Is it just sitting on a stool that makes it High Tea?

Can you spot the anomaly?

Are we really in England?

So here we were, sitting in Marks & Spencer a few thousand miles from home deliberating about what we should have to eat for our very first meal on English soil. Regardless of our choice, there were some surprises in store for us. First and foremost for me, was the fact that M&S even had a deli counter where one could get food and drink. If this was available back in my period of residence in the UK, it would have been a cafeteria offering fish & chips or sandwiches! 

The first clue should have been that Belgian cookie sitting innocently on the side of my cuppa. What’s wrong with digestive or Rich Tea! Watch out! The Europeans are coming….. And what’s that that the server is brewing there? Well, I do believe it’s espresso. And what’s more, even though you can’t see it well in this shot, the majority of the patrons sitting at this counter have glasses of wine (mostly French) in front of them. Quick let’s get down to the South coast immediately and block up that darned tunnel!

Now THAT's English!

Not to be deterred by the apparent drastic erosion of our mutual British heritage, Dorothy and I plodded on and gamely ordered ‘High Tea’ not being too sure exactly what we might receive! Although the tea with the Belgian cookie was perhaps a harbinger of worse to come, we were very pleasantly surprised when our order arrived.

What you see pictured tasted every bit as good as it looked. The first tier consisted of three small sandwiches with cucumber, smoked salmon and egg salad respectively. The second tier was a warm flaky scone served with strawberry jam and clotted cream. Finally, on top was a small pastry with a fruit filling. As you can see, presentation, which is half of the battle when serving food, was excellent and we would heartily recommend this treat if you happen to be in the area.

One extra bonus was that the waitstaff obviously were enjoying themselves and were playful with each other and the patrons. The bill at just 6.50 (around $10) was also easily digested.

You can find more details and pictures of  our recent trip on our sister site w3junkie.com

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