Just Tickled Pink: Amber joins the party at this fairytale tearoom in the Adelaide City region of South Australia

I'm on a day out with the girls in search of 'Adelaide's sweetest tearooms'… and I think we might have found them on busy Unley Road in Hyde Park. Walking into Just Tickled Pink is like stepping into an elegant fairytale starring the demure Audrey Hepburn.

Owner, Kim Graetz says she was born in the wrong era - she can imagine herself living alongside her Hollywood hero - or earlier still, in Edwardian times - upstairs, of course!

Kim Graetz: "Welcome ladies. You are going to have a High Tea experience today - a yesteryear experience based on the recipes and the traditions of The Ritz in London on which we base all of our high tea sandwiches…"

High Tea is a feature of Just Tickled Pink and begins with a complimentary glass of pink champagne - or in our case something a little softer. Out the back, Kim's mum, Anne is putting the finishing touch to the carefully prepared tiers of assorted sandwiches, cupcakes and chocolates.

A wicked selection including a combination of smoked salmon and lemon butter, roast beef with a homemade horseradish cream, leg ham with a homemade seeded mustard mayonnaise. Roll-ups of devilled ham and alfalfa, which used to be known as potted beef.

It's all very 'proper' - and that's the point. Kim and her husband Geoff believe we can all learn a lot from the time when manners and etiquette mattered.

Kim Graetz: "We think there's probably a little bit missing in the etiquette, the morals and manners of some of the youth of today so we're going to try and instill some yesteryear values in this modern world."

Geoff serves the tea and explains it's a traditional afternoon blend of teas from Africa, Assam and Ceylon. Of course, there is a right way and a wrong way to drink tea - so Kim's more than happy to throw in a free lesson on 'pinkies up'.

Kim and Geoff began Just Tickled Pink a few years ago selling home baked cupcakes and when the orders began flooding in they knew they were on a winner. Geoff has a full-time job and used to come home from work, put on the apron and bake until the wee hours of the morning.

Geoff Graetz: "Everything's homebaked from tried and proven recipes through the years. For example one of our cupcakes is the homemade lemon curd. Kim's dad, Keith makes the lemon curd himself and the recipe actually comes from my mother's Green and Gold 1935 CWA cookbook so that's the type of recipes and the type of experience that we've pulled from."

They now bake as many as two thousand cupcakes a week - that's a lot of icing. And of course, they are a real hit when served with High tea under the watchful gaze of Audrey Hepburn.

You can experience it all for yourself Tuesday to Sunday. Bookings are essential so they can prepare the goodies. If High Tea's not your cuppa - they are open for lunch every day except Monday. Prices for 'those' cupcakes start at 4.50 each. If you have any further questions please email info@postcards-sa.com.au

Just Tickled Pink
274 Unley Road
Hyde Park
Ph 8271 6370 (closed Mondays)

Published 29th March 2009