CUISINE
TEA TIME
From the ‘Man Tea’ to ‘High Coffee’, it is time to celebrate High Tea diversity.
Pickers & Co - Karoo House High Coffee
Garlic Clove - Indian High Tea
JW Marriott Gold Coast - Children's High Tea
Hudson and Rosie's Table - Rustic High Tea
BonAppetea - Junior High Tea
QT Gold Coast - Man Tea
WORDS MARJ OSBORNE WE CAN GIVE CREDIT to Anna, the Duchess of Bedford, for coming up with the idea of high tea. Suffering hunger pains as she waited for her evening meal, Anna requested a tray of tea, cake and bread to be brought to her. The idea soon caught on, and high tea became an easier way for ladies to entertain than having people to lunch. The new colony of Australia followed many English trends, including high tea. Tea houses spread across the country with colonisation, many offering treats such as sandwiches, scones and small cakes, fare common to an English high tea experience. Today, as a multicultural nation that values inclusivity, high tea has diverged from English tradition to encompass a flourish of world flavours. Let’s veer away from the expected for a moment to appreciate some high teas with a difference.
52 covemagazine.com.au – Issue 97
In a poignant synergy of history, South African born mother and daughter team Ursula and Leigh-Ann Shead founded Pickers & Co in the early 1900s Cobb & Co homestead in Upper Coomera. The multi-functional venue fulfills many roles including gift and homewares shop, coffee house and eatery. A South African-themed Karoo House High Coffee provides a taster for many of the South African treats on their menu. Sweet specialties include Oumas melktert (South African Milk tart), a traditional carrot cake, and a fluffy Maitjiesfontein traditional scone. Pickers & Co also offers a Farm-House Kids’ High Tea for birthday parties. Although we may have expected India to celebrate high tea due to English colonisation, renowned Indian-born chef Sabir Merchant only saw high tea for the first time as a chef at Palazzo Versace.
The owner of Garlic Clove and Green Olive Italian, Sabir toyed with the idea of making high tea from Indian cuisine. However, it was Sabir’s wife, Dolly, also a chef, who brought the concept to life. Garlic Clove’s Indian High Tea is served for two people as a three-course experience. Firstly, India’s most popular street food, pani puri, arrives in individual glasses. Then comes individual aloo tikki chaat. Lastly, a 3-tier stand is served. One tier carries sweets from throughout India, their colours, shapes and flavours so different from each other. Another carries savoury food such as cocktail samosas, gujarrati dokla, momo, mini kebabs and Indian hash browns with tapioca pearls and peanuts, served with mint and tamarind sauces. On the final tier lie Indian burgers, so popular in Mumbai, together with Indian sandwiches (a vegan high tea is also available by request).