Planning started back in November: what were we going to do for our annual New Year’s Tea?
The problems were two-fold. First is the usual catch with Alex’s wheat allergy – not everywhere does a “gluten free” Afternoon Tea service. Second, none of our usual go-tos – one of the Fairmonts – were serving Afternoon Tea on New Years Day. (Well, the one in Victoria – the Empress – was, but that seemed a bit far to go, even for us.)
Thus Jean had embarked on an epic bout of research, trying to pin down the best options. It was going to have to be a day before or after New Years Day, and given that our return trip needs to start on the 2nd, it basically meant before.
In the options she reviewed with me (because, somehow, I’m the Master of Tea Ceremonies?), she identified a place in Fort Langley that sounded (on paper) rather nice. And more importantly, close – no hour-long excursions into the heart of Vancouver. (I love you Vancouver, I do truly do, but the trip in can be absolutely hellish.)
Thus we came to the Little White House for tea. And let me tell you, this threw me for a loop, and might well be my favourite tea experience in a long, long time.
From the outside, the Little White House looks like a turn-of-the-previous-century two-storey clapboard home turned into a boutique store, selling clothing and accessories that my mother would like. And that’s when I left the store to double-check that I had, in fact, gone in the right door.
That’s when I saw the “Tea Check In” sign on the front desk, written in chalk. And a woman confirmed our reservation, and took us back, winding through a room of decor, into a narrow room with a table with six seats, which she thankfully passed by into another room with smaller tables, then pointed to a room off the room with another table with six.
It was cutest strange sitting I’d ever seen. There was even a little electric fireplace.
Tea came with little champagne bottles, served in glasses rimmed with buttercream and sprinkles. The tea was in three pots (we could only have three), which were regularly refilled. The tea comestibles were sandwiches (an overly peppery but otherwise delicious chicken salad, cucumber and cream cheese), a “bowtie sausage roll” that everyone else told me was potato, cookies, a lemon tart, and a macaron.
It was just as good, and likely more in volume, as any Fairmont we’ve ever had. And likely a lot less expensive, too. But I would certainly recommend it, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we came back.
