Teatime on Cape Cod
While afternoon tea is beloved for its cute finger sandwiches, elegant desserts, and restorative beverage, it’s most popular for being “an experience”. Since the 1660s, tea drinking has been the height of sophistication in Britain, first made popular by King Charles II and his Portuguese wife, Catherine de Braganza, and substantial price tags meant that tea was initially the preserve of the aristocracy. It had been the fashion for aristocratic families to have two main meals: a generous breakfast and evening meal with perhaps a very light lunch.
By the mid-1800s, with the addition of kerosene lamps, dinner could be eaten later. Anna Russell, the seventh Duchess of Bedford and peckish by afternoon, was not well pleased. After complaining of a “sinking feeling” around 4pm, Anna began ordering a tray of tea, bread and butter, and cake to her room around mid-afternoon and invited friends to join her. Thus was born the social event known as high tea. “High” refers to the fact that it eventually was served on the high or main dining table.
The Sandwich Tea Party
With a giant leap of faith, and a few good strong “cuppas” for fortitude, 28-year-old Cape Cod native Kathryn “Kate” Wolstenholme bought The Dunbar House Tea Room, now The Dunbar House Tea Room & Wine Bar, in Sandwich in the spring of 2020. She opened a few months later in June and despite the “situation” that was going on worldwide, created a thriving go-to destination for brunch, lunch, afternoon tea, wine tastings and private events.
The property, built in 1740, has only had six owners. In the early 1990s Mike and Mary Bell, a British couple who also ran the house next door as a B&B, started the tearoom. They named their new venture “The Dunbar Tea Room” in honor of a previous owner, Mrs. Henry Dunbar, who was renowned for hosting tea parties in her rose gardens in the 1920s.
Wolstenholme worked summers at Ramshead Inn on Shelter Island at the eastern end of Long Island from the age of 14 until she was 26, learning the hospitality business from some “great bosses”. “I feel like I have a massive event background for my age,” she said. She loved the history of her previous venue which was partly the reason she chose the 370-year-old Dunbar. She has worked hard to honor the previous and original owners of the property, keeping the décor to comestibles in a time-honored style. There is a cozy bar area, which also houses the retail area with 120 loose teas to choose from; a smaller darker, cozy room; a larger bright room that overlooks the garden; and a patio with outside seating.
Executive Chef Patrick Hurley, a Mashpee native, has an impressive list of previous posts from coast to coast and has brought his talents most recently from a small restaurant group that included places in Cohasset and the north shore. When he was hired in August of 2020, Hurley proclaimed to himself, “this will be the best decision you ever made.” Wolstenholme concurs, stating he is “a superb chef “ who has significantly elevated the menu. The previous chef had a terrific pastry background, but The Dunbar needed a versatile chef who could create and execute menus for patrons and private events. Hurley and Wolstenholme have curated an ever-changing food-and-wine- pairing tasting menu; August, for example, featured southern French wines paired with pork rillettes or Camembert and fig tartine.
I thought it would be fun to plan a multigenerational tea party, “an experience” with great grandmother Paula, grandmother Ellen and granddaughter McKinley. We opened with the best deviled eggs we collectively have ever had (and I am an aficionado) and mini beef Wellingtons with a mustard cream sauce and melt-in-your-mouth beef in flaky pastry. Ellen and Paula shared the Windsor Afternoon Tea (freshly baked warm scones with jam and clotted cream, finger sandwiches, fresh fruit and four decadent desserts). Ellen chose her favorite pot of Dunbar House tea, cranberry and almond infused. Each teapot is snuggled inside a toile quilted tea cozy to keep it hot. I had a light and fluffy lobster quiche and peach iced tea, finishing with a piece of zucchini cake that had the perfect cake-to-frosting ratio.
As McKinley made her way through a very generous “Kids Wee Tea” with pinky extended, she declared today, “The best day ever!” Wolstenholme built the children’s menu to entertain her two young nieces. The “Kids Wee Tea” included a “funfetti” scone with cream and jam, peanut butter and jelly, ham and cheese and Nutella sandwiches cut into fun shapes, and tiny sweets, all beautifully decorated. There are also á la carte items like macaroni and cheese offered, which McKinley declared “very good”. A tiny tea service is available for kids who want to bring their doll. Grandmother Ellen said, “I am very impressed how they cater to children, such a fun day out for people who are on vacation.”
