During Summer months, tea time includes a chance to explore the hotel's famous rooftop herb garden 14 stories above ground.
Following our afternoon tea, we joined the 4pm group to tour the rooftop garden which was lead by one of their chefs.
While it's mostly a herb, flower and lettuce garden there is also a place for bees. There's a bee keeper who tends to them and harvests the honey for use at the hotel (put into little jars, to be served with tea and scones).
Chef introduced everybody to an array of herbs and encouraged us to sample them. In the photo above, is an Evergreen Rosemary shrub, which produces little pale lilac coloured edible flowers. These flowers have a very subtle rosemary flavour.
A view of the CN Tower and the rows and rows of raised garden beds filled with various plants.
Lots of lettuce, which gets incorperated into other salad blends at the restaurant.
A view from the hotel roof, looking down onto the exterior of Union Station. The PanAm Games were happening, so it was super busy and there were vendors everywhere.
H and her little Fraise Du Bois (alpine/woodland strawberry). Super sweet, a little seedy but very flavourful.
I wanted to take this home. I might have to grow this in the garden next year, for some fresh lemon-y goodness.
Red and green lettuce along side kale.
Since my camera's battery had drained out, I asked to borrow H's phone. Hooray for decent iPhone photos! Although it was sweltering hot and quite humid, we enjoyed the rooftop tour. The elevators were out of commission on a couple floors just before the last, so we had to climb the stairs. It was a decent work out, although a little difficult in 4 inch shoes and a full stomach, but I like to think I burned off a fourth of a cream scone. The chef was very knowledgeable and friendly, offering answers to our questions and allowing us to wander about. If you ever get the chance to take the tour, do it!