The Underground Tea Party

Free TUTP picnic mash-up with Iced tea + lavender shortbread + hula hooping

2011-08-03T14:56:00.000+01:00

Hello people,

Happy summer to you. 3 days into August and the weather here in London town is pretty damn fine.

Wanna vibe with fellow creatives? Hula hoop& play while nibbling tasty treats.

We want to bounce some ideas around and meet more of Our People: the unconventionals who love to eat cake+ drink tea and make cool stuff, and meet other wonderful people on the same vibe. That’s you, right?

We’re setting up camp at Clapham Common Sunday 14^th August @ 1.30pm to hang with us for a "Cosy Connection" TUTP meet-up. This is where we vibe free-flow convo and share ideas. We want to know what you'd like to hear from our speakers to help you with your arty aspirations.

source

We’re throwing in lemon iced tea & lavender shortbread to sweeten the deal.

But my ideas are hazy and vague, should I still come?

Well hell yes. Come armed with bullet-pointed lists if you please but if you’ve got a tingly but hazy idea that you’re playing with, that’s cool too. Whatever the deal: come with ideas, big or small.

Share as much as you’re comfortable with

Sharing can be scary but as creative types, we ‘get it’ and we believe that hearing fresh opinions on the ideas that have you excited but shit scared will be

illuminating+ empowering, agreed?

The best tea party reveller? Gentle, good listeners who love to play

Listen up. We’re trying to figure things out ourselves. We’ve faltered, doubted and learned lessons the hard way AND met cheerleaders + had zingy epiphanies. The value of a supportive community to help get ideas out there has become glaringly apparent. We want to make things happen and are committed to building a buzzing community.

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August 14^th Clapham Common Park, 1.30-3.30pm.

We’ll bring: Lemon iced tea + lavender shortbreads (a TUTP classic). An i-pod of chuuuunes and some hula hoops for fun.

You bring: a blanket, a sense of fun, any ideas you want to bounce around the group.

Pimms ;)

Why come?

For tasty treats. To bounce ideas around, get tips, share contacts, make recommendations and show off your hooping skills while getting a tan.

How to book your free place

Places are limited to 15 guests. It’s simple, RSVP on the twitvite page and you’re good to go.

Any questions email us info@undergroundteaparty.com or tweet us (Nats @creativesacred Alexia @alexialenoir)

Pssssst As for a future biggie tea party: Fear not, a fantabulous tea party complete with an artist in residence and other cool features will go ahead after summer, date TBC.

Tea Party- postponed

2011-07-04T17:24:00.000+01:00

Hey everybody!

Thanks so much for your support. The tea party scheduled for July 13th has been postponed.
We'll be in touch to update you with the details.

Until then, enjoy the summer sun (especially, Londoners) and see you soon xxx

'Peppermint Hideaway' by Will Cotton

Artists & Illustrators: An exciting opportunity for collaboration with TUTP

2011-06-29T01:28:00.003+01:00

Fancy being an artist in residence at

the Underground Tea Party?

For one night only we’d love to have an artist or illustrator record the awesomeness of the happenings at TUTP on Wednesday 13th July.

Interested?

Flower head by Olaf Hajek

What’s in it for you dear artist?
*A FREE place at the event ...complete with lashings of tea & mouthfuls of tasty cake
*We’ll talk you up on twitter + the blog.
*You'll get the chance to connect with fellow creative types
*A fun & unique opportunity to showcase your work

and most of all you get to bare the flashy title...

“Artist in residence”

Work by Supakitch & Koralie

The style we’re looking for
Something reflective of our vibe. Think contemporary and off-beat with a touch of whimsy.
Someone who works spontaneously & quickly - it would be great to have some images to display on the walls throughout the evening.

You can work in any medium but take into consideration that you’ll have a small space to work on at a table, so nothing too messy. We think pencils, pens and markers would work best but we’re open.

