Artists Fiona Jappy
Photo credit: Courtesy of the artist
Hello English language learners,
Just before Christmas, Kenny and I managed to sneak off to the Roman Camp Hotel, Callander for a luxury afternoon tea.
High Tea is quite a British concept, in this blog discover what it is, and why it features on our English language school food and drink menu!
An Introduction to High Tea
BuzzFeedVideo explores the topic of Afternoon Tea | Youtube
Be warned, this video contains a whole lot of cake-eating.
Learn English and British Culture | High Tea – the History
For those who don’t know, ‘High Tea’ is very British, and a relatively formal affair.
Traditionally, it was a fairly simple selection of sandwiches, scones and cakes served mid-afternoon in large ancestral houses.
The kind of mansion houses with servants (now mostly National Trust properties), which were big enough for the various family/guests to disperse for the day across the vast grounds on various outdoor activities (hunting, walking, riding, gardening, fishing, painting).
The household would reconvene mid-afternoon, warming themselves in front of a fire and reviving themselves with a selection of hot teas and cold snacks that the maids had laid out for them, presumably sharing aspects of their leisurely day, while fitting in a spot of food as they waited for the slightly more interesting cocktail hour. After which they would change into something less comfortable to tackle all the formalities of an evening meal.
High Tea at the Roman Camp Hotel
Photo credit: Blue Noun
High Tea | Treat Yourself!
This extra meal, known as High Tea or Afternoon Tea, is something that a few grand hotels across Scotland now specialise in.
Such hotels open their doors for non-guests to sample the good life in the form of a luxury afternoon combining silver-service waiting staff, copious pots of tea and a parade of small and plentiful tempting treats.
It’s all at less expense and entails (on the part of the guests at least) less formality than a full evening meal would at such a top establishment.
What do you wear to High Tea?
What ever you like!
In Scotland, High Tea isn’t necessarily a dress up occasion – unless you want to.
The Roman Camp assured me on the phone that it was ok to come to their afternoon tea in walking boots – as we were planning a hike first (to build up good appetite), but in the end, it was a rainy day and we chose to be lazy.
Many of Scotland’s oldest and nicest hotels are in outdoor sports locations and you’ll be surprised how many muddy guests or (sea soaked guests) wander in to quite fancy locations.
Ruth enjoying High Tea at the Roman Camp Hotel
Photo credit: Blue Noun
So How Was High Tea?
To be entirely honest, the High Tea is a culture that neither of Kenny and I are used to, and while many people in our circumstances seem to get a kick out of jumping class for an afternoon, neither of us were completely convinced by the elements of performance it entailed.
It felt strange being waited on so attentively and I’m just not used to sitting about not working in the afternoon!
High Tea should feel like a luxuriously indulgent treat, but in reality it felt rather wasteful (is it just me that doesn’t want to eat so many cakes and scones in one meal? That’s a whole week’s worth of puddings!!)
Kenny all scrubbed up for High Tea at the Roman Camp Hotel
Photo credit: Blue Noun
Get Over Your Scottish Thriftiness! How was the food?
To begin with, we give the Roman Camp a bit of homework, as I eat gluten-free, and Kenny and I are both vegetarian. We’d phoned ahead and they coped superbly with both requirements – I was particularly delighted by my fresh GF scone!
“I wanted to cry out, ‘free the chef!’
and
‘Why waste skill like that on sandwiches?”
Ruth, 2019
Strathearn Cheese
Photo Credit: Blue Noun
Our region has so much beautiful local produce, a High Tea not showcasing it is a wasted opportunity.
English Language School Food and Drink
Scotland produces such amazing cheeses and local produce, and while a traditional high tea, cramped by its own pretensions can absorb them as quality ingredients, it doesn’t really show them off unfettered.
I guess the high tea experience as a whole is more about sampling an unchanging, old-fashioned, decadent lifestyle for a day – and it is still loved exactly because it doesn’t change much.
However, if (like me) you are all about learning something new about the food you eat, as you eat it then it is probably worth saving (much) harder and getting let loose in the evening restaurant – for that first mouthful told me that there’s a chef in there who’ll rock your world, and I’d pick unknown (and potentially sublime) over the weight of traditional any day.
I was glad that the restaurant experience felt less stuffy than I was expecting but I don’t think High Tea is part of the Scottish Culture I feel excited about showing off.
A Charming Time of Year
The High Tea is a pleasant adventure, but the restaurant promises to be very special indeed.
The Roman Camp Hotel by night
Photo credit: Blue Noun
Language School Food and Drink | Further Reading
Visit the Roman Camp Hotel website here.
Want to know more about our Language School food and drink philosophy? Read:
Language School Event | Burns Night | The Traditions We Broke – and Why?
A quick note from the author
We began the Blue Noun blog back in 2019, when we called ourselves a ‘language school’ (we now call ourselves a language hub) and we were building up our business completely from scratch.
Our first few months were spent making friends in the community, researching homestay hosts for our language guests and finding out about all the good local places and activities to take our language learning guests.
In 2021 we moved the Blue Noun website to a different platform. We had the option of deleting these old blogs – they are very different form our current, more pedagogic style of posting, but I think they are quite charming to see how our young business grew, turning from a language school run by an artist – into a language hub which really began to focus on coaching artists in English by immersing them in creative environments.