The Tea Plantation

Retirement.

I lay awake at night dreading it. Yet I cannot wait at the same time.

When I retire, I'm going to do many things. I'm not going to set an alarm clock. I'm going to play bridge often (once I learn). I'm going to knit. I'm going to spend an hour everyday walking back and forth in the community pool, gossiping the entire time. I'm going to drive a golf cart to the grocery store. I'm going to have happy hour everyday. At 5pm. On my lanai. With white wine (preferably Viognier) and shrimp cocktail. And maybe, just maybe, I'll do it in The Villages.

I headed up north to spend the day with my aunt. I love my trips up to The Villages. There's a certain sense of calmness that I rarely feel down here in Orlando. Maybe more of a laid-backness. Regardless, there has never been a trip that I did not enjoy.

We had lunch at the new tea room, The Tea Plantation, located in the Sumter Landing(aka Amity Island) square. Both the restaurant and menu are exactly what you would expect. Which in some cases is a bad thing, but in this case, it was exactly what I was looking for. The ambiance was very, well, British/tea like even down to the uncomfortable chairs. The usual fare was on the menu but I decided to go with the ultimate and get High Tea. Because who doesn't love tea sandwiches? The selection was quite delicious: cream cheese on rye, tuna salad on wheat, chicken salad on a cheddar biscuit. There was also a warm scone and a piece of sponge cake. The only thing missing was clotted cream, replaced by a very sweet Chantilly cream. I also drank an entire pot of cranberry green tea that was fantastic, even if it was bagged and not loose tea (kinda lame for a tea shop!).

So if you're ever up in the area, I'd recommend stopping by for a meal. The table next to us ordered full entrees and I have to admit that they also looked fantastic. And maybe now I'll add High Tea to my list of things to do when I retire.