Last Sunday, we took our cousin’s 6-year-old daughter to afternoon teatime at the Old Mill Inn. They don’t live in Toronto, so riding the subway and going to a fancy hotel for a dainty, civilized afternoon tea was very exciting for our little guest. Of course, Tomiko and I never pass up an opportunity to go for tea – we hadn’t been since the summer in Guelph!
The Old Mill Inn is a beautiful half-timbered building built in 1914, by the Humber River in the west end of Toronto. The tea garden itself opened on August 4 of that year, the very same day that World War One broke out. There have been a variety of mills near this location since 1793, starting with a grist mill. The current mill has been undergoing almost constant renovations and additions since 1914, resulting in the large and stately complex that we know today.
The three of us were promptly seated in the well-lit tearoom which looks onto a sheltered courtyard and pond. We chose from a menu of teas, and then our three-tiered platter arrived. In general, you eat from the bottom plate first – the savoury sandwiches. Then you proceed to the scones, and lastly, the sweet treats. Of course, we weren’t too strict with these rules, and let our little guest choose what to eat first.
Approaching the inn itself, just a short walk from the Old Mill subway station.
To celebrate the centennial of the inn, we were gifted a box of their exclusive, specially-blended Centennial Tea. It is a black tea with a hint of jasmine and bergamot oil.
The tearoom itself was situated at the back of the restaurant, in a light and bright sunroom that looked onto the courtyard of the hotel.
Tea for three, please!
Selecting our teas is a serious business!
Three types of sandwiches: egg salad, cucumber, and smoked salmon.
The sweet level: shortbread cookies, chocolate-covered strawberries, lemon meringue pies, and Battenberg cakes. Battenberg cake is a square sponge cake that consists of four pieces of cakes covered with apricot jam and enveloped in marzipan. When sliced, you get the lovey multicoloured checkerboard effect.
She was very excited about the chocolate-covered strawberries, and eagerly bit into one before touching anything else. And after the first bite, she promptly dropped it on the floor. Don’t worry, there were still two more she could have!
The cucumber sandwich was a thin ribbon of cucumber curled up onto a round of bread spread with herbed cream cheese. Delicate and light.
There were also tasty egg salad sandwiches served on a mini croissant.
As for the teas, Tomiko selected a masala chai, our little guest had a creme au caramel rooibos, and I had the Old Mill Inn Centennial Tea Blend that was a black tea with hints of bergamot and jasmine.
The currant scones were served with clotted cream, citrus marmalade, and blackcurrant jam.
The lemon meringue pies were filled with a tangy custard and topped with fluffy marshmallow-like meringue.
After our tea, we explored the hotel and grounds.