Tea-time celebrated at Exbury!

Exbury’s second Tea Festival helped raise funds for Marie Curie Cancer Care with a Blooming Great Tea Party staged at the start of August. The quirky party had an Alice in Wonderland theme, with Alice, the Mad Hatter and the Queen of Hearts (aka Charlotte de Rothschild) all in attendance.
A traditional Japanese Tea Ceremony also took place over the weekend, where visitors were entranced by tea master Chizuko Kimura.

A brand new tea from Dorset company Spicers was amongst those offered for tasting, blended to celebrate the company’s 75th anniversary of blending and selling teas. Exhibitors joining Spicers on the main lawn included tea and coffee merchants Gillards of Bath, Cornish tea growers Tregothnan, the Sherston Tea Company, Ocha Tea, suppliers of Japanese green tea, specialist suppliers Grey’s Teas, teapigs, and, of course, PG Tips and Liptons.

Over 1600 visitors to the Festival enjoyed the chance to indulge in a real old-fashioned tea dance as a quartet from the Piccadilly Dance orchestra played in the main marquee, or took part in tours with head gardener John Anderson. “From Twig to Teapot” showed visitors - with a comprehensive Tea Trail - where to find Exbury specimens of Camellia sinensis – the shrub from which tea is produced.
Children were welcomed free throughout the Festival, and were catered for with competitions (including an Alice In Wonderland fancy dress parade), a junior tea trail, a teddy bears’ tea party, face painting, pottery painting and cake-making – with flowers. And visitors used tea-bags were “re-cycled” by the ladies from NAFAS, who were helped by children in preparing a stunning cup of tea collage!
Traditional cream teas were served and the whole event was staged as part of the Hampshire Food Festival.