Two Other High Tea Options
The Captain’s House Inn in Chatham, a Greek Revival home built in 1839 by Captain Hiram Harding for his new bride, serves high tea to their guests between noon and 3pm in a bright and cheery solarium that overlooks gardens. Outside guests can attend with a phone call to reserve a spot 24 hours ahead. Innkeeper of the day Nerresa Campbell served guests a pot of tea, accompanied by the customary tri-level tower of petite sandwiches, such as Brie and mango chutney and cranberry chicken salad, scones served with jam and fresh whipped cream, and sweet treats including ginger bars and cheesecake. Many locals come year-round, so the chef ‘s goal is to keep the sandwich choices ever-changing to delight and surprise repeat customers.
The Captain Farris House, a ten-room Greek Revival B&B on historic Old Main Street in South Yarmouth, serves “traditional British high tea” to their guests in two lovely spaces: the front parlor and the courtyard. The latter is illuminated by a full conservatory-style glass ceiling balanced by a black-and-white checkerboard-tiled floor. Three years ago, when Carol and Jeff Watson purchased the pretty pastel inn with a wrap-around porch, they acquired a permit to open to the public from early November to Mother’s Day weekend. They serve Thursday through Sunday, with seatings at 11am and 2pm; reservations are needed. Along with a pot of tea (there are ten varieties to choose from), comes the three-tiered tower: finger sandwiches (London broil with horseradish mayo is singular), scones with cream, and petit fours as sugary treats. They also offer a children’s tea for half the price.
Teatime at Home
The Captain’s Daughters Seaside Sundries + Tea Bar on Commercial Street in Provincetown opened six years ago with a selection of over 35 teas to select from. They post daily hot and iced specials on a roll of newsprint affixed to the wall. Each order is prepared individually. Richard Bolton, the manager of the day, says the most popular teas are Sail Away Earl Grey, Strawberry Meadows, and the Boys Beach Blend. They also blend a few teas right on premises, like PTown Pride and Provincetown Garden, both also wildly popular. Any tea can be “dusted” with Moonjuice powder (plant-based adaptogens that help support health) and includes Dream, Power, Brain and even Sexual Energy.
The Spice & Tea Exchange at Mashpee Commons has a little bit of everything... except coffee, the manager emphatically exclaimed, including infusions and blends of sugars, salts, and peppers. They carry over 60 teas, with added seasonal teas, such as the (most popular) root beer summer chai with amber rock sugar, or the winter banana nut muffin blend (with candle to match). One can also purchase everything needed for a tea party at home: teapots, teacups for one, infusers, grinders and even candles. Edward Nitz, store manager, shared a story about their “Unicorn Tea”, a blue raspberry crush that turns pink when lemon is added. An expectant mother had a “gender reveal” tea for friends and family. In the bottom of each cup was a tiny bit of lemon juice so the blue tea turned pink as the guests watched, revealing the baby’s gender. Now that’s a clever and eco-friendly idea!
If names like Harmony, Dreamland and Bonfire Chai sound good to you, you may want to check out Capeandislandstea.com.
According to Peggy Boskey, founder of Cape & Islands Tea, they source the teas from a tea blender in the Midwest. “We create the recipe for each blend, and our advisor blends them for us using tea leaves we have sourced from various countries in Asia and Africa. He puts the blends in sachets and then we package those sachets for our wholesale and retail customers,” she said. All their teas — green, black, white and oolong — are ethically sourced, and packaged in biodegradable and compostable materials. Beginning in the fall they offer winter blends and a popular holiday tea sampler. You can buy their teas at various places around the Cape like Fein Things in South Dennis, Lighthouse Keeper’s Pantry in Yarmouthport and Friends’ Marketplace in Orleans. Check their website for the full list.
Winter is a brilliant time on Cape Cod to throw a tea party for one, or many, and we are certainly lucky to have many places that cater to tea aficionados.
The Dunbar House Tea Room & Wine Bar
One Water Street, Sandwich Village
thedunbarhouse.com
Captain’s House Inn
369 Old Harbor Road, Chatham
captainshouseinn.com
Captain Farris House
308 Old Main Street, South Yarmouth
High Tea November-Mother’s Day: captainfarris.com
The Captain’s Daughters Seaside Sundries + Tea Bar
384 Commercial Street, Provincetown
captainsdaughters.com
The Spice & Tea Exchange
13 Central Square, Mashpee Commons
spiceandtea.com/mashpee
Cape & Islands Tea
capeandislandstea.com/pages/where-to-buy
