By Marie Fagan Peart | marie@haldimandpress.com
In the back of her mind, Dale Vecero always wanted to have a high tea. As a member of the Hagersville United Church, she threw around the idea of having a Mother’s Day or Valentine’s Day tea, but it never happened. Then along came Sandra House. Sandra loved the idea and the two of them started planning. Their enthusiasm was infectious, and the idea eventually evolved, as Dale said, “into this magical thing.” The first tea was in February 2022 with 50 people in attendance. Recently, they hosted their ninth event with support from communities far and wide.
Dale Vecero & Sandra House
In the beginning, Dale and Sandra bought a few tiered China trays at antique shops. Then Dale started to make the trays herself using three different sized China plates, joined by gluing wine glasses to the plates. They are fortunate to have space at the church for three large China cabinets to store the tea pots, tiered serving trays, and the many teacups that have been donated.
Their planning committee has grown into a well-oiled machine. Dedicated members include Dianne, Jo-Ann, Brenda, and Beverly. These ladies are supported by members of the congregation who volunteer for set-up and serving, plus their faithful tea-maker Maggie. Brenda and Beverly are the decorating queens who combine everyone’s ideas to take the theme to the next level. Dale and Sandra are so pleased to see the proceeds from these events used to finance upgrades in the church. Most recently, new flooring was installed in the fellowship hall.
Sandra bakes the scones for all the high teas, and Beverly Petheram made these cookies. Thank you to these ladies for graciously sharing their recipes. Enjoy!
Creamsicle Orange Cookies
½ cup butter
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 egg
½ teaspoon orange extract or orange zest
1 box orange cake mix or yellow cake mix
Orange food colouring
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup powdered sugar (icing sugar)
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl, beat together butter, orange extract, cream cheese, and egg with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the cake mix and mix well. Add food colouring if desired, until cookie dough reaches desired colour.
Stir in white chocolate chips. Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Form dough into 24 balls. Roll each in powdered sugar and put on cookie sheets.
Bake for 12-13 minutes. Cool on cookie sheet for 2-3 minutes, then remove and finish cooling on a wire rack.
British Scones
450g (2½ cups) bread flour
5 teaspoons baking powder
50g (1/2 cup) white sugar
100g (1 cup) cold butter, slightly softened,
cut into pieces
2 large eggs
A little milk
A handful of sultanas (optional)
Strawberry jam
Whipping or clotted cream
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly grease two baking trays or line with parchment paper.
Mix flour, baking powder, and sugar in a large bowl. Add the butter and rub in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
Crack the eggs into a measuring cup, then add enough milk to make the total liquid 300ml (1¼ cup). Using a fork or round-tipped knife, stir the egg and milk into the flour – you may not need it all – and mix to a soft, sticky dough.
Turn out onto a lightly floured work surface, knead lightly, and work in the sultanas, if using. Roll out to a rectangle about 2cm (¾ inch) thick.
Cut into as many rounds as possible with a fluted 5cm (2 inch) cutter and place them on the prepared baking trays. Brush the tops of the scones with milk or leftover egg mixture.
Bake for 12–15 minutes, or until the scones are well risen and a pale, golden-brown colour. Lift onto a wire rack to cool. Eat as fresh as possible.
To serve, split the scones and serve with jam along with a good dollop of cream.