Here’s how it will work
You bring your materials and a sense of adventure and we’ll provide a small space for you to work comfortably with a good view to capture the night as it rolls on.
You need a good dose of confidence in your art so that you can still wield your mighty pen even when the other tea party guests are taken with your doodlings!

Melodie Monrose by Igor+Andre

How to apply
You can be self-taught, newly-graduated or a seasoned pro, we’re not bothered about credentials.
Send us an email with a link to your online portfolio (flickr etc) and/or your blog and a short, catchy little blurb about yourself. No emails with image attachments please.

Send entries to info@undergroundteaparty.com with the subject ‘artist in residence’

Deadline: Monday 4th July at 5pm
Name announced on Wednesday 6th

Please make sure you’re free on Wednesday 13th July from 7-9.30pm

Happy doodling xo

Update New event featuring Miss Cakehead - July 13th at Southwark Studios

2011-06-24T18:43:00.002+01:00

Hey homies!

We’re back with a snazzy venue and a sassy guest speaker to amp up your creative juices.
We’re thrilled to have found the perfect location for our return.

*UPDATE* Menu deets added below and in 'tickets & menu' tab

Tickets are available here.

About our fabulous Guest Speaker
Miss Cakehead is the alias of an unstoppable creative force; the self-titled creative ‘dictator’ has masterminded some incredible events including the world’s first ever over 18’s cake shop. She’s also turned her hand to artist representation, fundraising for Japan and Shakespeare in tweet form.

Copyright Nathan Pask 2010

She is a freelance creative with a knack for whipping up a frenzy around her pop-up events. Emmylou has the down-low on wooing the press resulting in enviable media coverage by the likes of the Guardian, the Independent, Nylon magazine and Time Out as well as the far reaches of blog-land.

Seriously this chica is the lady to pay attention to if you want to learn how to charm and excite your audience.

This is perfect for you if you...

* Are an artist or creative who wants to learn how to make ideas happen

from a relentless innovator

*Enjoy gorging on cake

* Thrive on meeting like-minded peeps

*Want to emerge from a ~~networking~~ connecting event feeling energised

& ready to make shit happen!

It’s not for you if…

You take yourself too seriously, have no interest in talking it up with fellow creatives or don’t like to try new experiences.

Menu
Cupcakes with delicious buttercream frosting
Crumbly lavender shortbread
Awesomely moist almond cake
Marshmallows and other sweet treats

A selection of teas to wash down the sweet-stuff
Peony & rosebud, peppermint, English Breakfast & Jasmine

Homemade lavender shortbread by The Underground Tea Party

Dress code

Donning a lil’ sumthing with style gets one in the mood for a good party. You don’t have to be a fashionista but a little effort will make you feel stupendous and ready to mingle.

The event takes place in the gallery of Southwark Studios.
*Tickets are £20 and available here.

4th Floor
Rich House
40 Crimscott Street,
London SE1 5TE

We look forward to meeting you!

*Note Eventbrite adds a £1.15 booking fee

Paris: Tasty pastries and a Goddess called Gigi Rouge

2011-04-13T17:46:00.000+01:00

We’ve just returned from a sweet sojourn to Paris.

It was wonderful. The weather was just perfect, jacket-not-required-while-strolling-nonchalantly-down-Parisian-alleyways quality.

Lovers in alleyways and sultry smokers in cafés

I planned to return with a memory card full of charming Parisian scenes - lovers clinging to one another, sultry smokers in cafés , elegant women with je ne sais quoi - but I was so enraptured by the ambience that I was unconcerned about capturing most of them…plus a bulky SLR camera ain’t ‘alf heavy!

I think I need to invest in an old skool lightweight digital camera. The pic below is my fave of the trip!

Alexia gazing dreamily in front of the Eiffel Tower or La Tour Eiffel if you want to be all French about it!

If you’re a cakeist then Paris is the city for you

The streets are lined with the most divine boulangeries; pastries for every taste bud. Now I understand why Parisians lament the flour-y goodness of their home town. I stumbled across what must be the largest Palmier in the world; it was the size of my face. Of course I gobbled it up before photographic evidence was taken. Just take my world that it was an awesome sight & delicious.

