High Tea

Two weeks ago our church hosted a 'High Tea' to fundraise for Breast Cancer Research. I made some gluten and dairy-free nibbles and helped out with serving. 

After the event, which raised over $500, I had about 210 cups, saucers and plates to hand wash. Not really a chore for me because these were the gorgeous porceline gold rimmed tea sets of my mother's generation.  Each one was unique and I'd never seen so many in the one place before...it was vintage delight.

My mother has a crazy tea set...mostly floral and none of them matching. It was the fashionable thing to have different prints. Last year she was decluttering and I was able to choose some to keep for myself. So I chose these two gorgeous retro art deco and non-floral sets.

Not all tea sets from this era have the three pieces...they are hard to come by to purchase thesedays. But I love them. 


I haven't had these out to use yet...reserved for special tea drinking friends I guess, however, my everyday tea set is gorgeous too. It have many pieces from the Maxwell & Williams "Australian Botanticals" series featuring my favourite flowers in the world. 

About 15 years ago, a friend's mum, knowing my love for a 'pot of tea' she gave me her vintage 'Calico' two cup tea pot. I still have that tea pot and love to use it to make real leaf tea. 

My larger tea pot is a plain white Maxwell & Williams 4 cup capacity. I was able to purchase the cutest crocheted tea cosy for it last year. Appropriate for Halloween I guess.

I still keep my eye out for vintage tea sets when I go to op-shops but I think collectors snap them up before they hit the shelves. I could always collect some more of the floral ones my mum has I guess.

I do think that the world is made for coffee drinkers. At cafes it is rare to be served leaf tea in a pot or a china cup for that matter. I'd rather go home and make my own cup of tea instead.

Cuppa anyone?