Christmas High Tea at Waldenwoods Cromaine Hall

A while back I received an e-mail about a High Tea at Waldenwood's Resort and Conference Center in Howell, MI - about 54 miles from where I live.  I had never heard of teas at this place before but the website said it's been owned and operated by the Crouse family since 1837.  Henry Ford and Thomas Edison are two well-known men who liked to go there.

I usually can't attend teas since most are on Saturdays when I'm working at The Whitney.  But this holiday tea had a Thursday option with two seatings [11:00 a.m. & 2:00 p.m.], so I bought two tickets for 2:00 p.m. Snow threatened early this morning [and tickets were non-refundable], but by the time we left home the roads were clear.  It was bitter cold [17 degrees] and windy, but warm and cozy inside the historic Cromaine Hall where the tea was held.

The hall/lodge was beautifully decorated for Christmas and since we were the first ones to arrive I was able to get a lot of pictures.  There were three fireplaces in the hall/lodge.  The one below paid tribute to the founder, Robert Crouse, with a bronze plaque bearing his image.

There were several beautifully decorated Christmas trees and my hubby and I posed for a picture by one of them in the entryway foyer.

~ Inside Cromaine Hall. ~

Teapots used during the tea.

The teapots were filled with hot water and we chose our individual tea from a selection of Tea Forte pyramids placed on the tables.  I chose Bombay Chai black tea and my hubby had Earl Grey.

The first thing they served us was a plate of sweet appetizers.  I've never seen that done before.  It made me think of the quote: "Life is short, eat dessert first!"  ;-)

It was a High Tea true to its definition. There were no tiered servers filled with dainty finger sandwiches, but a very substantial 3-course meal.

~A warm from the oven Cranberry Scone came out first. ~

~ Followed by a Salad served with Ranch or Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing ~

We had three choices for our main entree:  Sicilian Beef Short Ribs, Chicken Florentine or Cavatappi Pasta.  My hubby and I chose the Chicken Florentine which was very good.

The last offering was a yummy Walnut Cake with Salted Carmel Sauce.

I was happy to see several men there with their wives.  It made conversation enjoyable for the men.  The tea was $70 per person inclusive of tax and gratuity.  I don't know if they offer other teas beyond Christmas, but it was nice to find a new venue that was lovely.  I hope you enjoyed attending with us vicariously.