Fabfrocks at Home: Time for tea

Hi guys,
For as long as I can remember my mum has had a Country Roses dinner service. It is a precious thing in the Brierley house to be treated with deference: you know it's a really special occasion when you're allowed to eat your dinner off it, and I always regarded it with awe. Which is why when Mike and I went to do our wedding list I knew I wanted a beautiful fancy tea service of my own: a potential future family heirloom.


I immediately selected this gorgeous Cuckoo afternoon tea set from Wedgwood (We got ours from Debenhams, but you can get it from almost any department store or Wedgwood direct) and I am now the proud owner of a teapot, 4 tea cups and saucers, 4 tea plates, a sandwich tray, a milk jug and sugar bowl, and a cake stand. In total, the whole set cost more than my car. (That probably says more about my old battered car than the cost of modern teasets, but it was still really expensive!) But it's totally worth it. It sits in a cabinet in our living room where I can see it everyday, and every time I walk past it it makes me smile.

I love afternoon tea. I love the ritual of it, the taking time out from your busy life. And frankly, I love the cake! But you don't need an overpriced matching afternoon tea set to get involved: in fact, it's probably cooler if you don't! Shabby chic is all the rage, and mismatched tea sets are everywhere: that's how most London tea rooms will serve you (trust me: afternoon tea is my monthly indulgence!) and it looks great!

Looking for a tea set on a budget? Hit up car boot sales and charity shops! You'll pay more if you're looking for a full matching set (between £10-100 depending on the pattern and brand) but for oddments and one off pieces (to create an eclectic set of your own) expect to pay from 50p per cup and saucer, from £1 per tea plate, and from £2 for a cake stand. Happy bargain hunting!

Love, Tor xx

Day out: Christmas shopping and afternoon tea

Hi guys,

Sorry for the long absence: I have been busy-busy-busy with wedding planning stuff. But i'm back to business now! Last week mum, little sisters and I headed off for our annual Christmas shopping trip to Harrods. Their Christmas world has now been open for more than a month, and is as amazing as ever:

I picked up a Christmas tree decoration shaped like Hello Kitty (of course!) and mum got me a gorgeous vintage decoration with a picture from a 1959 bauble on it. The theme of the world this year is Peter Pan: there is a huge pirate ship full of decorations in the middle of the room! We also spotted a set of 6 Christmas crackers for £1,250: oh how the other half live, eh?If you're in or heading to London between now and Christmas then it's definitely worth a trip to check out!

After we'd had our fill of Christmas wonderland, the food hall, and the new pet spa (there's actually a treadmill for dogs!) in Harrods the four of us headed to The Cadogan Hotel for afternoon tea. We were having such a good time we didn't think to take any pictures until the plates were empty:

We enjoyed champagne, pots of steaming tea, multi-coloured finger sandwiches (the bread of each was flavoured with either basil, beetroot or cardimon seeds to make it a different colour), scones with clotted cream and jam, mini pastries, and cupcakes. It was truly delicious and all for £15 each: afternoontea.co.uk have some amazing deals which make afternoon tea a very affordable treat. I just wish we could do this every week: it was a lovely day out!

Love, Tor xx