The holidays are steeped in heritage and culture at the Pendray Inn and Tea House on Victoria’s scenic Inner Harbour.
Now through Feb. 29, 2020, guests staying in one of the inn’s immaculately appointed Victorian-era rooms or passersby drawn in by the classic Christmas tree and decorations can celebrate the season with an enchanting Winter Afternoon Tea.
Sales and Marketing Manager Julia Canton says the seasonal offerings created by their talented chef – soup, tea sandwiches, freshly-baked scones and pastries – are available as a set $58 menu or a la carte.
Returning favourites include roasted butternut squash soup with maple creme fraiche, roasted turkey, cranberry and dijon tea sandwiches, scones served with holiday-spiced, Devonshire-style clotted cream, spiced pumpkin tarts, and more.
New to the dessert section of the menu this year are a flourless chocolate cake with candy cane topping and profiteroles with chai caramel sauce infused with tea.
Of course, tea makes an appearance in more than the caramel sauce. True to the quintessential English custom, the Winter Afternoon Tea includes premium TWG Tea served in delicate china.
The Pendray Tea House, Canton added, is the only establishment on Vancouver Island that serves TWG Tea, a Singapore-based purveyor of over 1,000 single-estate, fine harvest teas and exclusive holiday blends.
For families with children, she said, the Pendray Tea House offers a children’s menu with familiar flavours, such as a sweet tea sandwich made with Nutella.
“And if you don’t want to have tea but you want to see the historic manor, which was formerly known as the Gatsby Mansion, you can come in for a tour, cookies and hot chocolate in the drawing room.”
The Pendray Tea House – a window into the late 19th-century with its rich wood accents, original stained glass windows and antique furnishings – is open seven days a week at 309 Belleville St. in Victoria. Afternoon Tea is served Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Friday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Reserve a table online by visiting opentable.com. Reservations are highly recommended.
For more information call the Pendray Inn and Tea House at 250-388-3892 or email info@pendrayinnandteahouse.com.