A Taste of Britain: Winter Wonderland Tea (Wayne, PA)
Happy December 1st Steepers!
I'm excited to do a quick series on Christmas Teas this month! Starting off with my favorite tea spot: A Taste of Britain in Wayne, PA. You can find my blog on the history and general experience at A Taste of Britain here!
I have been attending A Taste of Britain's Winter Wonderland Tea since 2016 (if my memory serves me correctly)! My sister and I have made it an annual tradition and most years we go twice. This year my sister-in-law joined us for a complete sisters tea to kickoff the Christmas season!
As expected, A Taste of Britain is decked out for the holidays, including a Christmas tree and all! At your table, each diner receives a little gift to elevate the experience. A traditional English Christmas Cracker, better known in the U.S. as a popper.
Quick History of the Christmas Cracker: A Christmas Cracker is a cardboard paper tube, wrapped in brightly colored paper and twisted at both ends. There is a mechanism inside the cracker, that when the cracker is pulled apart it makes a loud “pop”. Inside the cracker there is a paper crown made from tissue paper, a joke on a slip of paper and a little gift.
Christmas crackers are a British tradition that dates back to Victorian times. There is some discrepancy on the exact date but most note the 1840s. The creation of the Christmas cracker is credited to London-based confectioner and baker Tom Smith. He was inspired to create the Christmas Cracker on a trip to Paris where he discovered the French bon bon which proved a hit at Christmas time. To encourage year-round sales, he added a small motto inside the wrapper. It is believed that the inspiration to add the "pop" was sparked by Tom Smith observing the crackling sound of a log fire.
And there we have the birth of the Christmas cracker. Now back to the Winter Wonderland Tea! My party was attended to by Sarah who is one of my favorite servers at A Taste of Britain. (But as mentioned in my previous blog, everyone who works here is absolutely lovely!)
The Menu: All of A Taste of Britain's special events start with a choice of a complimentary mimosa or non-alcoholic ribena spritzer. I have tried both and both are excellent, but this time my entire party went with the mimosas.
You also (of course) get a pot of loose leaf tea. They had three seasonal selections along with their eveyday selections. Their nutcracker sweet black tea is a yearly seasonal favorite. I really like this tea and bought a pack to make at home. Also their snow angel white tea returns every year. This year they added a seasonal banana tea. My sister tried this and said it tasted like warm, banana bread. She really enjoyed it.
The Winter Wonderland Tea is served in the traditional three tiers.
Savories: You get four savory items, 1) Mini Lobster Bisque, 2) Wild Mushroom, Bacon, & Gruyere Quiche, 3) Winter Spiced Lamb Meatball with Eggplant Caponata, 4) House-Cured Salmon with Herbed Cream Cheese Tea Sandwich. Everything was delicious!! We felt they were extra generous with the mini pieces of lobster in our bisque. I typically am not a fan of quiche, but they made the quiche wrapped in a pie crust, and it was SO GOOD. We were asked what our favorite thing was and we stumbled because we loved everything and couldn't decide.
Scone: The special scone for the Winter Wonderland Tea is a Chocolate Orange Scone. Interestingly enough, the base of this scone is not chocolate (which I prefer). It has chocolate chips and orange accents. It was a nice holiday combination.
Sweets: You get four mini desserts. 1) White Chocolate Peppermint Madeline, 2) Rich Chocolate Sachertorte, 3) Red Currant Creme Brulee, 4) Nutcracker Sweet Cream Puff. The nutcracker sweet cream puff was made with their nutcracker sweet tea. It was my favorite. It was so delicious. But my party was just obsessed with all the desserts.
As of Today: Because of the popularity of their Winter Wonderland Tea, every year they have been increasing dates. In 2023 they kicked off the Winter Wonderland Tea on Black Friday. Upcoming dates are December 2 & 3, December 9 & 10, December 16 & 17, and EVERY DAY from December 18 through January 1 (with the exception of Christmas Day). Reservations go quick but if the date you want is not available, keep checking as there are usually last minute cancellations! The Winter Wonderland Tea is $54 per person and there is also a children’s version available for $35 per child. You can make a reservation here.
Overall Rating: There is no way for me to be unbiased. I love A Taste of Britain. 5/5 teacups for their Winter WonderlandTea!
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