Attending an afternoon or high tea at a Fairmont with my kids has been on my bucket list for a while now, I simply had to wait until the children were older and able to actually appreciate the whole process and let’s be honest, they had to have the patience to sit for quite a while, drink tea and converse with Mom and Dad.
On our trip to the Fairmont Jasper Park lodge recently I made sure to book us in for an afternoon tea at Cavell’s restaurant. Reservations are required as they need to prep for your tea and once we arrived, we saw why.
You are seated at a beautifully set table that is all ready for your afternoon experience.
Not only are the tables prepared but what I liked to call The Tea Cart To End All Tea Carts is also prepped and ready to go.
Oh my goodness, can you just roll that straight into my house please?
Our lovely host that day was Owen, who was absolutely perfect at not only explaining teas but making it entertaining for the children. He played a little tea guessing game, where we got to smell all the teas in their containers then try to guess which ones off the list they were.
Save the peppermint tea which is too obvious, I was an abysmal failure at this game and the kids trounced me.
Mike was able to correctly guess far more than I did.
We chose our teas, berry for the children, orange pekoe for Mike and I found a new tea love, Lapsang Souchong tea. Oh my goodness, what a tea! The smoky smell immediately reminded me of campfires and outdoors, which as you all know would make me happy as a clam. If you haven’t tried it, please source some leaves – I am still looking in Edmonton for some, let me know if you have seen it!- and let me know what you think!
What a joy it is to have children now that are slightly older – let’s not go too crazy here, I like them little- and are able to partake in these types of activities now. Oh, I sure do miss the baby days, let me tell you, but there is something so wonderful about being able to travel more and experience everything with them. My kids are going to have such fond memories of their childhood and I’m afraid that I am instilling a love of travel in them that won’t be quenched!
Mr K was quite happy to sit and wait for his tea patiently.
My little Rose? Well, she was more than happy to play tea. REAL tea. Oh my goodness, what a delight it is to pour your own hot tea and be served fancy little tidbits to snack on while seated in a fancy restaurant. All she needed were her dolly’s and her stuffed animals and everything would have been right with the world.
While I won’t spoil the tea for you by showing everything, here’s a sampling of the amazing goodies we snacked on.
Every bite was a well- thought out and perfectly executed morsel of tea-time delight, met with squeals of excitement and sighs of contentment when we ate them. There are also gorgeous scones and Devonshire cream served as well, because afternoon tea simply must have scones!
I can’t suggest enough to put this on your Travel Bucket List! Have you started one yet? I have, on this site and it’s something I have been meaning to do for a long, long time! I always have these travel ideas in my head, knowing what I want to do but now I’ve made it solid. I put it out there and of course, I will be adding to it when the fancy strikes me!
If you have an opportunity, try out the Afternoon Tea at your nearest Fairmont and make it a special family event. It was such a wonderful experience that now I’ve added a few more High Tea’s to my bucket list!
Happy Travels!
Love,
Karlynn
Terry in Edmonton says
Hi, I realize that much time has past and this may be no longer relevant. I have enjoyed high tea in many places and always enjoy Fairmont high tea. The Savoy puts on a wonderful high tea. The trick with tea is to create a blend specifically for the water. In England it is serious business. It would be a whole new understanding of the tea culture if we did so in Canada.
On another note, Lapsang Souchong is being carried by Davidās Tea in Southgate. I developed a fondness for it while attending university. It has taken many years to find it again. This blend is particularly smoky and overpowers all underlying flavours.
The Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge says
Thanks for sharing!
Michelle says
We visited Jasper in August 2020 and were very much looking forward to tea at the Jasper Place Lodge, unfortunately when we called for reservations we were informed that they do not serve afternoon tea at the Jasper Place Lodge. The nearest Fairmont properties that serve afternoon tea were Edmonton or Lake Louise.
Jacqueline Delisle says
I live near Jasper! I absolutely adore JPL – our family’s favourite winter activity there is skating on the frozen lake and having hot chocolates around the fire afterwards!
Genevieve Olivier says
I love tea. And I love teeny bites of yummy. Perhaps we shoulda me a date one day!
Karlynn Johnston says
We loved it! I do have a tea addiction though, not just the drink but the whole little sandwiches and desserts and fancy schmancy stuff LOL
Genevieve Olivier says
That’s one thing I’ve never done!