A Proper Britsh Tea

I braved the snow yesterday to have a proper British tea with the ladies club around here.  It was hosted at the lovely Cedar Court Hotel (which theoretically is a Best Western, but still a lovely old hotel!).  It was great fun to get dressed up, attempt to be on our best British manners, and catch up with other Americans around here.  A few things that I got to enjoy / try that are quintessentially British: 

• Coronation Chicken Sandwich: This is a traditional tea sandwich I had not tried, but it's like an Indian-style chicken salad.  It tasted much better than it looked.  I also enjoyed the standard cucumber sandwich, of course. 
• Bakewell Tart: I had never tried a Bakewell Tart, but it was fabulous.  Tiny pies with raspberry jam and almond paste.  If you're here, you must try.
• Scones (duh!): With a huge bowl of clotted cream (swoon....!!) and jam 

The tea was vintage-themed, so I wore my fabulous costume jewelry from my brother's estate jewelry shop.  For those that love pretties, you can check it out online.  I also got to wear my amazing vintage cork purse.  I bought it almost 5 years ago on our trip to Argentina at the San Telmo market and am always looking for the occasion to wear it.  Only challenge..it barely fits my cell phone!

The spread.  See the Bakewell Tart on the bottom left as well as the huge bowl of clotted cream! Delish! 

It's always a good day for a fascinator:

One of my most treasured items...my vintage cork purse: