miss b's quote

'I haven't been everywhere yet but it's on my list' Susan Sontag

Friday 20 June 2014

miss b loves .......a surprise afternoon tea and 'couture' nail polish.



Regular readers of my blog already know about my obsession with afternoon tea and a surprise visit to Great John Street Hotel in Manchester was the highlight of my birthday the weekend before last.....



This beautiful building was formally a Victorian school and there are reminders throughout this sympathetically restored hotel.



Old photographs hang on the walls .......



This little boy doesn't seem too keen to be there!



This was very much a summery afternoon tea with flowers and fruit adorning the traditional three-tiered stand which was laden with sweet treats.




Our table was on the mezzanine level next to the Headmaster's Office.


Pretty mismatched china .......


As much as I would like to agree with Katherine Hepburn when she said 'Life is short. Eat dessert first', we started with the savoury part of the feast...finger sandwiches ... possibly the softest bread we have ever tasted!



The beef with horseradish filling and the smoked salmon and cream cheese were definite favourites.....



Warm scones......and the inevitable discussion followed.....jam or cream first? Once home, I decided to do my research. Apparently in Devon it's cream on the scone then jam but in Cornwall it's jam first. Arguments continue about whether Devon or Cornwall is the original or true home of the 'cream tea'. I don't care ...they're delicious however you choose to eat them!




Cakes followed ........



......with an interlude ..... fruit to cleanse and freshen the palate....



More cakes ....strawberry meringues .... A sweet, delicious birthday treat and certainly one of the prettiest afternoon teas we have seen ........


There was definitely a theme this year.......so many cards featured cakes, fashion, shoes, handbags, Paris! Friends and family know me well!
  

Cute cupcake gift wrap too .....



The Paris theme continued with three scented sachets and an Eiffel Tower charm ...



We need to organise a trip to Paris(maybe several!)to complete these walks ...... 



This nail varnish really took me by surprise ... have you spotted the name of the colour?



Particularly special as the cap is adorned with pearls, my June birthstone.  Nails Inc Couture is such a clever idea. You can customise the nail polish for a truly unique, personal and useful gift and this neutral shade seems to match just about everything in my wardrobe!
I've been truly spoilt again!


50 comments:

  1. are you a gemini as well? Happy birthday to you then! That afternoon tea seems like it would have been a nice place to have your cake then?

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    1. Yes, I'm a Gemini too! It was the perfect place to enjoy my birthday.

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  2. Happy Belated BDay Miss B! Im glad you got spoilt, and from what I can see and read, it was the best way to spend your special day. I know your passion for afternoon tea, I need to try one as here we havent this tradition. The hotel is marvelous, all the food they served is mouthwatering, especially the sweets. You got also many beautiful gits, the nail polish with your name and the pearl is the best!:) Happy weekend! xo

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  3. Happy Birthday!!

    What an amazing way to celebrate! This old school is a place I would definitely love to visit, such a brilliant idea! Your photos make my mouth water. ;)

    Thoughtful friends are a blessing, you are lucky!

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  4. Happy belated b-day! Glad to hear that you had a nice time, look at those cupcakes! Wish you a holiday in Paris really soon!

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  5. What an utterly lovely tea! Such a nice way to celebrate your birthday! Happy belated :)

    ~Alexis Grace of North On Harper

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  6. what a beautiful day! Happy birthday!!!!! I am drooling over those sweeties...

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  7. Happy Birthday, fellow Gemini! What a lovely way to celebrate. There is nothing so civilized as afternoon tea! And a cream tea is just beyond... clotted cream is something we just can't do right in the states and the imported jars don't taste the same. Glad you had such a lovely time. XO

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  8. Afternoon tea is always lovely but is makes for an more delightful treat when you also get to celebrate your birthday! Happy belated Birthday! Glad you enjoyed such a lovely time!

