Afternoon Tea Remembrances

[Isabelle Prondzynski]

Posted on behalf of Barrie Evans


Hi to all forum members.

As the Diamond Jubilee Celebration's start today,and all the parties get going, i thought that it would be nice to look back at some celebration party photos i took in the Queens room on my Q E 2 cruises



With the famous white glove service for the usual afternoon tea in the Queens room, it was such a delight to be served one afternoon with lots of extras, which you can see in the photos. Yum Yum !



For all the forum members who have had their afternoon tea in the Queens room, I'm sure that this short story has brought back some very happy memories for all of us. (More Tea Vicar)

GOD SAVE THE  Q E 2  QUEENS ROOM




In friendship
Barrie & Jean

[Isabelle Prondzynski]

Thank you, Barrie, for having started this celebratory topic, with lovely photographs taken on board QE2.

The photo competition for May 2012 contained further pictures of celebrations on QE2, which we remember as all kinds of happy moments :

https://www.theqe2story.com/forum/index.php/topic,4367.0.html

Maybe there are more such memories we could add here?

[Isabelle Prondzynski]

The photo competition for April 2014 has "Afternoon Tea" as its subject matter :

https://www.theqe2story.com/forum/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=113

Some photos have already been uploaded, and we hope that many more will be coming. This was such a legendary part of the QE2 style and service, which has never been equalled since...

[June Ingram]

What are your memories of Afternoon Tea aboard our QE2 ?  What was your favorite delicacy ?  Why might a particular date be important to you ?  How did afternoon tea aboard our QE2 make you feel ?  What if you could go back in time ?   

[cunardqueen]

Nothing for me has ever come close to the whole Afternoon tea experience on QE2. Yes most of the other grand hotels offer it, but the price is reflected in this and it must be one of the most hyped up charge there is. The Ritz eg offer it from 11.30 -7pm for around £55 Gleneagles for £30 and  a recent trip there confirmend it was hopeless. Grosvenor House do a very good service and its as close as l have experienced, HOWEVER QE2 uses T bags and you must question is it fresh t bags in every pot or just topped up with hot water from the water urns behind the Queens Room.

The other named places do use tea leafs and tea strainers, which can be an lot of fuss generally they pour the first cup and you do the rest yourself, QE2 it was always poured for you. QE2 it was generally over by 4.45 -5pm but you had to be in your seats in the Queens Room before 4pm or head to the Lido, which did make for a nice change.

Then there was the finger sandwiches, always Egg and the Cucumber for me, all nice and neat on the servers tray, the scones and cakes l always loved the little fruit tarts. and before you knew it it was over.
And it was a great way to meet other passengers, find an vacant seat and it was sorted.

Afternoon tea for me since QE2 has never been the same since.
I was very fortunate to be able to have my final QE2 Afternoon Tea on her last day in Southampton.

   

[June Ingram]

Thank you very much, Myles, for your remembrances of Tea aboard our QE2 !   

[Adam Hodson]

I'd love to have been able to have afternoon tea onboard her.

[Isabelle Prondzynski]

What are your memories of Afternoon Tea aboard our QE2 ?  What was your favorite delicacy ?  Why might a particular date be important to you ?  How did afternoon tea aboard our QE2 make you feel ?  What if you could go back in time ?   

We were not great regulars at afternoon tea. Maybe we just ate too much at the main meals! Also, afternoon tea often clashed with our excursions on the one hand, or with a relaxed siesta on the other.

But I do remember occasionally returning from an excursion, longing for a cup of tea, and flopping into one of those large blue chairs in the corner of the Queen's Room, stretching out my legs and relaxing. What I then remember with great appreciation and gratitude, is how the waiters would notice me, how I would apologise for being very late, and how they would bring me a whole plateful of all sorts of goodies, together with the necessary tea. What remains uppermost in my memory is the absolute kindness of the crew on duty.

On other days, I would just turn up to take some photographs of the scene, of the goodies and of the crew.

[Lynda Bradford]

Like you Isabelle I only occasionally had afternoon tea, but it was a lovely experience, being waited on with delicious cakes and sandwiches and listening to the harpist or string quartet.

Picture of me in 2004 (I think) waiting patiently for afternoon tea treats.

[Thomas Hypher]

Likewise we only did it occasionally in Queens Room partly due to it being so well subscribed and we usually went to the Lido instead for Afternoon Tea, but I remember those occasions and what a treat it was - the cucumber sandwiches were my favourite but we were not shy with all the treats!

[Rod]

One of the chefs once worked out that the amount of food consumed should have fed 3 times the amount of people that attended!

[Thomas Hypher]

One of the chefs once worked out that the amount of food consumed should have fed 3 times the amount of people that attended!

I can quite believe that!