Where to High Tea (in Sydney!)

Since I last did a list of where to have afternoon tea in Sydney, lots has changed. Some of the places don’t exist any more sadly, so I thought after having a lovely high tea recently, it was time to update my list of go to places.

The last list I created was back in 2018, and I still stand by the recommendations that are still open, sadly Rabbit Hole Tea and Petal Met Sugar have since closed. However sometimes, it’s nice to do a bit more than afternoon tea, and celebrate something special with a high tea. 

Recently I went to have a high tea with friends at the QVB Tea Room - for those outside of Sydney or Australia, QVB is the Queen Victoria Building in the centre of Sydney city, a beautiful old building containing shops and cafes, well worth a visit if you are in Sydney. 

I have had high tea at the QVB in the past, but not for some time. I was pleasantly surprised at how nice everything on the high tea stand was, and my friends dietary requirements were able to be catered for as well (at no extra cost either). The room you sit in for high tea is elegant and beautiful and it’s just a really nice place to be. 

The group that run the QVB Tea Room also run the high tea at the Gunner’s Barracks in northern Sydney. The location is a bit more difficult to get to, but the views of the harbour and city are lovely. I have to say this high tea doesn’t change much, so I have found it’s not worth going back too often! 

For a more relaxed vibe, The Tea Cosy at The Rocks in Sydney does fantastic Devonshire teas, and do a high tea like offering, with scones and finger sandwiches. 

Outside of Sydney, the high tea at The Hydro Majestic hotel in Medlow Bath(Blue Mountains, NSW), is also worth a visit. The views of the Megalong Valley are stunning and there is also an option for an Eastern High Tea if you aren’t a fan of the regular scones, sandwiches and cakes. 

Where is your favourite place to enjoy high tea?

The Unexpected Perks of Lockdown

I was talking to a friend the other day, and we both agreed that small businesses pivoting to home delivery during lockdown has actually made some of these businesses more accessible to us than they have ever been before.

As much as I dream about travelling across Sydney to try some amazing looking food I’ve seen probably on Instagram, in reality, that dream remains just that, a dream. Mostly because it is completely impractical to spend the majority of a day travelling ages to buy a slice of cake. Plus even without lockdowns and the like, my desire to travel far and wide in my own city since the pandemic has reduced even lower than the relatively low levels I felt pre-pandemic. 

So being able to order almost anything online, not only allowed me to continue to support businesses, but try some products from businesses I probably never would have visited normally. 

Below are a few of my favourites I have tried during this now 11 week lockdown here in Sydney. What have you received via home delivery that you’ve really enjoyed lately?

Pepe Saya Butter - In pre-pandemic times I always found it hard to find a shop that stocked the majority if not all of the Pepe Saya range of butter and related products. Now I’ve found I can buy it all online, not only can I choose from the whole range, but the expiry dates on everything have a lot more leeway than what I could ever find in store. 

Butter Boy Bake - A fun cookie business I followed on Instagram with the vague thought that if I was ever in Manly where their store is, I might visit. Needless to say I haven’t been to Manly in many years and therefore never tried these cookies. Until Butter Boy Bake started delivering! Check their Instagram as they have select days where they will deliver to select suburbs on a rotating list. My favourite cookie was the birthday cake one!

Chiswick via Providoor - I’ve heard a bit about Providoor, and now there are quite a few restaurants on the Sydney version of the site. We ordered from Chiswick via Providoor recently and it was a really great meal, and dare I say, I enjoyed it more than going into an actual restaurant. 

Fabbrica Pasta - Another social media follow with vague hopes of one day visiting! Fabbrica regularly delivers within 7km of their store, however like Butter Boy select additional suburbs outside this radius each week to deliver also. Keep an eye out on their Instagram for the latest release of postcodes. I can highly recommend the Pork and Fennel Ragu. 

Brooklyn Boy Bagels (pictured above) - I got a delivery from Brooklyn Boy Bagels last Friday and it really made my day (possibly my whole week). Delivery was easy, and the range includes more than just bagels so I got a couple of loaves of challah and a sourdough as well. My freezer is now full of bread and I think that’s a good place to be.

