Afternoon Tea
At Negarden, we offer Afternoon Tea on selected Thursdays from 1:00 PM.
Table reservations are recommended. In addition, we have one seating on certain Saturdays at 1:00 PM.
Please contact us at +47 905 89 806 to check availability. Price per person is NOK 410.
JANUARY:
Thursday: 22/1
Saturday: 31/1
PLEASURE AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL
The whisper of bygone times, the clinking of the finest delicate porcelain, artistic lace tablecloths, delicious bites served in three tiers, and the crowning glory – freshly brewed tea of the best kind, all served in the fine lounges at Negarden 1897, as Afternoon Tea.
A HUNGRY DUCHESS
The tradition of serving Afternoon Tea is, of course, British, and the one credited with introducing it was the Duchess of Bedford, Anna Maria Russell, who felt a bit hungry between lunch and dinner. This was in the early 1840s. The hungry duchess’s idea quickly took root and was first established among the upper classes, and has since become a popular tradition worldwide — not only for the privileged. Many hotels and restaurants now offer Afternoon Tea, and it has finally come to Flisa. Negarden 1897 has exactly the period details, both in interior and architecture, to let you enjoy your Afternoon Tea to the fullest.
LOCAL AND HOMEMADE
Eva and Olav provide fresh, locally sourced ingredients depending on the season, and every dish is homemade entirely from scratch.
You will be served variations of the classic Afternoon Tea, which usually begins with finger sandwiches filled with, for example, salmon, egg, ham, or cheese on the bottom tier of the stand. The sandwiches are often made with fine white bread, and they look extra elegant when the crusts are removed. The correct custom here, curiously enough, is not to use a knife and fork, but to eat the sandwiches with your fingers.
On the second tier of the stand, you will find freshly baked scones, perhaps served with clotted cream, a type of thickened cream, and lemon curd, which is fresh in taste and yellow in color. Eva also likes to offer seasonal jams, with berries picked straight from the large garden surrounding the Swiss villa — for example, redcurrant, raspberry, strawberry, or gooseberry jam, and perhaps even blueberries from the depths of Finnskogen.
Scones should preferably not be cut in two with a knife, but rather broken apart by hand. In England, people have debated for hundreds of years whether clotted cream should be spread before or after the jam. The discussion is still ongoing. In Devon, they always start with clotted cream, while in Cornwall they swear by putting the jam on first. Since we are in Norway, we can do as we please. But one thing is very important: You must never, ever press the halves back together like a sandwich. That is, quite literally, sacrilege. Scones should always be eaten one half at a time!
And on the top tier, so to speak, you will find the sweetest bites — miniature cakes made of chocolate, or profiteroles filled with thick vanilla cream (made with real vanilla, of course), and colorful macarons as the finishing touch. Here, at last, you are allowed to indulge — with a dessert fork.
THE PRIMADONNAS
You can choose between five different types of tea, carefully selected from Solberg & Hansen:
Two kinds of black tea: the well-known Earl Grey, and the slightly less known Chai. Grandmother’s Garden is a tea based on fruit and herbs, where the fruit flavors are most prominent. Then there is Evening Blend, also based on herbs and fruit, but with a different composition where the floral notes are more noticeable. And if you prefer green tea, you can simply go for Gunpowder!
Tea has its prima donna whims, and each variety requires its own preparation method. The tea comes loose-leaf and is steeped with careful attention to measurement, weight, and water temperature. There is no sloppiness here. It is precisely the method, in addition to the high quality of the tea itself, that makes the difference between tea and really good tea.
The British were meticulous about many things. If one wanted milk, it was to be poured in after the tea. If the porcelain cups were not of the highest quality, they could crack when the boiling hot tea was poured in. Thus, this became a way for the upper class to show that they had the very finest Chinese porcelain!
THE PRIMADONNAS
You can choose between five different types of tea, carefully selected from Solberg & Hansen:
Two kinds of black tea: the well-known Earl Grey, and the slightly less known Chai. Grandmother’s Garden is a tea based on fruit and herbs, where the fruit flavors are most prominent. Then there is Evening Blend, also based on herbs and fruit, but with a different composition where the floral notes are more noticeable. And if you prefer green tea, you can simply go for Gunpowder!
Tea has its prima donna whims, and each variety requires its own preparation method. The tea comes loose-leaf and is steeped with careful attention to measurement, weight, and water temperature. There is no sloppiness here. It is precisely the method, in addition to the high quality of the tea itself, that makes the difference between tea and really good tea.
The British were meticulous about many things. If one wanted milk, it was to be poured in after the tea. If the porcelain cups were not of the highest quality, they could crack when the boiling hot tea was poured in. Thus, this became a way for the upper class to show that they had the very finest Chinese porcelain!
Contact us
Get in touch for a friendly conversation and for more information.