Image from here

We stopped by the famous Lauduree shop but the queue was mammoth. Equally pretty, tasty macaroons were purchased from a shop called, Maison Larnicol.

Palmier. Image from here

One of the highlights was a night in a small lesbian bar called, wait for it…

Les Jacasses. Which means something along the lines of The Chatterboxes. Of course us being us, we met girls who live down the road from the location of our old secret supperclub location in snazzy West Croydon. Trés glam! A few Desperado beers and tequila shots later, resulted in the crowd worshipping the lesbian Goddess Gigi Rouge, a deity embodied in a scary red tribal mask hanging on the wall of the bar…

Ok ok those aren't French lesbians it's Carla Bruni, wife of French President Sarkozy & Mrs Obama. I googled 'French lesbians' and this along with some other rather bendy ladies came up. So let's roll with it.

On our last day, while strolling down the Champs-Elysees we were asked to star in an advert...

for the Dutch airline KLM as Parisian women shopping merrily on the famous boulevard. That’s just how we roll peeps! I think it was my bright Christian Dior lippie and Alexia’s Parisian strut that bagged us the job. We’ll let you know if we make the final cut of the ad hehe!

Moi trying to channel French je ne sais quoi

Zut alors! I know it’s cheesy but you can’t have a blog on Paris sans the customary photo of the city’s most famous landmark.

Have you been to Paris? Tell us about your favourite places, experiences, memories.

An #undergroundtea #TUTP tweetup is on its way friends…

Non-icky networking for artists & creatives - The NEW Underground Tea Party

2011-03-31T16:05:00.000+01:00

Image courtesy of Vogue Girl, Korea

The *new* Underground Tea Party is a supperclub no more!

Here’s how we’re going to roll. We had a great time inviting our peeps to the intimate dwelling that once housed our idea but we’re going bigger in 2011. As newly self-employed creatives we see a need for more ways to connect with others like us. It’s exciting times and there are interesting networking events springing up all the time but we’re bringing our own style to the scene, in collaboration with some fab partners… TBA!

The parties will take 2 forms – Intimate & grand

Cosy connections are informal, get-togethers often in the form of tweetups hosted at quirky, affordable London hang-outs. Here we’ll have free-flow convo on art+biz in an intimate group where you can share baby projects, find collab partners or simply chill with other creatives, as being an artist/freelancer type can be lonely work eh?

These are FREE to attend, you pay for your tea+cake at the venue.

Follow events with the #undergroundtea hast-tag on twitter

And splendiferous do’s which will be dressed-up dramatic events with guest speakers who give insight into innovation, promotion, productivity & meaningful connections.

Think of it as a dressy, funky TED talk with tea & cake!

You are welcome to attend any of the events no matter where you are in your journey.

Image courtesy of Vogue Girl, Korea

ROCK THE MIC?

Are you a passionate, informative speaker with something to add to the ‘earn a living doing what you love’ conversation? Do you have an enviable, loyal twitter following, a thriving small biz or interesting insights into building a creative habit – then we’d love to hear from you.

COLLABORATE, SPONSOR AN EVENT, OFFER YOUR VENUE

Feel like you can jam with us and create something beautiful? This is a small venture but we have a grand vision. If you can offer sponsorship or a venue then get in touch with your ideas.

We’ll be back soon with details of up-coming events. Remember keep up on twitter with the hashtag #undergroundtea

Alexia @alexialenoir Nats @creativesacred Email info@undergroundteaparty.com

Note: we have a twitter account @undergroundtea but updates will mostly take place via our personal accounts.

See you soon, friends xoxo

True-blood inspired Tea Party Sunday 31st October - Spooky & Sleek!

2010-10-20T13:37:00.000+01:00

We’re back with an invitation to our

most decadent party yet!

