The It's Almost Christmas Tea

It has been about 10 years since I retired from a 23 year long career with Tupperware Canada.  I started when my kids were little and myself a stay at home mom.  At some point I needed to get out of the house and I joined the company.  First, as a consultant doing home parties, rising through the ranks,  and at the end I worked with Corporate and was in charge of some Kiosk programme in the malls.

Interestingly enough, it is because of Tupperware that I am a Tea Sommelier and created a side business whilst still working with the company.  I had earned a trip to Victoria BC, and was treated to my first Afternoon Tea.  I remember thinking, now wouldn't that be a great way of doing a themed Tupperware party and resolved to speak to headoffice about the idea.  Little did I know that we just gotten a new CEO, who came from the Darjeeling region and was introduction TEA and tea parties into our Tupperware portfolio.   My glass teapots are still from that time.

Serendipity I would call it, we worked out a great model for tea service within the party concept and at the same time I saw a workshop for High Tea at the local Chefs College, which I attended.  My background is in Hospitality and I always kept taps on what is "new" in the industry.  Out of that workshop, the Tea Sommelier Certification programme was born and I along with some of the ladies you met on my first blog were it's first graduates, after 2 years of studies.

For this tea I had invided my dear friend Aniheeta, who used to be my upline when I was still a consultant, and Surinder who was a colleague I worked with at the kiosks and Marie Therese, my team leader at Corporate with the kiosk programme.  M.T. as we call her lives now in Abu Dhabi with her husband and twin girls. Each year for Christmas they come home to Canada for a few weeks.  So we got together (without Aniheeta who had the flu) for an Afternoon Tea, the last of the series.

 Surinder is a Vegetarian, so I created a new sandwich for her  and M.T. had never experienced an Afternoon Tea, and I wanted her to have a memorable experience.

 Toasting to a long overdue reunion, we are off to a great start!

I had staged the table before they came, in case I had no time once they arrived.

This time the Tardis delivered the Kengsington Palace scones with golden sprinkles

Egg Salad Sandwiches

Hummus and Avocado and Lettuce

Cucumber Christmas Tree

Candy Cane Smoked Salmon

Watermelon an Chestnuts

I also served some hot vegetarian samosas

My desserts included some of my Christmas baking and Persian pastry.  I served Indian Chai with the sweets and regular Earl Grey with the Savories.

With this, my travels with the Tardis are at an end.  Aside from helping me host some very dear friends, it witnessed the collection of over 1000 purses filled with hygiene products and niceties that were handed out to Women Shelters all over York Region.  Also very much present each day as I rehearsed my lines for the upcoming production of The Vagina Monologues, another fundraising event, in which I will be presenting the Flood. Tardis was still in the house as we celebrated a wonderful Family Christmas.  

Now on its way to Calgary to the next Hostess where I am sure the Canadian adventure continues.

Happy New Year Everyone!

PROSIT 2016!