Would You Care for a Spot of Tea?

Tea. It's not something that I've really ever been too jazzed by, but when in London, do as the Londoners do: tea time every afternoon.

My first teatime of my recent trip was at a local Primrose Hill cafe. Now, I'm not the kind of girl that can do the straight up stuff yet, so I enjoyed my tea with cream and sugar. Mmmmmm.

Little did I know that this experience was just the prelude to the mother of all tea experiences.

St. James's Restaurant at the famed Fortnum & Mason (aka The Queen's Grocer) is the absolute mecca for the perfect high tea experience. (Who am I kidding? F&M is a mecca for all things food period.) This amazing mercantile has been in Piccadilly London since 1707, and has every kind of tea, biscuit, cookie, jam and chocolate you could ever imagine. And so much more.

Our "high tea" reservations began with a toast and glass of rose bubbly - cheers!

Soon after, a three-tier tray of tea sandwiches, scones and pastries arrived...

which we slathered with sweet, juicy homemade jam, marmalade and clotted cream.

After perusing a multi-page book of tea varieties, we finally settled on two distinct F&M blends: Royal Blend and Regent's Blend. Hints of spice and herb and citrus flavors permeated the air the moment the hot water hit the leaves (yes, leaves; this is real tea, not instant).

Aren't I fancy?

As if the food weren't enough, just take a gander at the atmosphere...classical music being played on a shiny black grand piano; large, lush, fragrant floral arrangements displayed around the restaurant; and soft, plush chairs and couches covered in rich, luscious fabrics.

At any moment, I fully expected Ms. Jane Austen herself to walk in and join us.

Headed to the Borough

I just got back from a trip across The Pond. Yep, that's right. I had the opportunity to take two weeks and visit my dear friend, Dr. Nellie, while she was finishing up a bit of studying in London.

My next several posts will be about my adventures with Dr. Nellie...beginning with our trip to London's famed and beloved Borough Market.

I first became aware of this wonderland of food when I saw it on Ina Garten's London special during the holidays last year. Knowing I was headed there in the spring, I have pretty much been obsessed ever since.

The market is made up of of hundreds of vendors selling everything from piping hot Hunstman Pie...

to giant, steaming pots of paella...

to sweet and savory homemade marmalades...

to pastries that will make you want to cry...

and everything in between.

Walking around the market with a zillion of your closest friends takes some patience, but it's hard to really lose your cool when you realize that you are milling through this foodie mecca with your own people.

I mean, how can you fault someone for stopping in the middle of the isle because they just tasted the creamiest, richest cheese of their life? Or for taking 20 minutes in line ahead of you to decide which of the homemade truffles - dark, white, milk, cayenne, chai, strawberry... - is "the" one? I just don't think you can.

If I were an athlete, experiencing Borough Market would definitely be like winning the Superbowl or the World Series.

Dr. Nellie and I roamed and roamed, ogling at all the delights...then, suddenly, there it was: The Flour Station. This is the very vendor where the Barefoot Contessa herself purchased an unbelievably gooey, glistening sweet roll on her trip to Borough Market. I must have one.

I had stood where Ina had been. Happy, happy girl.

After a couple hours of exploring all the cracks and crevices of the market, we picked up some sandwiches and a glass of cold cider to wash them down (I literally watched them pour my cider straight from the cask!) and sat down to rest our feetsies for a bit before heading back to the flat.

Words cannot even begin to describe the swelling in my heart that Saturday morning.  Sheer and utter thrill, complete amazement, crazy wonderment. I felt as if I had come home walking through the market bustling with people, smelling the aromas of the bounties of this earth (and some from grandma's kitchen) and truly savoring every moment.

Cheers!