Miss Lenoir and I have been brainstorming up something extravagant & delicious for you. On Sunday October 31^st, we bring you a sleek & spooky tea party with all the Southern sexiness of a True Blood episode.

We’ll dine by candlelight just as the sun descends and the night slinks in around us...

Romantic Autumnal Table design by Miss Lenoir

Menu

A complimentary cocktail

Red pepper & tomato soup served with avocado & red onion toast

A choice of speciality teas

Peony & rose buds, Earl Grey, Assam, Jasmine and Yellow Oolong.

Chocolate & chili cake

Ginger & Pumpkin tart

Mini Red Velvet cupcake

Plum & rum jelly

Time 5 – 7pm

Halloween has roots in the Celtic festival Samhain, which celebrates summer’s end as winter wraps her shady cloak around our shoulders. The ancient Celts believed that on this day the boundary between our reality and the underworld became gossamer, allowing spirits to pass betwixt the two worlds.

We’re going to transform our intimate space into a dark & decadent den

Bookings
To take up our invitation please email info@undergroundteaparty.com and we will send the details for you to make your £19 paypal donation.

Dress code… in keeping with the sultry, decadent mood. It gets one in the mood for tasty proceedings. Have fun with it, become your most dark and fanciful self for the evening.

We look forward to meeting you all.

The Underground Tea Party makes an appearance at the 2nd Underground Farmer's & Craft market

2010-09-20T19:34:00.002+01:00

Yesterday The Underground Tea Party took up residence in Ms Marmite Lover’s living room for the 2nd Underground Farmer’s & Craft market!

Ms Marmite Lover - ex punk and founder of London’s secret restaurant scene – gave over her beautiful, quirky home to supperclubs, foodies, bakers & crafters to sell their wares.

We spent the previous couple of evenings baking up a storm! – sweet potato pudding, chocolate & chili cake, lavender shortbread & almond cake.

All the treats were wrapped up and finished off with hot pink, gold and black ribbons and a name tag - the packaging was fun & fab if we say so ourselves!

We nosed around in Ms Marmite Lover's kitchen, oohing at her famous aga while some stallholders gave demo’s of their signature dishes.

Our new intern, young fashionista, The Pink Lady (we love aliases!) bedazzled shoppers with her hot lippy that perfectly complemented our funky cerise theme.

It was great to put faces to names such as supperclub hosts, the Clandestino’s - who were the smiliest people we’ve EVER come across – they’re energy was contagious; the type of people who you want to be good friends with after a 3 minute conversation.

We met quite a few of our twitter homies and made some new connections too.

Popular newcomers to the scene D’carib undagroun’ supperclub preparing to serve up the tastiest Jerk chicken. We did straight swaps – party packs for chicken & plantain!

We couldn’t resist the wonderful smells from the other side of the living room and somehow managed to find space in our tummies for Mama Lan's tasty tofu & beef skewers (inventively warmed up in a toaster!) and The Other Side Mag's almond pesto - just gorjuss!

Most repeated phrase of the afternoon...

"It’ll hit you on the second bite"

- in reference to the chilli in the chocolate & chilli cake) and it really DOES warm the tongue on the second bite. It’s especially good with hot tea!

There was quite a buzz around our up-coming True Blood themed party

(Sunday 31^st October). Details to follow soon...

Alternative Carnival: Picnic Tea Party mash-up!

2010-08-27T15:51:00.000+01:00

This is what we envisioned
Our guests donning romantic florals & lounging in the garden, sipping tea and delicately handling finger sandwiches....

Photos courtesy of stylist, Finola Inger

Cloudy skies won't stop us doing our thing, baby!

All – ahem, summer - we’ve been planning a sumptuous picnic party. We had no idea the heat wave in June was the only peek of a real summer we’d get this year. But damn it we’re gonna have a picnic! Florals, finger sandwiches & cake. Let’s all get together and play make believe that we live in a country where we have proper seasons and are in fact currently in the midst of summer – yeah?

