I’m Trev - the quintessential, irrepressible, repressed Englishman from London, where my father had his own store for many years (so shop-keeping runs in my family).
Hi, I’m Tracy - A Southern Girl from Williamston, who loves Tea and the way the English make such a fuss and ceremony out of every aspect of it. Together with our fabulous Chef, Tammy Clark, we would like to welcome you to The Victoria.
We always had a dream to move from London back to SC and open a place where posh English ceremony meets good old Southern hospitality. From a lifetime of experience, we wanted the look of The Vic to be authentic, rather than the “tourist” version which is the doilies, chintz and flowery hats. When you’re at The Vic, it’s as close as you’ll get to a genuine English Tea Room this side of the pond, and we take great pride in this. We have always wanted to share our passion for Tea with friends and family, and here you are, experiencing it. Thank you for coming in, we love you more than we can say and appreciate that you have chosen us to be your hosts.
The most important rule here is that you enjoy yourself. So, laugh, eat, drink, relax and savour a little taste of jolly old England, but without the bad weather, pigeons, graffiti and high taxes.
The most common questions is the inspiration for the look of the Victoria, which is based on the Lyons' Corner Houses in England during the 1920's and 1930's. Mr. Lyons was a tea merchant, a Quaker and a teetotaler, who wanted a place where men as well as women, workers as well as gentry, could have a place where they could be comfortable and enjoy tea.
As for the collage on our menus, these are our family members; Trev's Mum and Dad are the couple in the white shirts near the top of the page, Tracy's Dad is the dapper fellow in the middle with the bow tie, and her Mum is the dreamy-eyed lady with the bare shoulders just above Big Ben! Aunt Gert, our 'tip jar' (you have to come to the Tea Room to get it!) is the gorgeous lady near the top just under the choir. The rest are grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins - quite a handsome lot, if we do say so (click on the image below for a larger version).
Despite the subdued surroundings, we are not a stuffy, dusty English Tea establishment. We are more than happy to answer any questions (about the Menu, Tea or England), so ask us as we scurry amongst you. We had the privilege of training with Jane Pettigrew, recognized as one of the world’s leading tea experts, which means we feel confident in our abilities to treat our tea with the respect we believe it deserves.
As part of our passionate ongoing commitment to support local business, we are proud to feature Harold’s Honey. locally harvested in Pelzer in all our cooking, for sweetening your tea and also for sale by the pint.
Of course, this is not something that we did alone - we have the greatest chef in the world, Tammy Clark. Tammy not only is responsible for so many delicious dishes, but she is full of laughter, love, compassion and creativity. A very large part of the Vic's success rests on her very capable shoulders.
Holly Buehler assists us on Saturdays and gives us great help with teas during very busy times, and we appreciate her more than we can say. Haley and Thomas help out in the kitchen with the not-so-glamous job of doing the cleanup, and Brian and Kela Hamilton have been known to get roped in when they've arrived at a busy time. The Victoria is truly a team effort!
So please sit back, order a cup of one of our 82 different teas, enjoy the Edwardian music and surroundings and good old Southern Hospitality - with a British Accent!
The Victoria is an elegant and unique setting for your Bridal Luncheons, Mother-Daughter Teas,
Church Group Outings, Business Meetings, Sorority Gatherings, Baby Showers, Red Hat Teas etc.
In fact, any type of gathering that you’d like to make special.
PLEASE CALL US AND LET US HELP YOU PLAN YOUR NEXT GREAT EVENT.
