JETAA North West Japanese Afternoon Tea and Kimono

JETAA North West: Japanese Afternoon Tea in Chester

On May 18th, JETAA North West collaborated with SugarSalt Bakery and Kimono Keiko for the second time to bring together Japanese and British culture in the form of an Afternoon Tea at The Unity Centre, Chester.

Upon arrival, participants were presented with an array of beautiful kimono from which they could choose from and get dressed up in.  Here are the committee members in our own kimono which Keiko kindly dressed us in...

Keiko also provided cute yukata for children who were excited to dress up in something pretty and different.

Keiko then gave a short talk about the different styles and meanings of kimono, particularly kosode and furisode, and when they should be worn.

Afterwards, we were treated to Afternoon Tea Japanese-style served at exquisitely decorated tables.  There were egg and ham sandwiches on mochi-like bread and a beautiful selection of scrumptious cakes: cheese soufflé cake, matcha swiss roll, chocolate gateau, custard cream-filled profiteroles, and strawberry mousse.  This was served with a choice of tea, coffee, genmaicha, or sencha.  You can see a picture of this amazing spread at the top of this article.

Every part of the Afternoon Tea was handmade by Chiemi from the bakery and was served so politely, explained really kindly, and we were greeted with truly happy smiles throughout the day.

We were in heaven and felt so lucky to experience both British and Japanese culture in such a fun and delicious way.  We made some very special memories and each participant was given a small souvenir of a bookmark made of kimono to take home too.

I’d like to thank SugarSalt Bakery and Kimono Keiko for joining JETAA NW again and showing us such kind hospitality.  If you missed out on this event this time, don’t worry: it was the second year in a row we’ve held a Japanese Afternoon Tea and due to it being oversubscribed each time it looks like it may become an annual JETAA NW event so watch this space and do come and join in the fun next time.

Thank you for reading this.  I hope you are all well and are enjoying the warmer weather.  Best wishes to all from here in the North West.

Corrina Ellis - North West Chapter Chair.