![Dressed in their period costume characters, Dr John Harrison, Glenda Peterson, Barry Dodson and Jennifer McFarlane prepare for this weekend's high tea which has returned to Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village. Picture by Sean McKenna. Dressed in their period costume characters, Dr John Harrison, Glenda Peterson, Barry Dodson and Jennifer McFarlane prepare for this weekend's high tea which has returned to Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village. Picture by Sean McKenna.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/nB9BrLNgExsfwsLgDBevWP/f458c2d5-1e7a-4c2b-946b-f137323fd978.jpg/r0_0_6000_3973_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
The revived high tea with a vintage maritime theme is set to take diners on a voyage back in time at Warrnambool's Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village.
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For tearoom assistant Jennifer McFarlane, hosting high teas is something she has been doing for years for the National Trust before recently moving to Warrnambool.
The high teas at the Flagstaff Hill tearooms haven't happened for a number of years but Ms McFarlane has helped bring them back while adding her own touch of history to the experience.
At Sunday's high tea, she will give talks on historical topics, including the well-known blue willow pattern on dinnerware.
"There are lot of symbols on the plate that tell a story. It's basically a love story on a plate. I'm surprised Andrew Lloyd Webber hasn't turned it into an opera," she said.
"The blue willow pattern would have been very well known by all the people who came to Victoria and Australia in that time period.
![Jennifer McFarlane will reveal the love story behind the symbols on this plate at the high tea this weekend. Picture by Sean McKenna Jennifer McFarlane will reveal the love story behind the symbols on this plate at the high tea this weekend. Picture by Sean McKenna](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/nB9BrLNgExsfwsLgDBevWP/59925ce4-15aa-4df7-a8d3-fd2493e0c5ca.jpg/r0_0_6000_4000_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"A lot of the China they imported from England."
Ms McFarlane said they had recreated the dining experience of time gone by with genuine vintage China that had been collected over the years.
The food they will serve up is also similar to what would have been on offer more than a century ago.
"It's not quite traditional because what they would have had in the 1860s and 1870s, it's a little bit too stodgy for us. We've lightened it up a little bit," Ms McFarlane said.
Instead, finger sandwiches, quiches, scones with jam and cream as well as little cakes will be on offer.
"When people come it feels like going back to grandma's dining room," Ms McFarlane said.
![Barry Dodson, Glenda Peterson, Amee Nash, Jennifer McFarlane and Dr John Harrison in period costume at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village ahead of their high tea this weekend. Picture by Sean McKenna. Barry Dodson, Glenda Peterson, Amee Nash, Jennifer McFarlane and Dr John Harrison in period costume at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village ahead of their high tea this weekend. Picture by Sean McKenna.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/nB9BrLNgExsfwsLgDBevWP/d8455b7e-5760-4fe5-9bb5-c623cec7159d.jpg/r0_0_6000_4000_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"We will be wearing period costume.
"For the high teas, when there are crumbs on the table I used the crumb catcher which is called The Revenge which was the name of a ship."
Mrs McFarlane said Flagstaff Hill was full of so many historical maritime stories.
"You only have to look out the window from the information centre. If the ocean could speak you would be fascinated by how many stories there are," she said.
The next high tea will be held Sunday, August 27 at 11am.
High teas will be held once a month on October 1, November 5 and a special Christmas-themed one on December 10.
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