Highlights from Elsworth at the Mill’s ‘New Zealand Afternoon Tea’!
A taste of New Zealand, without needing your passport!
At the Mill this weekend, we experienced a taste of New Zealand in ‘the gateway to the dales’. Our very own chef Pia, all the way from down under in New Zealand, enlightened us to a wonderful spin on the quintessentially British afternoon tea. We were royally spoiled with a union of Pia’s 17 years of experience as a chef, and her Kiwi roots, resulting in a variety of authentic, delicious high tea goodies.
‘New Zealand afternoon tea’ was a novelty for many of us attending the high tea, so you may, like we were, be wondering ‘well, what was on the menu?!’. First was a botanical, refreshing, classic ‘Pimms’ and lemonade upon arrival, served with plenty of fresh strawberries, cucumber, and orange, and garnished with fresh mint. Whether a glass of ‘Pimms’, or a tee-total chilled, sparkling rhubarb, guests kicked back and enjoyed the view of The Mill’s ‘back garden’, the beautiful Skipton Woods, from our very own rustic but modern, charming stone walls.
Pia ‘never expected how different Kiwis eat in comparison to the Yorkshire folk’, so she was excited to introduce us to some New Zealand classics such as ‘Ginger Kisses’, ‘Lamingtons’, and ‘Louise cake’, with a teacup of extra gravy … just kidding!
I would totally understand if you couldn’t resist inhaling a chocolate Lamington before anything else, a gorgeous sponge cake, and chocolate, and coconut, what more could we ask for? But naturally, we enjoyed a selection of sandwiches including a classic Salmon and Cream Cheese, creamy Chicken, Fennel and Mayonnaise, and a salty-sweet Halloumi and Honey. We ditched the jam and cream for today, and opted for a fresh-out-the-oven Cheese and Zucchini scone; our award-winning chef made award-winning jokes as he asked ‘what’s the fastest cake in the world?’, ‘Scone’, the joke’s (s)gone!
A great day to have a sweet tooth, we enjoyed a wide range of New Zealand’s classic sweet treats, including beautifully light ‘Ginger Kisses’, with a creamy lemon filling, rich, nutty, chocolate ‘Afghan Biscuits’ and gorgeous ‘Louise Cakes’ with the dream combination of raspberry jam and fluffy coconut meringue … simply stunning.
So, ‘cheers!’ to amazing food and warm company, thank you for joining us at The Mill, we hope to see you next time!