Luncheon Tea 

Way back in time, in the 1840s, for upper class Victorians lunch was early at around noon and dinner late at around 9pm.

Anna found that she was regularly feeling peckish at around 4m and requested that bread, butter, cake and tea were brought to her room to help her spike her energy levels through the afternoon hours. After a while, she invited friends to join her ... and the rest, as they say, is history.

Today's frantic life leaves little space for the traditional mid-afternoon tea experience, sipping fine teas and sampling simple, excellent finger foods with friends. That tradition needn't die; we're just moving it. We've shifted it to a more realistic time for modern life, turning it into a light lunch with the same traditional foods.

12:30 is the new 4 pm! It's Luncheon Tea at Le Palaie Vecchie!

Finger sandwiches are the absolute must! With a range of fillings, such as smoked salmon and cream cheese, egg salad, ham and mustard, and of course, cucumber and salted butter. But also others, quintessentially British and fabulous.

Other savouries might include sausage rolls, cheese and onion pastries, leek and cheese pastries or maybe a slice of British pie!

No English tea can ever be complete without scones, strawberry jam and clotted cream. But other sweet and tasty bites may include lemon drizzle cake, tiffin, parkin, oatmeal biscuits, flapjacks and so many more British delights.

A welcome glass of prosecco (this is Italy after all) or maybe some elderflower cordial could and should be a thing! But once our "tea" gets underway, most definitely tea! English breakfast, aromatic, fruity, green, black, herbal, smoky - and why not - some fresh sage or lemon verbena leaves from the courtyard.

Our Luncheon Tea can accommodate vegetarians, but (we are so sorry) we cannot make a communal tea for sharing that will work for  vegan/lactose free/gluten free requirements.

If you have a party of 10 that have those requirements, then, yes, we can discuss it!

Andd we don't work with a menu, you just turn up (having booked of course) and taste lots of lovely things, and if there is something you don't like (imposible!) there will lots of other things that you do!

Check the dates here below on our calendar. We have room for a maximum of 10 people and you can book for just 1 or 2 or for larger groups if you wish. So it's a great place to meet new people too. The common language will be English so it is a chance to maybe meet native English speakers, or just brush up on some words and phrases with me your host, Suzi, or learn something new about British culture and traditions. Oh yes, playing cards and board games could be a thing.

Well no. Different seasons will bring different foods (Italy teaches us well!). So there will be different things served at different times of the year, and perhaps a theme or two! Guy Fawkes and Halloween, Christmas, Pancake Day, Easter, celebrating the Indian and other influences on British cuisine (Coronation Chicken Sandwiches, Piccalilli and so much more!

Yes, so whilst the tastes, combinations and traditions are indeed very British (which has a long cultural and culinary connection to Tuscany) the ingredients are local. 

We are located just 17 km east of Florence, near Pontassieve. Without traffic, it's a straightforward 20-minute drive from the city, and we provide ample private parking.

Our magnificent Tuscan home has always been a place of sharing. Lying along the historic Saint Francis route to Assisi and Rome, this 18th-century building once served as an "osteria," offering pilgrims a bed, a hot meal, and company.

Today, we boast a truly spectacular vista over the Frescobaldi Castello di Nipozzano Estate vineyards.

Check the dates here below on our calendar. We have room for a maximum of 10 people and you can book for just 1 or 2 or for larger groups if you wish. So it's a great place to meet new people too. The common language will be English so it is a chance to maybe meet native English speakers, or just brush up on some words and phrases with me your host, Suzi, or learn something new about British culture and traditions. Oh yes, playing cards and board games could be a thing.