 | Tea with a Clan Chieftainposted by TeaHouseTimes Admin, ADVERTISER TEA RELATED PRODUCTSThursday, February 11th 2010 @ 5:52 PM |
Having tea with friends in a special place is always memorable. But take a unique place and add unique people, you have an event that won’t soon be forgotten. On a recent British Isles cruise with the Royal-tea Club, that is just what happened – a unique and special tea with some unique and special people.
While sailing around Scotland and visiting the port of Invergordon, we were offered an excursion to visit Foulis Castle in the Highland Area northeast of Dingwall and to have a personal tour of the castle along with afternoon tea with Munro Clan Chief, Hector Munro and his mother, Mrs. E Munro. What a delightful host and hostess they were.
Foulis Castle has been home of the Munro clan since the 14th century. Although the original structure is mostly gone, the current castle still dates back to the middle 18th century. I wish I could say this was a very private affair, with just me and the Munros, but there was a coach full of people (about 30+), including some members of the tea club. And yet the Munros were able to entertain us all in their living room, where they told of the history of the house and the Clan. It’s still a working property and Clan Chief Munro was a little late to the discussion because he was out on his equipment working the land, growing crops that are sold to nearby whiskey distilleries.
Mrs. Munro was very proud of her friendship with the late Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother – a friendship that lasted for over forty years. The connection between the families goes back even before their first meeting. Mrs. Munro’s late husband, Patrick, was taken as a prisoner of war in WWII and was in the same German prisoner camp as John Elphinstone, a nephew to the Queen Mother. And it was Mr. Elphinstone’s sister, Elizabeth who had asked, back in 1959, if the Queen Mother, who had been restoring a nearby property, the Castle of Mey, could have a picnic lunch on the grounds of Foulis Castle. Needless to say, the Munros suggested that she lunch with them instead and the friendship began. The Queen Mother was last at Foulis in 2001 when she was 101 years old, still very much bright of spirit.
The Munros were grand guides taking us to many parts of the castle, including the old kitchen. What I wouldn’t have given for some of the lovely pottery that is still on display. In addition we learned about the Munro tartan. I learned that color is not what makes a clan tartan; rather it is just the unique pattern. As long as the pattern is there, it doesn’t make a difference what color the tartan is.
Mrs. Munro herself prepared the afternoon tea, baking the cookies and bars we enjoyed. There is nothing like Scottish shortbread -- one of my weaknesses when I visit Scotland. And as a matter of fact she personally poured the tea in the lovely dining room where the large group was all able to sit. They truly made us feel welcome. It is a memory those in attendance cherish on our return home.
So in your next travels, look for the opportunities to have a unique and special experience, hopefully involving tea. They are out there. We just have to be ready to grab onto them when they pop up.
From the Jan/Feb10 issue of The Tea House Times. To view the most recent issue, please log-in at http://www.theteahousetimes.com/ for free access.
