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Teddy Bear Picnic: Children’s High Tea To Go
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Kids love tea! Perhaps you have your own memories of playing tea party as a child, or having tea with your parents or grandparents.
Recently The Secret Garden hosted a Teddy Bear picnic in the park for some of our youngest customers. They loved “playing grownup” with the fancy teacups and teapots, complete with our bright pink Blue Angel herbal tea.
You can host your own Teddy Bear Tea Party with our Children’s High Tea To Go (teaware rented separately). Or bring your little ones in enjoy our Children’s High Tea here at the Garden!
Teatime is a great way to create treasured memories with your kids. Here are a few photos from the Teddy Bear picnic:
Win a Graduation High Tea Party at The Secret Garden!
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Are you celebrating a graduation this year? In honour of our young tea fans, we’re hosting a FREE High Tea Graduation Party for one lucky student and 9 of their closest friends!
Any student elementary through high school can participate in this contest — or for young ones, parents can participate on behalf of their child. To enter the drawing:
- Share a story of how tea helped you through school.
- Post your story on Facebook or Instagram, with the hashtag #teagrads.
Submit your story by Thursday, June 14th to enter the contest! We’ll draw the lucky winner on the 15th, and the High Tea party for 10 will be hosted on June 21st at 4:30pm. We look forward to hearing from you!
Enter the drawing on Instagram
It’s iced tea season!
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It’s iced tea season! Stop by our shop for a refreshing glass of citrusy Creamy Earl Grey or fruity Blue Angel hibiscus tea.
You can also enjoy our iced tea at home. Here is a simple recipe to make iced tea anytime:
- Steep 2 teaspoons of tea leaves in 8 ounces of boiling water for 3 minutes.
- Pour over ice into a heat-tempered glass.
- Add lemon, simple syrup, or milk if desired. (Do not add milk to hibiscus tea blends or tea with fresh lemon.)
- Enjoy!
Browse our teas online and see more of our favourite iced tea recipes.
Tea and Art
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Vancouver Artist Karlie Rosin recently collaborated with The Secret Garden to create a beautiful flower and teacup display for our 22nd Anniversary event. On her blog, Karlie shared some lovely artwork and a review of her High Tea experience:
“There’s something so whimsical about The Secret Garden in Kerrisdale, Vancouver. I love going there because I feel instantly transported into a different world – one that is seemingly full of mystery, inspiration, great smells and tastes! Everyone is so nice over there- the customer service is truly phenomenal and the food & tea there is delicious!
There’s something special about being with great company, eating delicious food, and sipping on succulent tea. We had layers and layers of great tasting creations. I love seeing artistic passion being translated into many different fields- and you can tell that they are passionate about theirs!”
Read Karlie’s full review on her blog
Tea Memories
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We asked readers to share their favourite teatime memories on Instagram. Here are a few of the heartfelt stories you shared!
“Secret Garden Tea time with my high school besties are the highlight of my month. We’ve shared so many laughs, (happy) tears and cheese scones that I miss it the second we leave! ❤”
— @lea_leong
“The first time my girlfriends and I discovered High Tea was in high school 15 years ago. The place to go was of course Secret Garden! We felt so grown up drinking tea in actual tea cups with classical music playing in the background. I always order the lemon tarts, it’s my absolute favorite!”
— @spaberrymoose
“What stands out the most is High Tea with my daughter and my Mom, aka Nanny. We celebrated the completion of Preschool over high tea and apple juice! Nanny knows how much her grand-daughter loves her tea parties.”
— @amygrams4u
Do you have a tea story you’d like to share? We’d love to hear from you!
A Family Friendly Tea House
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At The Secret Garden we pride ourselves in being a family friendly teahouse. Our little guests love the tea experience just as much as the grownups!
Many long-time customers create treasured memories at The Secret Garden with their young ones. And often, these visits become ongoing traditions which continue throughout the years.
We even offer a Children’s High Tea Menu so your kids can enjoy their own special tier of treats!
Our miniature children’s table display often makes the BEST waiting area for the kiddos!
Recently, Vancouver blogger Yoyomama reviewed Secret Garden, saying it was the perfect place to enjoy High Tea with kids. She wrote,
“The Secret Garden is one of our very favourite places to have tea, with or without our kids. The charming interior is full of beautiful touches, like the intricate desserts, the tiered platters, and unique teacups.
“Their children’s high tea is great for kids 7 and under. They’ll get to eat tasty bites like a banana and jam pinwheel and a double chocolate fondant tart. Your kids can enjoy tea, hot chocolate or juice with their treats. There is also a wide variety of caffeine-free tea options, which is great for the kiddos and expecting mamas.”
Here are a some recent quotes from Secret Garden customers who enjoy family High Tea traditions with their children:
“Every Mother’s Day my sister and I got for High Tea with my mom. Last year my baby daughter joined us and this year my sister’s baby son will join us. Looking forward to getting my daughter her own tray this year ?”
— @applers on Instagram
Playing tea party with my daughter when she was 18 months old and when she turned 5, the tea party became a reality at The Secret Garden. She is now 15 and the tea parties at Secret Garden still continues… one of our favourite bonding time places! ☕❤??⭐
— @loulivewhatyoulove on Instagram
Coming to The Secret Garden with my sister and mother at a very young age. My mom would dress my sister and I up in matching outfits ?… ? We still come to @secretgardentea some 20 odd years later all together, but these days my sister and I usually wear separate non-matching outfits. Thanks for all the great memories and so many more to come!
— @mandasylvia
“This fall I took my daughter to the Secret Garden teahouse for the first time. It was our special mom & daughter time. We dressed up, put on matching water tattoos and made our way to your new location. We enjoyed the decor, the pretty tea cups, mouth-watering desserts and of course the conversation. She’s been asking me when we can go for tea again ever since!”
— Anne H.
We look forward to hosting you and your little ones at The Secret Garden!
Pacific Post Partum Society
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The Secret Garden is a proud supporter of the Pacific Post Partum Support Society – an organization which been supporting mothers and their families experiencing postpartum/perinatal distress, depression and anxiety for over 45 years.
Recently Kathy and Erin attended their Angel Donor’s Dinner. Below, Erin is pictured with Sheila Duffy, president of Pacific Post Partum Support Society.
Learn more about this inspiring organization at postpartum.org.
Royal Wedding Celebration!
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The #RoyalWedding is coming up soon, and we’re excited to celebrate with some special promotions in-store and online!
Free Tea Samples In-Store
We’ll be giving out free samples of our Buckingham Palace Black Tea! Stop by our shop on Saturday, May 19th, to receive a free sample of this popular blend of citrusy Earl Grey, smooth green tea and fragrant jasmine blossoms. Steep a pot of tea in honour of the newlyweds, and enjoy a tea that’s fit for a king (or queen!).
Buckingham Palace Tea Sale
We’re also offering our Buckingham Palace Black Tea 15% off for the month of May, both in-store and online. For online orders, use discount code ROYAL to redeem your discount.
Tea Stories: Tea With Mom
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Julie, a Secret Garden customer, shares a favourite tea memory with her mother.
“My fondest memories of tea with my mom were in our dining room, summer evenings when all of my girlfriends would come over for a visit, for some goodies and to have my mom read their tea leaves…with incredible accuracy! Sadly my mom suffered a brain injury and can no longer read tea leaves, but a “wee cuppa tea” still is her favourite and always hits the spot. When I visit your shop I remember these days with love.”
Pictured: Julie’s mom Ruby on the right, with her best friend Aileen at the original Secret Garden location. Ruby turns 93 this month, and Aileen turns 92 in June!
Do you have a tea story you’d like to share? We’d love to hear from you!