Voucher for Afternoon Tea

Crossstitchfan

Thank you, theworriedwell. I chuckled at the car valeting comment. I suppose people like to give gifts that look nice and that doesn’t really fit the bill!

My car would look nice though. I see that as thoughtful, maybe not a typical present but something the recipient would actually love. To me there's nothing original or thoughtful about a voucher for afternoon tea.

Once when I was heavily pregnant with my third child and doing a demanding job someone bought me a bagful of ironing, they arranged for a bag of clothes to be collected and delivered back all beautifully ironed. It was truly one of the best presents ever. I was able to fill a black bin bag with it all. Now to me that was a brilliant thoughtful present. Wouldn't be for everyone that's where the thoughtful came in.

Suzieque66

Hi .. My son gave me a Voucher For Afternoon Tea for £65.00 .. I don't want to use it as it's an awful ammount of money for sandwiches and a few cakes.

The tea shop wont let anymore people come to the Tea .. so it 2 only ..

How could the tea room stop you bringing someone else if they sat with you and bought a pot of tea or something?

A local hotel here is very happy for two people to share an afternoon if we buy an extra pot. They even give us an extra scone.

Thank you, theworriedwell. I chuckled at the car valeting comment. I suppose people like to give gifts that look nice and that doesn’t really fit the bill!

At least you can use it and in all likelihood enjoy it. Better than a fashion item you hate and will never wear, or an ornament that you are expected to have out on display even though it looks hideous.

Afternoon tea is around £30 pp where I live, with about £5 extra for prosecco so this gift seems fairly priced. It's a lovely gift so accept it gracefully and enjoy it.

Your son has been incredibly generous and you complain! For goodness sake appreciate the gift and take a friend.
Who knows, if you try really hard you might even enjoy the occasion!!

Oreo

It depends where you go for it if you’ll enjoy it or not.We have had a gift of this twice, the first time in a well known bakery/cafe in the Cotswolds and it was horrible, the second time in a local garden centre and it was lovely, too much to eat so we took the cakes home, they boxed them up for us.
It hasn’t cost you anything so go and enjoy!

As Oreo says. Do your research online to see which places are recommended.

Not that I have had lots of afternoon teas, but some have been fabulous and others really poorly put together and not worth the money.

Crossstitchfan

That’s interesting, Theworriedwell. I had no idea that you could do this with books. What a great idea. How do they know what you like to read? It wouldn’t be so good if you got mysteries when you like love stories and so on! Does the person who buys the gift tell the book people what your tastes are?

Yes they know the sort of thing I like, some of the books were better than others but that happens even if I'm picking for me. I thought I was a very thoughtful present for someone who reads slot. I keep dropping hits that having the car valeted would be a lovely gift but no one seems to have picked up on that one.

Not so many years ago perhaps a dozen - I regularly had afternoon tea in London and it cost about £15-20 per person .
I remember paying £75 each for a special afternoon tea about four years ago .
I have to admit that my friend and I spent the entire afternoon enjoying our tea in an empty hotel restaurant by the Science museum .
It seems to be the normal price these days .
Accept this kind and generous gift and enjoy it .

That’s interesting, Theworriedwell. I had no idea that you could do this with books. What a great idea. How do they know what you like to read? It wouldn’t be so good if you got mysteries when you like love stories and so on! Does the person who buys the gift tell the book people what your tastes are?

Lucky you to have a son so thoughtful. Enjoy it!

Astitchintime

spottybook

Ungrateful

This
Just accept the voucher with grace…….might seem like a lot of money for two people but it was a gift after all!
Normally, anything you don’t eat can be boxed up and taken away.

I'm sure the OP has read these comments and has taken them on board. Possibly thanking her lucky stars for having such a considerate son, who is trying his best to please his Mum.

spottybook

Ungrateful

This
Just accept the voucher with grace…….might seem like a lot of money for two people but it was a gift after all!
Normally, anything you don’t eat can be boxed up and taken away.

Ladyleftfieldlover

I wonder if the OP will return?

Hopefully the OP is at The Tea and enjoying it...
I've had more expensive teas which shouldn't mean any less but at 65.00 for 2, that is one of the less expensive ones..
Enjoy OP.. what a thoughtful son you have!

I wonder if the OP will return?

