I have been wanting to visit the Royal Botanical Gardens in Burlington for a long time so when my sister suggested that we try their afternoon tea, I was excited! The afternoon tea is served in the Turner Pavilion, which is at one end of the gardens behind the Hendrie Park Reflecting Pools. The all-white interior, which has undergone a recent renovation, features floor-to-ceiling windows, round tables with white painted chairs of various sizes, floral-patterned wallpaper, a white cabinet with bone China pieces and several chandeliers.
My mother ordered the Rose Garden Tower, $43, which comes with cucumber gazpacho, curry chicken, heirloom tomato tartlet, smoked salmon; scones with clotted cream and house preserves; petit fours; and a pot of Sloane’s tea. My sister opted for the Iris Tower, $41, which includes cucumber gazpacho, curry chickpea, deviled egg, heirloom tomato tartlet; scones with clotted cream and house preserves; petit fours; and a pot of Sloane’s tea.
The tiered serving towers featured the Rose Garden items on one side of the serving tower and the Iris Tower items on the other side. My mom and sister both enjoyed the refreshing gazpacho and they also liked that the finger sandwiches were open-face style with just the one slice of bread as a base unlike traditional tea sandwiches. They also enjoyed the authentic clotted cream, which they spread on the blueberry lemon verbena and raspberry rose scones. The presentation was lovely with fresh fruit and watercress adorning the tray.
Since I don’t eat sweets and I also don’t eat scones, it didn’t make sense for me to order one of the towers so I was glad to see there were other menu options such as the daily quiche. Our server informed me that it was a Mediterranean quiche served with house salad, so I ordered that. I also ordered a pot of Sloane’s Ginger Twist tea. Other menu items include a Charcuterie Plate with meats and cheeses, $23, and a Citrus Heirloom Tomato Salad, $21.
You can choose from herbal, black, white or green Sloane’s teas. My sister ordered a pot of the RBG Royal Blend made with South African red rooibos, currants, rose petals, lavender, blueberries, and rosehip while my mother enjoyed a pot of Blueberry Rooibos. I had the Ginger Twist tea, a blend of lemongrass, heated ginger notes and whole fruit pieces. This is the best ginger-lemon tea I’ve had – the lemon flavour just bursts in your mouth!
We loved our afternoon tea at the Royal Botanical Gardens Tea House. It was such a relaxing and beautiful experience.
You can’t have afternoon tea at the Turner Pavilion without purchasing admission to the gardens so you’ll want to make sure you attend on a day when you can admire the gorgeous flower beds.
Admission to the Royal Botanical Gardens is Adults $19.50; Seniors (65+) $16.50; Youth (13-17) $16.50; Child (3-12) $11.50; Infant/Toddler (0-2) Free. Prices are subject to a $2 service fee and HST.
The Turner Pavilion Afternoon Tea is served Wednesdays to Sundays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Royal Botanical Gardens is located at Hendrie Park, 680 Plains Road West, Burlington, Ontario L7T 4H4, 905-527-1158 or toll free 1-800-694-4769
You may be interested in reading, “High Societea Afternoon Tea and Bus Tour in Toronto: REVIEW“