After all the tea room is about creating our own little slice of a universe where all is as we want it – sumptuous, playful, escapism… Mmmmmm.

Swap sweat & soca for making connections
As Caribbean women, we know that it’s carnival weekend but we’re swapping the sweat & the soca for dainty tea & cake & making some new connections! And for the die-hard fans, there’s always Monday!

Music
The Carnival spirit will live on with a well selected soundtrack so can shimmy in your seats if the mood takes you.

Dress
You can’t play make believe if you don’t dress the part. Channel the spirit of carnival – colourful, celebratory, rum-fuelled fun. Or get inspired by precious, sparkly things & pretty florals. Leave the denims at home and get into the mood of a decadent tea party my friends!

Source unknown

Christian Lacroix

Menu

A complimentary glass of pink fizz

A choice of speciality Faitrade loose teas (including peony & rose, jasmine & Moroccan mint)

Finger sandwich (chicken & mango chutney, tuna, mayo & sweetcorn, brie & cherry tomato)

Lavender shortbread

Moist almond cake

*We have a few places left for this Sunday, please email info@undergroundteaparty.com *

Ooh La la Tea in Paris video, gluten-free Clafoutis & Queer Tea party

2010-08-10T12:08:00.000+01:00

Bonjour! You're in for a juicy, mammoth post my lovelies. There's even a video!

Sunday's Ooh La La Tea in Paris was a hoot!
The whimsical, romantic reputation of Paris was the prefect muse for letting our creative juices flow and we turned our little tea room into a decadent venue for our wonderful guests.
Our revellers were thoroughly stuffed by our menu and although most weren't tea experts they really enjoyed trying the Organic speciality Fairtrade teas that were on offer.

Gluten-free clafoutis courtesy of the awesome Cannelle et Vanille.

Here's the recipe

This clafoutis was truly delicious, the subtle taste of the coconut milk is just scrumptious. OWe made ours with just with cherries which were so juicy and a bargain at £1 for 2lbs at Lewisham market.

"Ooh La La Tea in Paris" at the Underground Tea Party London from The Underground Tea Party on Vimeo.

**Queer Tea Sunday August 15th***

Oh yes! We're channelling the fabulosity that is gaydom (yeah we make up words here) to bring you a Queer Tea Party. And before we begin, yes gay-loving straight folks are welcome too!

We just wanted to create something different from the usual scene. It's all the flirty, fun of a gayed up night but with no pressure to dance or you know? Be on the pull.

This is the place to relax, have fun and meet new people. Our little tea room appeals to the think outside of the box types, so if that's you then come on in, the water's fine.

For a suggested donation of £16 per person please email info@undergroundteaparty.com for bookings & info

Here's the menu

A complimentary glass of pink fizz

Organic Fairtrade teas including jasmine, peony & rose buds & Moroccan mint

Mozzarella, cherry tomato & mushroom tart

Lavender shortbreads

Chocolate & Chilli cake

Strawberry & Vanilla cupcakes

Soundtrack: Madonna, Lady Gaga, Kylie, Booty beats. Hell yeah!

We hope see you there xxx

A bit of ooh la la!

2010-07-28T19:17:00.001+01:00

Bienvenue!

A chic tea in Paris

We're channelling all things chic and Parisian for our next decadent Tea Parties on 7th & 8th of August

As a native of the city of romance, Miss Lenoir will be bringing some authentic French glamour to the decadent tea room & Miss Fariplay will be working from a memorable visit to that most tempting of cities!

Paris conjures up such dreamy, whimsical imaginings.

How many of us have swooned at the thought of spending Spring in Paris, or writing a novel in a smoky café on the Left Bank or being delighted by the impressive high kicks of girls at the Moulin Rouge?

Ambience

The eclectic cultures of Paris offers a wealth of musical choices to set the mood. The soundtrack will feature classics such as Edith Piaf & Serge Gainsbourg, more recent kooky chanteuses such as Camille & Emilie Simon, and there'll even be a bit of French rap thrown in to mix it up and keep it fresh & funky!

