Two weeks ago my daughter, Rachel, and I made the three and a half hour drive from Detroit to Massillon, Ohio for a major tea event at the Amherst Rose. Jane Pettigrew, tea historian, author and former London tea room owner was the guest speaker at the elegant Victorian tea room owned by Mary Jane Corwin and her husband, Carl.
First alerted of Jane's upcoming visit to the States by Elmwood Inn Tea's newsletter, I sent a note to Bruce Richardson for more details for The Detroit Tea Examiner. He kindly directed me to Mary Jane, who was hosting her own Jane Pettigrew event at her tea room in Ohio - a closer drive for most Michiganders. After a twenty minute phone conversation with Mary Jane two things were certain: I was attending the June 11th afternoon tea and I felt like I just hung up with a friend I had known for years.
When the day finally arrived, Rachel and I made it to Massillon with time to spare at the sold-out event and were greeted warmly by both Jane and Mary Jane. The beautifully restored and richly decorated Victorian tea room housed lavish tea tables set with china, crystal, tea-cup-picture-name-cards and a tea swag bag worthy of the best red carpet event.
The swag bag contained a tea pot picture frame, a tea towel, Tea A Magazine, measuring spoons (for recipes that require a “pinch” and a “dash”), tea cards and tea samples. What a treat! - and this was before the multi-course afternoon tea and Jane's fascinating presentation on “The Social History of Tea”.
It was an amazing afternoon tea: charming hosts, captivating speaker, excellent savories, sweets and tea and a tea swag bag to hold treasures as well as many great memories.
For more details on the complete menu and some of the highlights of Jane Pettigrew's tea talk, see our recent article in The Detroit Tea Examiner.
