High Tea at the Shangri-La

Nothing says indulgence in such a way as a high tea can. I went with friends from my newcomers Bible study group to high tea last week at the Shangri-La Rose Veranda for a late morning tea.  It came with a full buffet of traditional sandwiches (cucumber, egg, crest, fish paste, ham, smoked salmon), scones, and finally a huge array of cakes, pastries, and caviar served on elaborate silver tiered trays and beautifully arranged. 

Shangri-La served over 100 types of tea; an amazing selection of flavors, types and aromas.

Do you see the silver fancy 'spoon' on the right of the tea?  That is a tea strainer.  As you tip the spoon towards you, the strainer stays level and you pour the tea through it, straining it as it pours.  Once you are finished, you tip the spoon back up to the normal position of holding it and the 'drips' land in the spoon.  A must have.  Now, where do I get one?

Even the finest of linens and silver are used:

A little history of the tea:

Traditionally, at a high tea, loose tea is brewed in a teapot and served in teacups with milk and sugar.

I only took pictures of the desserts - they screamed for attention:

The high tea was a new 'first' experience for me - but one loved by many in Singapore and one I dreamed experiencing at least once while here.  I probably will not take the opportunity to do it again, yet I enjoyed it tremendously.  Visiting it with my new friends from the 'Bible Study' group was a wonderful experience that I will treasure for years to come. 

Thanks to the leaders for all the hard work and to all the girls for making this session a fascinating one - the entire newcomers experience - and the tea.  What a life  :-)  Having you in it makes it even better.  I will miss our weekly excursions, but I hope to see some of you in the new classes - and hopefully we can still do a few things together.  May your days ahead be as special as this one.