Arty Afternoon Tea
Sunday 10 May 2026
83 Dalston Lane, London (map)
When Mike’s Table guest, artist, and workshop facilitator Reyhaneh contacted us about running an art workshop, we were delighted. The possibility of sharing and supporting Reyhaneh’s practice and bringing a touch of creativity to one of our events was a wonderful idea. With a new partnership with organic produce initiative Wholegood emerging, the idea for Arty Afternoon Tea was conceived.
Reyhaneh, with her friend Ayşe who was assisting, has enjoyed being a guest at Mike’s Table, invited through our charity partner New Art Studio, a terrific organisation which provides much-needed studio space for refugee and immigrant artists to work in. Reyhaneh said that she really appreciates what we do and very much wanted to ‘give back’; a workshop was a fantastic opportunity to do this.
So, instead of setting the table for supper, Reyhaneh and Ayşe took over the space and laid it out with graphite pencils, watercolour sets, special art paper, and pots of water.
Our guests arrived and, once settled with a welcome drink, Reyhaneh, in her quietly confident way, insisted that everyone was an artist and encouraged all to go ahead and put paint to paper. At first there were tentative marks, with some guests admitting they didn’t know where to start. Others got stuck in with ease. As we prepped in the kitchen, we became aware of a studious concentration in the main room and when I looked around the tables, I was amazed to see that those initial brush strokes were now taking shape with depth and definition. Reyhaneh had introduced different watercolour techniques and ideas, and under her guidance she had transformed a room full of strangers into a studio of artists supporting and encouraging each other. The work speaks for itself in the photographs.
When everyone was satisfied that they had come to a good place, we cleared the tables and served a traditional English afternoon tea complete with scones, clotted cream and tea in beautiful china tea cups - expertly crafted by our volunteer professional chefs using delicious, organic produce generously donated by Wholegood. The usual Mike’s Table buzz of conversation arose as everyone tucked in.
Of course, no Mike’s Table would be complete without the famous raffle. Among the winners were K, who was delighted to receive 2 tickets for Care at The Young Vic. M won a very smart watercolour set (kindly donated by Jackson’s Art). He couldn’t have been a more apt winner as, during the workshop, he said hadn’t done any art since he was 15 (he’s 60 now), and that he was thinking of buying a sketch pad so that he could continue creating, as he’d enjoyed the experience so much.
The Menu
Thank you to our friends at Wholegood, who donated an amazing, colourful spread of fresh, organic produce for our chefs to craft a wonderful afternoon tea. Here’s the menu from the afternoon…
Drinks:
Summer Berry Fizz
Choice of teas
Afternoon tea:
Bagels filled with: roast vegetables, tuna mayonnaise and sunak, salad with feta, and cheddar cheese with Simon’s homemade fig chutney.
Scones served with clotted cream and strawberry jam
Red Velvet cake
Middle Eastern layer cake with cardamom, rose water, and orange blossom
Fruit salad
The Team
Workshop facilitators: Reyhaneh and Ayşe
Kitchen: Andi, Simon, and India
Front of House: Eve and Louise
Our Partners
Arty Afternoon was so special because of the wonderful collaborations:
The bagels were kindly donated by Roni’s Bakery, Hampstead.
The organic fruit and vegetables were generously donated by Wholegood (special thanks to Jaya).
Cakes were deliciously made by Daniel and India.
Art equipment and fantastic raffle prize graciously donated by Jackson’s Art Supplies, Dalston (special thanks to Christine) and New Art Studio (special thanks to Jasmin).
China tea sets thoughtfully donated by Gill McAndrew (special thanks to Niki).
Theatre tickets warmly donated by the Young Vic Theatre.
Sincere thanks to you all.
And, as ever, we couldn’t do it without our wonderful charity partners:
Carers Network Compassionate Neighbours HostNation New Art Studio Nova New Opportunities Prisoners Abroad Room to Heal
Kind words from our guests
“It went far beyond what I could’ve expected. I loved it!”
“I had an absolutely delightful afternoon. The activity was great with kind and loving support from the facilitators, as well the welcome and fabulous afternoon tea laid on by Louise and her team. Lots of laughter and encouragement to go with the flow!”
“Thank you - it was lovely: the people, place, and doing the art. Lovely and relaxing!”
