, particularly after we’d opened the champagne and sat on various foodstuffs. The tea was delicious from the Duchess Ivy teapot, the local meringues and cream sublime, and the wind particularly nippy. The little edibles were consumed with alacrity as we really were quite peckish by then, and my poor husband watched the champagne disappearing while knowing he wasn’t having any until he got home again. Luckily my sister had the foresight to pack a bottle of prosecco, so we saved a bit for him!
Jane likes to share with her daughter: For me, afternoon tea in a hotel does want to have a touch of glamour, whilst being traditional….My daughter lives in London but does miss Cornwall .. (and loves to have tea)..What sheer luxury to sit outside on a sunny afternoon, in a beautiful, peaceful part of our county and have Afternoon Tea, served beautifully.
And Allison remembers an afternoon spent with a good friend as a respite from caring for her much loved mother in a hotel – not ours, but we feel sure we would have a lot in common!:
Unfortunately, the invite was because my mother had just been diagnosed with breast cancer and I was pretty distraught. My friend had been through the same thing with his mother and decided afternoon tea was a good way to let me know I wasn’t on my own. The service was exquisite, as if us being there was by personal invitation of the hotel. And the presentation was fantastic; beautiful sandwiches and cakes – and so fresh – and delicately flavoured hot tea. For a while I felt everything slip away, which was exactly what I needed.
To sum up, an afternoon tea should be about unpretentious and welcoming luxury, gorgeous food, and a brief respite from the world… well, that’s what I think anyway! I still remember that afternoon – even though both of us ended up losing our mothers – six years later.
WE look forward to seeing them all, and all our other guests in two weeks time. We hope that we can live up to the wonderful experiences they have shared with us. We certainly plan to try.
AA Rosettes