High Tea in Hermosa Beach

A few weeks ago I had a serious yen to head back to London for high tea.  Maybe it's all the royal baby fever, maybe its the bouts of June Gloom we have going on here in LA...either way, I was craving the comfort of remembering a fantastic vacation and the serenity that a little afternoon tea brings to an otherwise typical day.  And a trip all the way back to London feels a little extreme :>)

So instead I decided to "re-create" high tea right here in Hermosa Beach!  Well, its our Southern California-ized version.  

Here's what you need:

**Vintage Tea Cups** 

Collected over the years at various antique stores, flea markets, Gramma and Pop Pop's house!

**Tea spoons**

I absolutely adore these gold plated sets from West Elm..super fun, super fancy, completely unexpected

**Tea and Teapot**

I used the loose leaf Earl Gray tea I purchased from the Tower of London.

Find a similar glass, loose leaf tea pot here.

**Pretty Tray to hold all the goodies**

In London, it's very typical to drink your tea with a little cream and sugar.

The high teas we experienced in London came with all sorts of delicious snacks: Biscuits with jam, scones, little cucumber sandwiches.  For our So Cal version I served this simple Tuscan Salad I shared with y'all a few weeks ago.  See recipe here.

I always find the ritual of making tea to be very soothing and inspiring.  And adding a few easy details (like using vintage teacups and fancy flatware) makes it a fun, festive way to honor a vacation and celebrate summer time.

Cheers to you!