    Rowena @ rolala loves

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  9. Well yes you have been spoilt, and spoilt you should be. All of the food looks like the perfect delicious treat. I had my first scone of 2014 at Selfridges last week and it was yum - I put the cream on first ha ha.

    Happy Belated Birthday although I'm sure you will enjoy more afternoon teas before the year is out. Great cards!

    Enjoy the weekend

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  10. Happy Birthday, my dear! The tea looks scrumptious! Have a lovely weekend! xoxo

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  11. Miss B, I think I have died and gone to heaven!!! This has to be the prettiest afternoon tea set up I've ever seen. Everything was so pretty! Love the tea sandwiches and decorated treats! It would've taken me awhile to get over how they were decorated. HaHaHa What a great birthday! Love the cards and that nail polish with you blog name is THE BEST! This post was dessert for the eyes. I have to look at it again.

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  12. Joyeux Anniversaire! J'adore l'afternoon tea! Les scones et tout type de pâtisserie. Les anglais vous savez faire ça tellement bien! Bon weekend ;)

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  13. Oh,HAPPY Birthday,dear miss B.!:)
    So lovely afternoon tea!
    Great way to celebrate this day in this special way:)))
    You can impressed all of us with your stories always!
    Have a beautiful weekend,girl,

    Hugs,
    V.

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  14. Belated Happy Birthday Miss B. We are both June babies but my Birthday is next week. Your Afternoon Tea is such a touching and fun surprise. The tea sandwiches look so delicious, the cakes so decadent. Yes,it doesn't matter about the Devon or Cornwall cream. They both taste delicious.

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  15. Happy Birthday. Love the nail varnish great idea . Beautiful place to eat I particularly like the grumpy boy photo

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  16. Happy Belated Birthday Miss B, I wish you many many more years of happiness, love and success. Your high tea looks like the most glorious experience, the treats and cakes must have been divine! And your gifts are perfectly suited to your style! I appreciate your great feedback, have an awesome weekend!

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  17. Happy Birthday Miss B! I know how much you enjoy afternoon tea ;) so this looks to be the perfect celebration for you! Love the couture ~ very fancy indeed! I hope you are continuing the birthday celebration through the weekend. xxleslie

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  18. Oh my gosh, that bobochic nail polish is perfect for you! I always love your tea posts, my friend. What a fun place to visit. The sandwiches look so tasty, and the desserts look amazing. I love those old pictures on the wall, especially the one of the boys haha. That's a great picture! Once again, you've taken me to another part of the world, and you bring a little sunshine to my day every time.

    Have a fun weekend.

    love,
    ~Sheri

    ps Happy Birthday to you, Miss B.

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  19. Happy birthday Miss B! The place and the sweet treats look so amazing! What an interesting hotel to visit and what a beautiful way to celebrate! Wish you all the best and a happy weekend!

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  20. What a feast and amazing way to celebrate your birthday! The food looks so good!

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  21. Happy belated birthday and that afternoon tea spread looks sumptuous! I could quite happily spend an afternoon munching my way through that.

    And how thoughtful was your friend to get you your personalised nail polish - you were well and truly spoilt.

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  22. Hi Miss B and wishing you a very Happy Belated Birthday. The tea and all the treats looks just divine. What a wonderful way to spend your special day.
    Love the vintage pics of the school kids. Yes that one little boy doesn't look to happy. LOL Love reading about the cream and jam. I have always put the cream first then the jam, but who knows might try it the other way too. It seems backwards. LOL
    What fun with the nail polish. It is perfect for you and the name. Love the lid of gemstones. The color is perfect.
    Thank you for sharing and have a wonderful rest of the weekend.
    Hugs~~

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  23. It goes without saying that this was a lovely birthday treat (HAPPY BIRTHDAY!). What a perfect-looking and sounding afternoon tea. I definitely approve of afternoon teas in many shapes and forms and have the blog post this week to prove it. ;-)

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  24. Happy birthday! OMG those sweets!!! Love your pic!
    x nina
    http://trendsurvivor.com

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  25. Belated birthday greetings!! Afternoon tea looks delicious and that nail polish is so cute:) Have a lovely week!
    ~Anne

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  26. Sounds like it was a wonderful day full of the very best things! Happy birthday for the other day!

