afternoon tea often means something different at every hotel. i have sampled tea many times both in Canada and in the United States, and have found the service to vary based on the setting. a couple of weeks ago, my daughter and I were served afternoon tea at the Grand Floridian Hotel where we were staying for one week. the tea is typically served in their garden room, which happened to be under renovation. however, the menu and the tea was served to perfection in the alternate location. i would have to classify their tea as a full tea, which included tea, tarts, scones, savory tea sandwiches, and even a cream puff swan. my daughter chose the strawberries and whipped cream dessert, which often classifies the tea as a strawberry tea.
nevertheless, the tea was delicious. our scones were served with raspberry jam, Devonshire cream and lemon curd. the savory sandwiches were filled with cucumber, salmon, chicken curry and egg salad. there was a wide selection of teas available, and we took our time sampling the selection.
the velvet tea cozies kept our tea steaming. i might have preferred to remove the leaves, so that our tea was not as strong by the end of the meal. however, we enjoyed the view, the atmosphere and most of all, the time together.
angel food garden 