Today I’m in sugar heaven as I visit with Jessica Hillbrick of A Little Afternoon Tea. High tea is really growing in popularity of late, particularly as a classy alternative to a wild hen’s night, and I love that it’s perfect for mums and grandmas of the bride to attend too. Imagine an afternoon with your bridesmaids, best girlfriends and relatives that takes place in the comfort of your own home but where you don’t have to lift a finger. A Little Afternoon Tea specialize in bringing everything you need for a beautiful high tea with everything from cakes to savouries to tea and crockery.
Jessica trained as a pastry chef with Le Cordon Bleu in London and found herself fascinated with the time-honoured tradition of afternoon tea. Upon her return to Australia she decided to set up a business based around celebrating special occasions with high tea and A Little Afternoon Tea was born.
The team make their own gourmet sandwiches, savouries, cakes and of course scones for their high teas and there’s even a children’s menu available. You can book a tiny high tea for a baby shower or birthday and they can even cater for an entire high tea wedding!
This past year Jessica expanded the business to a new home in Melbourne’s leafy suburb of Malvern which includes a commercial grade kitchen and lots of storage for her beautiful collection of crockery and props. Jessica also needed a bigger space as she expanded the team with a new pastry chef to cope with cake demands. I love the vintage crockery and beautiful tiered high tea stands!
Jessica tells me she came upon the space by chance and it was perfect as she only had to make a few small adjustments, like a specialized chocolate fridge. “Chocolate temperature was never a problem in London” laughs Jessica, “But as soon as I moved here I realized my handmade creations would need a little more care”.
The space can get very busy during wedding season with two pastry chefs and up to six servers working away in the space. Jessica prefers to meet clients in their own homes or at the chosen high tea venue so she can see the space. It must be such a bonus for her clients to have her knowledge of what will work and look best to ensure they have the most divine afternoon tea celebration!
Images via A Little Afternoon Tea
Ms Chinoiserie Says: Such a gorgeous way to celebrate with your bridesmaids – I’ll have an eclair and a cup of Earl Grey from the beautiful silver tea pot please!
About Amelia Waddell of Make Your Day Wedding Styling: I’m a wedding stylist and proud store owner who loves to chat weddings with everyone and anyone! I love to talk shop with other business owners (particularly over some chocolate cake!) and am the first to try and have a sticky beak behind the scenes of any event. My free time is spent ‘investigating’ new cafes, stores and events.
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