    Krissie x - http://pearlsofstyle.blogspot.com.au

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  27. I too am obsessed with any kind of tea time! Love the concept of mismatched china and how pretty it looks . . .

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  28. So sorry I missed your birthday Miss B! Hope your birthday month is going great darlin! I love the parisian themed afternoon tea party! All of the goodies look amazing! :)

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  29. Have a great start to the week hun!

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  30. happy birthday! i love the china and all of those desserts look amazing. that nail polish with the pearl top is so pretty - i had no idea you could customize polish like that! so perfect!

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  31. Happy belated birthday. Everything looks so great. That food! Yum.

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  32. Oh la la...what a special treat on your birthday! I love the bobochic nail polish with pearls! So you! I'm exclaiming all the way. Hahaha. A belated happy birthday miss b! I love the choice of venue. Any building with history turned into something else gets my wow. Beautiful presents there :)

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  33. Such a great post! This place looks so nice and food looks delicious! My God! And great idea about that nailpolish!

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  34. Wow, that does look good. And what an interesting venue. x

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  35. Ooh..love all these treats. Which reminds me, an afternoon tea with a friend is due.

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  36. I agree, and share yoru obsession with afternoon tea. The Paris book of walks seems very interesting. I have always liked Paris very much. Happy belated birthday to you miss b.
    /xx/Madison
    Wishing you marvellous weekend.
    Pastel Splendour

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  37. mmmh ça donne faim :)

    http://clothespaper.com/

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  38. looks like a great time and what a unique place for tea! hope you had the BEST birthday!!

    www.nycstylelittlecannoli.com

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  39. Happy birthday for you! Wish you have everything great this year <3
    Those photos are so beautiful, the food looks yum as well!

    love,
    g-carinoo.blogspot.com

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  40. Happy belated birthday miss b <3 What a wonderful frame to celebrate the own birthday - I miss such establishments in the Bavarian countryside really :) This is what I understand under a perfect afternoon tea, even the tea service fits perfect!

    xx from Bavaria/Germany, Rena

    www.dressedwithsoul.com

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  41. I would love to have tea time with you some time.
    All those sweet treats make me crave for some.
    Belated happy birthday!

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  42. Happy Birthday Miss B!!! What a perfect tea to celebrate. Your images are making me hungry. Love the tea decor. Perfection!
    xx, Heather

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  43. That hotel seems so cozy and I love the presentation of their dishes. Happy belated birthday, you received such great gifts. That nailpolish is lovely and a fabulous idea.

    LittlePinkRainBoots.blogspot.com

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  44. Oh miss b, I know you would love Nel and Jess' trip to New Orleans because you enjoy traveling so much yourself. Stop on by if you'd like and see some of their fun and interesting pictures.

    love,
    ~Sheri

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  45. ah les afternoon tea, moi aussi j'adore! tes photos donnent faim!



    www.letiziabarcelona.com

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  46. hello hello Miss B!!!
    I know I've been absent for so long but I'm glad to be back again and hopefully to continue writing ;)
    take care and hope to catch you again soon!!!
    xoxo,Meg of Sweet Gala's

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  47. Dear Miss B, first of all Happy Birthday, a late one. This is a great celebration, I love afternoon teas a lot too, next London holiday, I want to have one everyday : ) And you are lucky to have friends/relatives knowing your taste and interests, those cards and gifts are lovely : ) Hope you have plenty of Paris visits : )

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  48. The high tea looks great. You are making me hungry. I love high tea. :)

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Thank you for taking the time to write a comment on my blog. I really do appreciate it. miss b

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