The delicious menu...
A complimentary glass of pink Champagne
Asparagus & Brie tart (savoury)
Croissants
Strawberry tartelette
Black forest gateau
Clafouti

The parties will take place on the 7th & 8th of August, at 2pm.
Please email info@undergroundteaparty.com to book your places and make the suggested donation of £16 via paypal.

Dress up, get in the mood
What happened to the days of dressing up? This is the time to have fun with your style. Take inspiration from the chic ladies & gents of Paris and get yourself in the mood for a decadent soirée. We're not necessarily talking fancy dress (although go ahead) but you could wear a beret, or a glam trench coat, stripes or even a garland of garlic. Whatever tickles your fancy! Approach it with light-heartedness and a sense of fun!

Please remember you don't have to be a social butterfly to attend
But a little but of chutzpah would help! We're two introverts but we love to keep the company of new & interesting people. Bring a friend or a date along if you're too shy to brave it alone. There is NO pressure to be extroverted or anything else that you aren't. We create a relaxed environment to connect.

We really hope to see you soon.

P.s Secret location
We are based in West Croydon which is NOT Timbuktu! the nearest station is West Croydon rail. It is very easy (25mins) to get to us via train from Victoria or London Bridge and we have the glorrrrious East London overground too. East Croydon rail is a 10min walk.

Help us create a community for renegades

2010-07-15T19:07:00.000+01:00

Hello rebel revellers!

We’re delighted that you’ve stopped by. Take a seat, pour yourself a cuppa and get stuck into the delicious treats. We want to tell you a bit more about this here wondrous place and what we wish to do here and why we think you may just love it!

What is the Underground Tea Party? A haven for renegades

It’s a space for rebel revellers to connect with like-minded people. This is a haven for renegades to cocoon themselves for a few hours. If you’re no longer thrilled with your social circle or happenings, or want to add to an already fab bevy of mates, then this place is for you!

I’m an introvert this sounds scary! Well this may sound strange but so are we!

We’ve taken the Myers-Briggs test so it’s official. But we like meeting Our People and making cool connections if only for a few hours.

The tea room is intimate enough not to overwhelm introverts; you don’t have to be a social butterfly or an extrovert to enjoy your time here. Of course meeting new people is scary but only cool people hang out here so you’re safe.

Who are the ‘Right People’?

The tea room is niche, it’s not for everybody - nothing remarkable ever is!

- but the spectrum is broad.

Entrepreneurs, introverts & extroverts, performers, music-lovers, the odd suppressed IT consultant, creatives, dancers, tea & cake enthusiasts are all welcome here!

See, we told you – niche, but broad spectrum, right?

Do I have to dress up?

We’ve found getting dressed up gets one into the spirit of a decadent event.

Don your Sunday best, dress like a burlesque dancer, a 1950’s bombshell or a debonair gent or just wear just shiny shoes. It’s really up to you.

Find handmade fabulousness on etsy.com

hat by UK girl Zara Carpenter

What should I bring? Yo’ fine selves, good-time spirit and a smile.

Oh and alcohol if you please. We offer a complimentary glass of Champagne so if you want to get merry, drinks are on you!

Can I hire the room? Yes! Email us with your ideas

- and we’ll see what we can do for you. Miss Lenoir has assisted on fabulous events including the Black Banquet where Dita Von Teese was guest of honour! So we can create something fab for you whether it’s a hen party, birthday do or date where you want to really impress!

OK… I’m in! What do I do?

We hold parties on most Saturdays & Sundays in a secret location in West Croydon. For event updates find us here, twitter + facebook.

We're hosting a party this Sunday at 2pm view the menu & bookings here

We’re just two optimistic, creatives so we’d very much appreciate if you talk us up to your mates, and on facebook + twitter and down your local.

Virtual hugs + kisses + good karma!

Find out your Myers-Briggs personality type, go on it's fun!

