Tea Room Season

Old St. Andrews, Charleston, SC 

It's Tea Room season! Church ladies and gentlemen put on aprons and cook traditional lowcountry tearoom menus - shrimp and chicken sandwiches, okra and she crab soup, coconut cake, Huguenot tort and Mississippi Mud Pie. We order and eat exactly the same thing every year and we like it.

The church makes an impressive profit from all the volunteer labor and supports a healthy list of charities. It's like old home week each year and I see so many familiar faces.

Day tripping - Hopsewee Plantation

Hopsewee Plantation, SC   

A perfect day trip up the coast from Charleston, the historic rice plantation property of Hopsewee Plantation has a tea room serving a tasty lunch or afternoon tea. I'd enjoyed the tea room before but for the first time paid the fee and took the house tour.

The owners live in the home so it has a warm and friendlier feeling than most historic home tours. The owners are active participants in the running of the property and restaurant. We had an informative tour and were allowed to explore the basement and attic although I wasn't able to take pictures inside the building.

Hopsewee Plantation: Built circa 1740, some 40 years before the American Revolutionary War, Hopsewee Plantation was one of the South's major rice plantations and the birthplace of Thomas Lynch, Jr., one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence.

Spring Tea Rooms

Old St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, Charleston, S.C.

Southern Church Tea Rooms are a phenomena. No doubt about it. I go each year to confirm that.

I've been in the business of good people doing good things long enough in this town that it is like old home week. I know the gentleman parking cars, I know the hostess Ruthie in her colonial costume. I know the coconut cake is Mizz Arlene's special recipe. I know the server Richard. I know I am going to order chicken salad sandwiches on white bread and she-crab soup. I recognize and get hugs from someone at almost every table in the church hall. I know I will be back next year and I like it.

You have until April 5th to enjoy lunch at the historic church and you will see what I mean. See their website here.

 

 

Hopsewee Plantation - Tea Room

Hopsewee Plantation, S.C.

What have I been thinking? They serve a proper afternoon tea at Hopsewee Plantation and I've never been there?  I remember trying once but the gate was closed and sometimes they have special events so best give a call before you head up the coast towards Georgetown. I made it in yesterday and dodged flocks of  mosquitoes the size of hummingbirds to get these pictures and it was worth it. Seriously. Take bug spray.

I didn't take the formal house tour but enjoyed lunch in the tea shop (below). Check out the menus here. I'd like to go back with enough time to explore the property.

Church Photo in Lieu of Attendance - St. Andrew's Parish Church

St. Andrew's Parish Church, Hwy 61, Charleston, S.C.

In a way, I did attend! I caught the last day of the St. Andrew's Parish Tea Room yesterday. The Tea Room  is a southern church tradition that amazes me each year. The church members cook and serve exactly the same food every year - she-crab soup, chicken or shrimp sandwiches, congealed salad, coconut cake and the parking lot is full every single day. Loaded buses pull up from retirement homes.

This is the annual fundraiser for the church and I'm glad I didn't miss it. I know so many people that go each year or serve at the event it feels like old home week. When I googled for information to get my facts straight, I found all the pictures I'd taken in past years.

History: In the late 1940's, shortly after the church was reopened, a group of women often spent all day cleaning and preparing the church for worship services. They had their lunch on the lawn, and soon began to share their lunches with tourists who stopped to see the old church. Because there were no restaurants in the area at that time, and as a way of raising funds for renovation, the ladies began selling coffee, lemonade, and sandwiches to tourists. Thus the Saint Andrew's Tea Room was born. Today waitresses are dressed in late 18^th century costumes and serve a full lunch in the Parish Hall. A full gift shop is available and tours of the historic church are available. Proceeds from the Tea Room and Gift Shop provide financial support to a variety of ECW programs and services including mission and ministry in the world and at home, care and outreach in the community and church, support for parish programs and upkeep and restoration of the historic church building.

 

Old St. Andrew's Tea Room

Old St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, Charleston, S.C.

Busy week kids. Too many events after work that get me home ready to crash. I did make it out to the annual phenomena that is the Old St. Andrew's Tea Room on Tuesday and as I am every year, I was simply amazed. We got there at 11:30 and had to steal the Music Director's parking spot because the whole place was full and the lobby overflowing.

The event is completely staffed with volunteers and I've worked in volunteer circles long enough for it to be like old home week. I was greeted and hugged by the hostesses, servers, other customers and the best coconut cake bakers in the back kitchen. They serve the usual tasty plates of chicken salad or shrimp paste sandwiches on white, congealed salad and she-crab soup just like they do every year. I expect there would be a great upset if they ever changed the menu. Bus loads of happy customers regularly drop off from area retirement homes.

The Tea Room continues until April 2nd so you still have time to be part of the tradition and tour the beautiful old church.

Let tea room season begin. The old Lowcountry tradition gets under way Monday when Old St. Andrew's Episcopal Church Tea Room opens for business at the historic 1706 church, 2604 Ashley River Road.

Operating for nearly 60 years and considered the oldest in Charleston, the tea room will be open 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Monday through Saturdays through April 2. Lunch features favorite local dishes such as she-crab and okra soups, chicken salad plate, chicken salad and shrimp paste sandwiches, spinach salad and homemade desserts.

Old St. Andrew's Parish Tea Room

Old St. Andrew's Parish Church, Hwy 61, Charleston, S.C.

It's the last week for the charming southern phenomenon that is the Old St. Andrew's Tea Room and I made it there in the nick of time. It's always like old home week. The last time I went the Red Hat Ladies swept in and took over. This year the Montessori school children all dressed up for the occasion sat at a long table in the center of the room and asked about the "mud pie".

The limited menu is cooked and served by church volunteers. She-crab soup, chicken or shrimp paste sandwiches on white bread. Orange congealed salad and ice tea. It used to be that you had to whisper to the server dressed in historic dress that you'd like a piece of Miss Arlene's coconut cake set aside for you, but now they just put it on the menu. Augusta Nadol (above) is one of my hospital volunteers as well and she told us they served 222 lunches yesterday. Amazing.

History: In the late 1940's, shortly after the church was reopened, a group of women often spent all day cleaning and preparing the church for worship services. They had their lunch on the lawn, and soon began to share their lunches with tourists who stopped to see the old church. Because there were no restaurants in the area at that time, and as a way of raising funds for renovation, the ladies began selling coffee, lemonade, and sandwiches to tourists. Thus the Saint Andrew's Tea Room was born. Today waitresses are dressed in late 18th century costumes and serve a full lunch in the Parish Hall. A full gift shop is available and tours of the historic church are available.

* I took the tea room photos today but slid in a church picture from last year. The azaleas aren't quite in bloom yet.