Beyond scones and sangas: High tea gets a modern makeover

SPOTLIGHT / High society

QT Newcastle executive chef Shayne Mansfield’s high tea includes duck-leg croquettes, Victoria sponge cake and lamb merguez sausage rolls served with his grandmother’s secret ketchup.

Whether it’s the pressure-cooker competition of shows such as MasterChef or the conveyor belt of food trends (slow food, paddock to plate, locavorism), the simple experience of eating has become awfully serious. Enter a counter-trend: high tea. Once the preserve of British elites – some think it originated in the 1840s, when Anna Maria Russell, the Duchess of Bedford, invited friends over for afternoon tea and “a light refreshment” – high tea is having a moment in Australia. In Sydney, the Hilton hosts one with crumpets, caviar and freshly shucked oysters; the Deco Lounge, at Hobart’s The Tasman, offers Tasman lobster rolls and bush tomato bread, with Arras Blanc de Blanc. Now the QT Newcastle is moving up in the world with an iteration that appeals to the traditionalist and neophyte alike.

“QT is pretty quirky, which gives me the chance to do it differently,” says executive chef Shayne Mansfield, whose standout spread includes duck-leg croquettes, Victoria sponge cake and lamb merguez sausage rolls served with his grandmother’s secret ketchup. There’s a suitably Mad Hatterish aesthetic afoot, too, with art-deco crockery and gold-spouted, pot-bellied teapots. And if that’s not decadent enough, Indigenous drag queen Timberlina will be dropping by once a month for a spot of bingo. Tim Elliott

READ / Vanishing point

Sloane Crosley’s book examines the aftermath of a significant friend’s death.

In her first memoir, Grief Is For People (Allen & Unwin; $25), zeitgeisty American writer Sloane Crosley, author of Cult Classic and I Was Told There’d Be Cake, writes about the 2019 theft of all her jewellery, followed one month later by the suicide of her best friend Russell at age 52. Rocked by the first and devastated by the second, she attempts to recover the jewellery and make sense of her complex emotions. A tender account of a significant friendship and a thoughtful exploration of the anger, disbelief and guilt that suicide often leaves in its wake as she asks the poignant question, “What if I was the wrong friend for you?” Gut-wrenching. Nicole Abadee

SHOP / Cast-iron vow

Cast-iron cookware made using recycled material.

About 7000 pieces of non-stick cookware are chucked into Australian landfill bins every day. Scratched and dented, they’re hard to recycle, with the hard-baked, plastic coating containing “forever” chemicals that leach into the soil. Ironclad Co is the only Australian company to create cast-iron cookware with a 100-year (three-generation) guarantee (check out the underside of each pan). The pans, grills and Dutch ovens are also made using recycled materials; simply drop your old pans into a participating Kitchen Warehouse store to join the chain. Heavy, beautiful and satisfying to use, these pieces are heirlooms in the making (from $199). Dani Valent

LISTEN / Groove merchants

Khruangbin play a largely instrumental blend of South-East Asian funk, surf rock and psychedelia.

Even in the midst of our post-genre, anything-goes musical culture, Texan trio Khruangbin makes the case for finding your niche and owning it. A largely instrumental band that mixes global influences to create a unique blend of South-East Asian funk, surf rock and psychedelia, it has attracted hordes of devotees around the world to its hypnotic, groove-heavy sound. Such is the strength of its following, it released no less than five live recordings from iconic venues last year, including the Sydney Opera House. New album A La Sala further builds on the mystique, with songs such as Todavía Viva sounding like the soundtrack to a Tarantino film set in Bangkok, while Juegos y Nubes returns the crew’s imitable guitar melodies to the forefront. Despite its mostly wordless ascent, Khruangbin can still get people talking. Out now. Jonathan Seidler

EAT / Sweet ding

Cake in a Mug: exactly what it sounds like.

Craving a quick, quality, irresistible dessert? Cake in a Mug ($4 each; gift bag of four, $22.50) offers a range of individually served gourmet cake mixes that you can bake in a cup in just one minute (yes, you read that right). Just add water and butter to the mix, decant into a mug, pop in the microwave and, in 60 seconds, you’re enjoying a steamingly good, sweet treat. Made in Warwick, Queensland, by Karyn Mills (who has muscular dystrophy), husband Mark and their daughter, Hope, this home-spun business is an expression of one family’s shared love of kitchen creativity and easy, delicious desserts. Frances Mocnik

WEAR / Tomato relish

Earth calling: the scent inspired by a vegie patch.

Last season, we gorged on the Tomato Girl trend, but the smell of pasta sauce and caprese salad lingers, it seems, with vegie patches replacing flower beds as inspiration for perfumers. The latest scent to ripen in Maison Margiela’s famously nostalgia-evoking Replica collection is tomato leaf, which olfactory whiz Olivier Cresp has balanced with geranium and patchouli. Packing instant unisex appeal, this one’s for anyone who wants to carry a little burst of summer with them into autumn (Replica “From The Garden” eau de toilette; $225). Damien Woolnough

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