Tell us what yours is and we'll share ours :)

Invitation to an intimate soiree

2010-07-08T16:15:00.000+01:00

Dress up, debate & dine with your TRIBE of rebel revellers

Hear ye! hear ye!

Tea Party

this Sunday 11th July at 2 pm

Myself and Miss Lenoir have been busy bees, preparing the tea room for you.

We extend an invitation...

to those who want to expand their horizons, debate & gossip while indulging in lavender shortbreads & sipping loose leaf teas from dainty china cups - with their pinkies extended just so.

We're eccentric introverts!

How we revel in meeting our 'Right People'. Those who delight in making new connections with frightfully fun people!

There's no need to whine about how awfully boring life has become when there are

Underground Tea Parties to attend to now is there?

If you'd like to come & join us- and we so hope you do - then book you seat here

VIEW THE MENU

p.s if you want to impress friends by showing them you know the cool places to hang out, then we're happy to host your hen, birthday and general

"I'm so hip it hurts" parties! Send us an email with your ideas.

info@undergroundteaparty.com

Crunchy lavender shortbreads

2010-07-06T13:22:00.000+01:00

Howdy friends!

If you are looking for a way to impress your guests or family, this simple recipe will do the trick.

We've adapted our recipe from Athlyn Green at The Hub pages and hope you'll enjoy it!

So let's get this recipe started, shall we?!

To make about 10-12 biscuits you will need:

1 cup or 225g butter (room temperature)

1/2 cup or 60g icing/confectioner's sugar

1/2 or 60g corn starch

1 1/2 cup or 170g flour

2 tbsp culinary lavender buds

1. Pre-heat your oven at 150 degrees Celsius.

2.Cream your butter (make sure it's soft to start with)

3. Add in the icing sugar and mix well with a wooden spoon (make sure you get rid of all the lumps!)

4. Sift in the corn starch & flour, mix well with the wooden spoon then start working with your hands ntil the dough forms a ball (Tip: if the mixture is not stiff enough, I suggest adding more corn starch to the mixture).

5. Add your lavender buds and mix well (still working with your hands) until the buds have spread evenly.

6. Sprinkle a little flour on your counter and roll out your dough (1/2 inch).

7. Cut into desired shapes, place on a baking sheet and bang in the oven for 30 min! Make sure you keep an eye on them making sure they don't over-brown.

8. When cooked, take them out and let them cool.

9. Enjoy your delicious lavender shortbread biscuits with a cup of yellow Oolong tea... the perfect combination!

*Have you got recipes or tips you'd like to share with us? Go ahead! We are experimenting new recipes on a regular basis and would love to hear about your tricks ;D Send us a picture of your creations by emailing us, uploading it on Twitter using Twitpic or sending us a link to your blog.

Oye, Oye!

Our next Underground Tea Party is taking place on Sunday 11th July; you can find the info on bookings and menu here.

Let's toast to new friendships & munch on tasty treats!

Experimental baking

2010-06-21T22:56:00.001+01:00

Hello friends!

Last week end, we rolled up our sleeves and baked the most delicious treats to accompany our speciality teas. We were keen to expriment with different flavours and wasted no time in acquiring edible lavender flowers. With this, we concocted lavender shortbread biscuits and tasty lavender cupcakes.

Sumptuous lavender & vanilla cakes

Our moist cupcakes went down a real treat. The sweet and strong lavender flavour made our mouths watery! We tried 2 recipes with different methods to find out the most suitable one: the first one made with the pure lavender flowers and the second one with lavender-infused milk. Still deciding...

Crunchy lavender shortbread biscuit

The subtle flavours of our lavender shortbreads were simply exquisite. The crunchiness of the biscuit mixed with the softness of the lavender made these tasty treats delightful and went along very well with a nice cup of Oolong tea.

