A Savory Afternoon Tea by the Fireside

Brrrrr, it’s been a cold day on Prince Edward Island.  Our first cold snap of the season.  Temperatures were around -13C but, with the wind chill, it certainly felt a lot colder than that.  A good day to curl up by the fireside with some tasty food and a good cup of tea.

Was overseas to New Brunswick yesterday and, of course, that meant a stop at Tony’s Bistro and Pâtisserie in Moncton.  I introduced you to this great French Pâtisserie back in November (click here for the link to the story).

We had lunch at Tony’s yesterday and, naturally, I had to bring home some goodies that we could have for afternoon tea today.  Ready to have a peek?

Let’s start with these tasty little quiches.  Nice flaky pastry, these were delicious!

Then, there was the White Chocolate Rocher cake. This was seriously rich and decadent!  Layers of decadence!

Did you check out the little white meringue trees?  Light as air.

My choice of tea today was the Lady Slipper Blend from Lady Baker’s Tea Trolley.  You can read the story I previously published on this tea company by clicking here.

The China cups and saucers are Royal Vale but I could find no pattern name on them.

This will be my last afternoon tea of 2014 so thank you to those who have visited my tea table over the past year. I will also be joining Sandi’s last Tea Time party of the year over at Rose Chintz Cottage.

And, if you find yourself in Moncton, New Brunswick, I recommend a visit to Tony’s Bistro and Pâtisserie at 137 McLaughlin Drive.

Happy New Year, everyone!

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Poinsettia Trio Tablesetting

Throughout the holiday season, I am known to change tablesettings several times depending on number of guests and type of dining (e.g., brunch, lunch, dinner, etc.).  That, however, doesn’t mean that I don’t rejig and re-use some of the same elements in more than one tablesetting.

I recently shared my tablesetting for an intimate dinner for four where I clustered three poinsettias in the center of the small round table and set a miniature poinsettia at each place setting.  To view this tablesetting, click here.

Today, I have turned my table back into its oval shape, bought more miniature poinsettias for guest favours but have used the same three small poinsettias for the table centerpiece.  This is a very economical way to achieve a centerpiece for more than one dinner party (and less work!).  Instead of clustering the 3 poinsettias into a centerpiece, I have placed them at equal distance apart down the center line of the table.

I have decided that, this year, I want my tablesettings to show the maple wood in my table as opposed to covering it up with a full tablecloth.  I bought the placemats and matching napkins on a trip to San Juan and it’s a wonderful memory of a great vacation each time I dress my table with them.

Letting the wood of the table show lends a slightly more casual look to the table than does a tablecloth.

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I purchased several of the miniature poinsettias at the beginning of the season and have used them on bed trays, tea tables and, of course, at placesettings on the dinner table.

The miniature poinsettias came in little plastic terracotta pots so I simply wrapped them in gold sparkly netting and tied them with gold cord for a festive look.  They make great take-away guest favours.

For those who regularly follow my tablescape segment on my food blog, you will recall that I have previously said that, if you aren’t knacky with, or don’t have time to do, fancy napkin folds, then a simple and effective way is to simply use a napkin ring and roll or fluff the napkin through the ring.

However, if you don’t have napkin rings, all you really need is a spool of pretty ribbon to tie around the napkin as I have done here with a sheer organza wire-edged ribbon that bears the words “Merry Christmas” in gold glittery print, again tying in the gold color and the red of the poinsettias.

The photo below shows the individual placesetting.  You don’t need expensive formal China to set a pretty table.  This one is set with basic everyday ironstone dinnerware. Again, I am using my basic gold chargers to tie in with the poinsettia gold pots.

The photo below shows an overhead view of my colorful Christmas table.

To view other Christmas and New Year’s Tablesettings, click on the links below:

Glitz ‘n Glamour New Year’s Eve Tablesetting
Twas the Night Before Christmas
The Warmth of the Christmas Light Tablesetting
A Tartan Holiday Tablesetting
Pretty Poinsettia Tablesetting
Christmas Eve Tablesetting and Dinner
The Holiday Table
The Pink and Green Holiday Table
Christmas at My Island Bistro Kitchen
Purple Tablesetting for the Holidays
Evergreens and Reindeer Christmas Tablesetting
Cupcake Tablescape

Thank you for visiting “the Bistro” today. There are lots of ways to connect with “the Bistro” through social media:

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Follow the Bistro’s tweets on twitter @PEIBistro
Find the Bistro on Pinterest at “Island Bistro Kitchen
Follow along on Instagram at “peibistro