The UK seems to be awash with tea sets, tea parties and cupcakes; the more the merrier, say I.
Poppy Greens is a welcome addition to the vintage tea party, providing elegant china hire, the obligatory bitesize sweet treats and very pretty ‘cottage garden’ flowers.
The collections of china are just on the right side of twee, and the cakes go for restrained and delicate mounds of buttercream rather than the rather lurid, Candy Cakes style offerings that seem to be increasing in popularity, much to my bewilderment.
The flowers – not offered by most of the cake specialists – are a particularly nice touch and are cut from the owners’ gardens or local organic growers. They tend towards the simple, pretty, fragrant and homely, and obviously have a lower carbon footprint than those from high street florists that import flowers.
My favourite part of the site, however, has to be Tea at Aunty Vera’s ,which pays tribute to the author’s inspirational auntie, who at 101 is still going strong.