The sun shone brightly on Rye Conservation Society’s garden party on Sunday June 30.
The annual event was blessed with perfect weather – bright and warm but not overbearingly hot like the day before. And this was just the recipe for convivial chats among the society’s members and non-members over a splendid afternoon tea.
Sandwiches and scones with tea or coffee were on offer, as well as delicious home-made elderflower cordial and, for those with a thirst, refreshing glasses of Pimm’s.
Scones were served the proper (Cornish) way – jam first – as the hosts at Little Orchard House in West Street hold no truck with the heretical Devon method of applying the clotted delight first.
There was a steady flow of visitors through out the afternoon between 2:30pm and 5pm but the first people through the door were a pair of Dutch tourists at 11:45am who had seen signs for the event and were after a cream tea before heading off to Hastings for a late lunch!
This writer is a big fan of cream teas and having once enjoyed three full teas in one afternoon in the Isle of Wight whilst wife and friends wasted valuable eating time going horse-riding I had great admiration for their desire to get stuck in. Unfortunately, we weren’t ready. But next year we will have contingency plans in place!
Image Credits: Kenneth Bird .