We were given a very expensive voucher for a trip that we couldn’t use because of mobility issues . It was possible to access the providers web site and change it to a different ‘experience’ The giver was happy for us to choose something else. We swapped it for a steam train ride, a night away close to home and no less than five opportunities for an afternoon tea. We loved each of the afternoon teas. Always a doggie bag to take home, delicious food and a bit of an occasion.

No matter it seems a lot of money suzie just go and enjoy the occasion with your chosen guest. If you can’t eat it all, or don’t want to, it can be packed for you to take home. To me it seems a thoughtful gift.

eazybee

So son puts some cash in an envelope and lets mother do the work.
I think it is a kind gesture and should be appreciated.
But there are always those, who no matter what, and then wonder why they are neglected. is done for them, find fault with it

I think the cash in the envelope is great, like a voucher but you get something you want.

I'm in my 80's and would definitely prefer an Afternoon tea voucher to cash in a card. I love anything like that. My friend chose me as her 'other' when she was given a Tea voucher. We had a very enjoyable time.

Crossstitchfan

What do you buy an older lady who appears to have everything she needs?
Well, one of my favourite presents from my family was a delivery of fresh flowers every month. I was given three months’ supply and it was one of my birthday gifts. (You can choose how many months it is valid for). Well-known internet sellers do them but mine were from a local florist who made notes of the flowers and colours that I like and made up the bouquets accordingly. I was thrilled with this gift and grateful that my daughters who organised it on behalf of the others, are thoughtful and really consider what to buy me. They are aware that I love chocolate (even more than flowers!) but know that my being diabetic means I can only have one as a treat now and again, so thought better of giving me anything like that. Flowers I can look at all the time for as long as they last. Wonderful gift! (And wonderful family).

I got a similar idea but for me it was books, a new book every month, think it was for six months. They picked a genre and something appropriate arrived every month. Buying books is a weakness of mine and that was a brilliant present for me.

eazybee

So son puts some cash in an envelope and lets mother do the work.
I think it is a kind gesture and should be appreciated.
But there are always those, who no matter what, and then wonder why they are neglected. is done for them, find fault with it

Yes, exactly. I'd rather have the voucher than just some cash stuffed into an envelope.

What do you buy an older lady who appears to have everything she needs?
Well, one of my favourite presents from my family was a delivery of fresh flowers every month. I was given three months’ supply and it was one of my birthday gifts. (You can choose how many months it is valid for). Well-known internet sellers do them but mine were from a local florist who made notes of the flowers and colours that I like and made up the bouquets accordingly. I was thrilled with this gift and grateful that my daughters who organised it on behalf of the others, are thoughtful and really consider what to buy me. They are aware that I love chocolate (even more than flowers!) but know that my being diabetic means I can only have one as a treat now and again, so thought better of giving me anything like that. Flowers I can look at all the time for as long as they last. Wonderful gift! (And wonderful family).

So son puts some cash in an envelope and lets mother do the work.
I think it is a kind gesture and should be appreciated.
But there are always those, who no matter what, and then wonder why they are neglected. is done for them, find fault with it

I think it’s a lovely gift from your son so go with a friend and enjoy it. I enjoy an afternoon tea but prefer a savoury one with homemade quiche, sausage roll and homemade chutney and nice sandwiches and just something sweet rather than loads of cakes. We always take a doggy box home too.

I do think the prices now are getting silly. We used to get a beautiful AT locally for £17.50 it has now gone up to £22. There are places around here that charge nearly £30 though.

Have a look on Mumsnet. Someone says I don't know what to buy mum/granny of 70 or 80 and it always comes back as buy them a voucher for a tea.

Why not give them the cash and let them choose what they want to do or buy a present and put some thought in eh favourite perfume, plants for a keen gardener or whatever. A generic afternoon tea takes no thought and as some posters have pointed out they can be hard to use.

theworriedwell

I'm with you OP. I usually get one for somewhere miles away and I could have a nice tea locally for half the price. I'm teetotal so the prosecco isn't for me. To me it seems like a present that hasn't involved much thought.

I disagree and believe that it has involved much thought as a special treat for the recipient and not something they would normally buy for themselves. It is a kind gesture and if it were me I would certainly use it and enjoy the experience. We hear from some on here whose Children completely forget their birthdays so I would be thankful that mine hade been remembered and worth celebrating.