Chocolate, cinammon and chili cupcake with a creamy vanilla icing

The chocolate, cinammon and chili cupcakes were our favourite. The tingly after taste from your first bite makes you crave for more. We complemented those rich flavours with a soothing vanilla icing: a few drops of vanilla essence matched perfectly with an intense chocolatey burst!

A great week end we had and a fantastic week we are having so far. We'll be baking more treats as we go along so keep your eyes peeled!

We'd also love to share our recipes & tips so don't hesitate to shoot us an email, leave a comment or converse with us on Twitter! (Did we mention we were completely Twitteratic?!)

OYE, OYE... Our menu for Saturday 26th June is now up! Check our 'Menu+bookings' page for more info.

Thank you for visiting us here.

Til the next time!

P.s: all photo credits go to Miss Fairplay!

A sneak peek video tour of the secret place

2010-06-16T19:42:00.000+01:00

The Underground Tea Party: A tour from The Underground Tea Party on Vimeo.
The music is from the Amelie soundtrack by Yann Tiersen - La Valse D'Amelie (Orchestra version)

Hello, we present a little video tour of our secret(ish) little place for tea-drinkers and cake-eaters who want to have fun in a divinely decadent & atmospheric setting.

We are an artist and a creative events designer who want to meet and connect with fellow creative and eccentrics in a playful, funky and relaxed setting. We've created the tea room to do just that.

The tea room is a space for people to meet and connect while tucking in to tasty homemade treats, speciality teas and a glass of Champagne. Think decadent soirées, cultured conversation, gossip and laughter, and a rollicking good time with new seven people who are Your People; fellow eccentrics, creatives and open-minded mavens.

Introverts welcome!

As two introverts we totally understand how difficult it can be to expand your social circle. Our table seats eight people which is enough to create a stimulating atmosphere and witty banter but not overwhelm those who aren't social butterflies.

We LOVE music so our soundtrack covers everything from Bjork to Jay Z and Camille.

We're open to suggestions on the playlist! Don't be shy.

Thanks so much for visiting us here. Please don't hesitate to leave a comment, meet up on twitter (we adore twitter) or fan us on facebook, we'd like that too!

We bid you farewell until sometime in the near future...

p.s. We still have tickets available for this Saturday from 1-3pm or 4-6pm.

Welcome to the House of Decadence

2010-06-15T00:19:00.000+01:00

Decadence, merriment and connection

In an intimate, artistic and truly divine setting! The Underground tea party is a concept brewed up by a creative twosome - Miss Lenoir and Miss Fairplay.

It is the place to mingle with the curious and creative souls of London; converse over the most delicious handmade cakes and speciality teas, to a backdrop of eclectic beats.

Vintage crockery and pink Champagne

Raise a glass of (complimentary) Champagne and toast ...

To cultured conversation, naughty gossip and friendship!

From 19th June, the tea parties will take place over weekends in a secret London location (a well-serviced locality, revealed upon confirmation of your booking).

Our table seats 8 cheerful cake-eaters.

We are experimental ladies and so guests can look forward to a different selection of tasty, treats on their visits.

Decadent table setting

Suits you, Sir

If you’re an inquisitive folk looking for a new experience - then this is for you!

This isn’t a twee affair. Yes, there’s vintage crockery, silver platters and the sweetest English scones but… Our tea parties are funked-up do’s with Old skool Hip-Hop, French pop and Caribbean beats for a soundtrack.

Gold candles and vintage tea set

Tickle your fancy?

If this sounds like something you’d enjoy (and you would wouldn’t you?) Miss Lenoir and Miss Fairplay would love you to come and break bread with them.

All of this wondrousness is offered to our guests for a donation of only £16.50 per person.

Please check Menu + bookings for further details.

One of a kind tea cup - our favourite!

Join a tribe of underground tea-drinkers, cake-eaters + creatives

Fan us on facebook

Join the TRIBE in the right sidebar over there.

Booking is open for Saturday 19th June!

There are two seatings 1-3pm and 4-6pm. Please email info@undergroundteaparty.com

Bisous