Tucked inside Bothell’s Country Village is the Peach Tree Bakery &Tea Room, where visitors can enjoy a light spot of tea or partake of a filling tea lunch, perhaps with soup or a salad, followed by hearty tea sandwiches and an assortment of freshly baked pastries and cookies. And, of course, scones.
Those rich quick breads, whether plain or lemon-glazed, are the most popular items sold by the 5-year-old eatery, said owner and pastry chef Kristine Hawthorne.
“In the shop, we serve them with homemade lemon curd and English cream,” said Hawthorne, who was educated at the prestigious Culinary Institute of America in New York.
Everything, from the croutons on the salad to the chicken vegetable soup, is made from scratch on the premises, said Hawthorne, a Marysville-Pilchuck High School graduate who gained experience in the food industry at places such as Passport and Pave before heading to the East Coast to further her education.
A former executive pastry chef at the Washington State Convention &Trade Center, Hawthorne had a small commercial kitchen in Edmonds and operated a bakery outlet at Country Village before opening the Peach Tree.
“It originally was going to just be a bakery, but everybody said I should serve tea, too. I’ve always liked tea and have collected dishes, so it was a good fit,” she said.
Along with serving tea, the Peach Tree sells more than 50 types of loose tea, from English favorites including Earl Grey and English Breakfast to naturally flavored selections such as orange spice and ginger peach.
Hawthorne has her own favorites, Assam for the mornings and Rooibos for the evening.
“They’re great with sugar and milk,” said Hawthorne, who still drinks tea the way it was served to her by her Danish grandmother.
The Peach Tree buys its teas from the Metropolitan Tea Co., whose blends can be found at the renowned Fairmont Empress in Victoria, British Columbia, as well as from Market Spice Tea, she said.
While the back half of the Peach Tree is devoted to dining space, with seating for 26, the front of the shop is dedicated to tea accessories for purchase, with fine porcelain teapot sets and bone china teapots and cups from around the world.
“We buy from gift shows and the Internet,” Hawthorne said of her inventory. “The Internet is becoming a bigger source for it.”
Open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, The Peach Tree offers tea lunch service from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and noon to 2:30 p.m. Sunday, with cookies, pastries and tea available at all times.
“On the weekends, we’re generally pretty busy and during the holiday season,” said Hawthorne, who brings in two part-time employees during busy periods to supplement a work force that includes herself and employee Amber Wiegand. Hawthorne’s mother, Iva Hawthorne, also helps in the shop.
“… We do take reservations for two to six people. Anything over six is a party and takes special arrangements,” she said.
Although Hawthorne said she decided to become an entrepreneur on a “whim,” the location she chose for her business was not. Country Village, with more than 40 shops and restaurants “brings the people,” she said.
“The village is great; they bring in a lot of tourists. I mean, you can’t miss the giant chicken,” she said, referring to the giant chicken statue standing sentinel near the shopping center’s entrance.
Newcomers who do try the Peach Tree often become regulars, with about 75 percent of business composed of repeat business, Hawthorne said.
While many of her customers are women, Hawthorne said the Peach Tree does get its share of male patrons. “They come in for high tea because it’s actually quite a bit of food.”
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