The “Tea Lady,” Constance Lue, pours tea. (Submitted photo)
Vance-Granville Community College will offer a course on “Afternoon Tea,” the tradition that is enjoying a renaissance as fine hotels, inns and tea rooms across the country give guests an opportunity to retreat from the hurried pace of their lives.
The course, called “Let’s Have an Afternoon Tea,” is offered by the college in collaboration with The Old North State Tea Society. Classes will meet on VGCC’s Main Campus in Vance County, on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1 until 4 p.m., starting March 5. The final class and “graduation” ceremony is an actual afternoon tea party planned and facilitated by the students at Magnolia Manor in Warrenton on March 18.
“Tea is good for your health, and this fun, informative class is a way to recapture civility and learn etiquette in a friendly setting,” according to the instructor for the class, Constance Lue of Oxford, who founded both the Old North State Tea Society and this class at VGCC in 2006. Lue has studied under the foremost authorities on Afternoon Tea in Great Britain and the United States.
Students will learn about the history of tea; the difference between an afternoon tea party, a royal tea party and “High Tea;” and the proper way to make the best pot of tea. They will have tastings of a wide variety of teas (black, white, green, Oolongs and herbal) at each class meeting. Participants might use what they learn to hold their own tea parties for children as well as their adult friends. Afternoon Tea also can be a way to raise funds for churches and clubs.
Completion of the course guarantees automatic membership in the Old North State Tea Society, which offers opportunities to participate in group visits to various tea rooms and tea events. The Society also conducts charitable service/outreach projects, visiting schools, nursing homes and Boys and Girls Clubs.
The cost of the course is $45, which includes a valuable resource manual with recipes for tea time, tips on flower arranging, and a section on etiquette.
For more information and to register, contact Theresa Somerville at (252) 738-3427 or SomervilleT@vgcc.edu.