Tag: cake
Cake stands Corgies & The Queen…
Its now official – our cake stands are good enough for the Queen!
When Her Majesty visited Sherborne on the 1st May for her Diamond Jubilee Tour then tea was most definitely of the order! Whilst hoards of children from local schools gathered for a Mad Hatter’s Tea Party and there were loads of goodies to peruse at the Food Fair, we were delighted to provide vintage cake stands for a 1952 styled coffee morning / tea party for the Queen to meet local dignitaries together with residents and staff from local residential homes. The event took place at the Digby Memorial Hall which was festooned with red, white and blue bunting with tables decked with our vintage cake stands and union jack napkins!
We have been hunting down pictures from the coffee event and found one here http://news.dorsetforyou.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/The-Queen+-Debbie1.jpg but there aren’t many about – give us a shout if you have one!
These Facebook Pictures of the whole visit are from the very talented Sherborne Girls (coffee event pictured by Gillian Gunner via Sherborne Town Council)
We also love the little film here….
http://www.itv.com/news/west/2012-05-01/people-gather-to-see-the-queen/ and on YouTube – more loveliness x
Vintage cake stands forever!
We thought we might share some pictures of our vintage cake stands from recent vintage weddings, parties and events? We have quite a collection now and with some 35 three tier cake stands, 15 two-tier cake stands and more than 20 single tier stands we probably have the largest range of cake stands for hire in Dorset!
Cake stands came into fashion in the early Victorian (1840’s) period when they were the essential afternoon tea accompaniment but they may have been about since the 1600’s when they were referred to as “salvers” or serving platters, generally being silver. The first china cake stands emerged when English bone china was at its height and enjoying afternoon tea was an essential etiquette for more affluent ladies of leisure!
Vintage Dorset’s cake stands are almost all bone china or fine ceramic ware though we do have one or two glass cake stands which are great for single tier cakes. The fashion for three tier stands with delicate finger sandwiches on the bottom tier topped off with scones in the middle and delicate fancies on the top has become embedded in our modern culture – possibly emerging from the Ritz Hotel and their gorgeous Palm House Afternoon teas (which are truly wondrous)!
Afternoon Tea!
Afternoon tea should most authentically comprise a cold light menu of very delicate and beautifully presented treats usually served between 2pm and 5pm. High tea is a different affair entirely – more of an early evening meal taken between 5 and 7pm and almost always including a hot dish. High tea was very often provided (by Nanny!) for the children of wealthier families as Dinner would not be served until between 7 and 9pm. Its called “high” tea as it was “high time” the children were fed and sent off to bed!
For events these days you can use cake stands for serving food or increasingly we hire them out to display flowers and fruit, sweets and favours.
We provide cake stands ready-matched and cleanly wrapped in sets for you to assemble at your venue. Our three-tier cake stands are just £5.50 each to hire with two-tier stands at £4.50 and single-tier stands for £4.
Our clients generally use 1 cake stand between 2 people for “Ritz-style” afternoon tea (each stand holding sandwiches, scones and cakes) However, most people prefer to use a single cake stand for each table of guests (to display cakes) with sandwiches and scones served separately on vintage plates.
