Lloyd and I recently drove up to Thurmont, Maryland to spend a weekend with some friends. Along the way we we spotted what is easily the cutest little Tea Room I’ve ever seen in Ladysmith, VA. Even the name of the town is darling! It was kismet cause I had googled for places where we could have afternoon tea on our drive up and hadn’t had any luck so when we saw it on an exit sign we knew we had to make a stop. The place is pretty small but that really adds to the coziness. Which was heightened by the cute knick knacks all over the shop. My favorite were the parasols hanging from the ceiling.
They also had the most twee table settings. Everything was done up in lovely, bright colors with fresh flowers dotting their space.
All of the wall hangings were perfectly spring-like! And dotted all the available wall space. But it was so tastefully done that you didn’t feel overwhelming at all. I especially loves the way they used parts of the tea service in the decor.
But, the most important thing is whether the tea and the food stood up to our rigorous taste testing! Spoiler alert: it was! I also loved the doily detail on the menu!
The tea selection was great. I went for the Victorian Earl Grey and Lloyd had the Burgundy Blast. They were both perfect. Lloyd was in heaven, he loves any tea with hibiscus.
The Earl Grey was exactly what I wanted with this delightful hint of rose that was unexpected and refreshing. And I just love the way milk sinks into tea so I had to share that visual with you.
The Menu was a sort of pre fixe situation in which you pick the number of courses you prefer. We just did the basic tea for two and were absolutely stuffed. It started off with a delicious pair of scones. Golden raisin and caraway seeds paired with a strawberry shortcake.
I’m not usually a dried fruit kinda gal but I am lover of caraway seeds. Honestly it was one of the best scones I have ever had. It even came with cutest little side dish of lemon curd and butter.
Next up we each got a “main” tea sandwich. I got the cheese on toast and Lloyd got the cucumber sandwiches. They were served up with cheese, fruits and vegetables and were scrumptious.
Lastly we finished off with a pastry trio. We were honestly so stuffed that we couldn’t finish all the desserts. But they had a delicious lemon tart, a chocolate chip and shortbread tart and some walnut chocolate fudge.
I was taken with the cute way they brought out their check. It reminded me Alice in Wonderland.
Speaking of Terrie and Charlotte I wanted to take a moment to introduce the two ladies I met there. Terrie is the owner and does all the cooking, she was the sweetest lady and her inspired idea for a tea room has definitely been a winner. Charlotte was our very knowledgable server and tea connoisseur.
After dessert we were able to take a little turn around the gift shop. Most of the products are actually hand made by Charlotte who also goes by M’Lady Alanna. I was so impressed with her handmade tea cozies. Dobby the Elf would have been beside himself!
My absolute favorite was this handmade shrug. It looks like something straight out of Outlander. If you read the label you’ll notice it says “Emily Bronte Shrug” this is because they host literary nights about once a month! It sounds fantastic and I’m definitely adding it to my to-do list!
All in all if you ever find your self driving up I-95 towards DC I think you owe it to yourself to plan for afternoon tea at this quaintly English tea room!
The Llavender Llama 