Mad Hatter’s High Tea and Neverland Tea Salon

I have always been fascinated by all things British. The food, the English plays, the vocabulary, the history – oh the history! But one thing I had always wanted to try was something I only did recently; High tea. 

High Tea at Neverland Tea Salon was the perfect first high tea experience. The month of February (which has now been extended into March, it’s that popular!) has the theme Mad Hatters, and as a huge fan of Alice in Wonderland, I knew this was the time to go!

How did High Tea come about? 

High tea is a quintessential English custom. While we now typically eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner, in the 1800’s meals were usually only breakfast and dinner, with the latter being served fashionably late. Anna, the 7th Duchess of Bedford, complained of a “sinking feeling” in her stomach in the afternoons, so she began taking a pot of tea and a light snack. She began to invite friends over to join her for tea and a walk, and soon others were hosting their own afternoon teas. 

Since we now eat 3 meals a day, high tea is a now more of a luxury or occasional treat rather than a must. Nonetheless, when I think of England, high tea is something that crosses my mind.

What is the difference between high tea and afternoon tea?

While the terms are often used interchangeably, there actually is a difference between afternoon tea and high tea.

Afternoon tea is technically what the Duchess Anna brought about. Afternoon tea was served at a low table, while sitting in comfortable couches. There was a pot of tea served, with sandwiches, scones, and sweets.  High tea, on the other hand, was the working class’ evening meal, served at a high table, such as a high counter.

High Tea at NEVERLAND Tea Salon

In the heart of popular Kitsilano you’ll find NEVERLAND tea salon, a whimsical salon founded by two childhood friends, Terri Tatchell and Renee Iac, where you’ll find sandwiches, soups, salads, pastries, and what they are most famous for – High tea. 

The Mad Hatter’s High Tea

Scott got the regular high tea and I got the vegetarian option. Both were incredible!

With so many teas to choose from, it was tough to make a choice. Scott got Pink lemonade, a sweet and tart infusion of grapefruit, pineapple, and hibiscus. I had two pots, the first was Aztec chocolate, a rich dark chocolate, citrus, spices, and a healthy dose of heat. Next up was my favorite. Take me to Neverland, their signature chocolate peppermint blend. Yum! If I got to choose only one tea, it would be Take me to Neverland.

The regular menu

Savoury 

• Amuse-bouche: Chilled watermelon beet soup
• Smoked paprika crab salad roll with red peppers, onions, chives and green goddess aioli
• Coronation chicken salad on focaccia with green onions, cilantro, red pepper, mango chutney and Assam tea infused apricots
• Roasted veggie croque monsieur with zucchini, kale, red peppers and havarti cheese
• Plant-based burger sliders with pesto aioli, arugula, tomato on black pepper ‘squid ink’ brioche
• Steel head smoked salmon pinwheel with asparagus and lemon herbed cream cheese

The Vegetarian menu

Savoury

• Amuse-bouche: Chilled watermelon beet soup
• Smoked paprika jackfruit salad roll with red peppers, onions, chives and green goddess aioli
• Coronation smoked tofu salad on focaccia with green onions, cilantro, red pepper, mango chutney and Assam tea infused apricots
• Roasted veggie croque monsieur with zucchini, kale, red peppers and havarti cheese
• Plant-based burger sliders with pesto aioli, arugula, tomato on black pepper ‘squid ink’ brioche
• Lapsang tea carrot lox pinwheel with asparagus and lemon herbed cream cheese

The sweets – same for both menus

• Vanilla cheesecake on a chocolate crumble base
• Strawberry mousse dome with Tinkerbell’s Kiss tea ganache and milk chocolate pearls
• Chocolate ganache tart with macaron shells and whipped cream cheese
• Mocha sponge cake on a brownie base with chocolate glaze
• Citrus scone with Devonshire cream and house-made jam

Both Scott and I agree that our favorite sandwich was the roasted veggie croque monsieur. Oh my goodness. I would have been happy if the only savoury option I got to enjoy was this one. It was SO delicious. Our waitress, Diva, agrees. My second favorite would be the coronation smoked tofu.

I enjoyed all of the sweets, but my favorite would have to be the strawberry mousse dome. This was an unexpected surprise, as I am a huge chocolate lover. But there was just something about those milk chocolate pearls inside the mousse – it was just the perfect light dessert.

What you need to know about the Mad Hatter’s High Tea at Neverland Tea Salon

Price – High Tea is $38 per person, $32 seniors & tweens, $24 for children. 

Seating times – 1.5 hours for parties of 5 and under, and 2 hours for parties over 6. 

Location– 3066 West Broadway, Vancouver. 

Hours – Monday – Friday / 11am- 6pm, Saturday / 11am- 7pm, Sunday / 11am- 6:30pm

The Website – https://neverlandtea.com/

If you get the chance to have high tea at Neverland Tea Salon, do it, especially the Mad Hatter’s High Tea.

Thank you to Scott for taking nearly all of these photos!