Market Day & A Rhubarb Galette

A couple of Friday’s ago I drove over to the Beaches Markets. Held in Warriewood every Friday morning, they are brimming with fresh produce. I had wanted to go there for two reasons. First I had placed an order with Silvia at the Lost & Found Department, and opted to collect my order at the markets. This was mostly so I could look at all of Silvia’s wonderful wares in person! I also wanted to get some fresh rhubarb so I could re-create the rhubarb galettes made by Beth Kirby at the Slow Living Workshop the previous weekend. 

I came away from my morning at the markets with my order from the Lost & Found Department, plus some of Silvia’s famous muesli, some bagels from Brooklyn Boy Bagels, some fresh rhubarb and mixed baby tomatoes. 

On the way home I stopped off at the Antique and General Store in North Narrabeen. I have been visiting this shop (sometimes unwillingly) for a good twenty years now. My Mum loves antiques and this is a favourite shop of hers. I remember going there when I was little, and sometimes making out that I hated it, when actually I had begun to quite like looking at the old wares and antiques.

I re-created Beth’s rhubarb galette once I got home, using this recipe from her website. I soaked the rhubarb in sugar and a little rosewater. I added rosewater, as I like how it adds a sweetness to the otherwise earthy taste of the rhubarb. It is nice served soon after removing from the oven with some double cream.

Originally Posted September 23, 2014.

All baking, styling and photography for this post by Kathryn Vincent of Kulinary Adventures of Kath.

Slow Living - A Practical Workshop, September 6 & 7

This is my first non-recipe related post. Apologies if you were hoping for a new recipe. However, I attended this amazing and inspiring workshop on the weekend of the 6th and 7th of this month, and can’t possibly not write about it! Oh, and there are photos! 

The workshop was hosted by Luisa Brimble, an amazing Australian photographer, Beth Kirby of Local Milk Blog and Rebekka Seale of Camellia Fiber Company. The calibre and expertise of these three women meant that an opportunity to spend two days with them just couldn’t be missed. 

The workshop was held at Glenmore House. A perfect location for such an event, as everywhere we turned there was a moment or object waiting to be shot. The workshop also involved a handful of other women, all talented, creative and inspirational in their own right - Stacey Clark a witty and talented stylist from Perth, the generous Sneh Roy of Cook Republic, and the tasty and photogenic food for the weekend was provided by Hetty McKinnon of Arthur Street Kitchen, Anna Simamora of The Floury Baker and Claire Dickson-Smith.

The workshop focused on photography, blogging, natural dyeing, food and styling. On the first day Rebekka showed us how to dye linen and cotton with natural dyes and served as our in house model for shoots (thank you!). On both days we got to watch styling master Beth in action, as well as gain invaluable advice and experience from Luisa on photography. I got so much out of these two days, and I certainly don’t look at photography or styling in the same way as I did before the workshop. I feel just a little more confident in my abilities, especially in my ability to be creative. Being creative isn't something I would have attributed to myself in the past. However, being around like minded people has had this wonderful way of being an inspiration and catalyst for all the things brewing in the back of my mind.

As I had only bought my camera a couple of days before the workshop, I still had a lot to learn about it. On the first day I used my 14-42mm lens, and felt slightly frustrated about how my photos were turning out. I kept thinking, oh I can figure something out when I’m editing them. Then on the morning of the second day, I used up my first memory card and when I was swapping it over for another, I thought, why not change the lens as well? As soon as I started using my 40-150mm lens, I was suddenly getting some great shots. So now I am kinda kicking myself for persevering with the 14-42mm lens for so long, but everything is a learning process I guess. 

Thanks again to everyone who organised and ran the weekend, particularly Luisa, Beth and Rebekka. It was an honour to spend a couple of days with you all, and I hope another chance to spend time taking photos and learn from all of you comes my way again soon.

- day one - 

- day two - 

Originally Posted September 19, 2014.