High tea is expected to reach new heights today, when Canberra resident Fiona Kirk unveils what she hopes will be the world’s tallest cake stand.
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The lavish creation, which will be covered with several hundred cakes, measures more than 3.5 metres.
It will take the pride of place at a high tea event at the Lake View Ballroom, Tuggeranong Community Centre, and will raise money for Habitat for Humanity.
Mrs Kirk, who works as an executive assistant for social research company Colmar Brunton, said she made the cake stand at home with help from her husband Travis.
‘‘I started to organise the high tea and it just got bigger and bigger,’’ she said.
‘‘I’m not an event organiser but it grew and grew to having about 200 people buy tickets, which have completely sold out.’’
The stand holds about 850 cupcakes, 600 petit fours, 400 biscuits and 110 high tea plates.
The stand was made from plywood and has been coated in gloss-white paint and will be decorated with flowers. The tools and materials were donated by the Masters Home Improvement centre at Majura Park.
‘‘The high tea has a vintage theme and each of the 12 tables has its own motif,’’ Mrs Kirk said.
The event, which will begin at noon, will also include three fashion shows and some dance acts.
Mrs Kirk said she wanted to show that Canberra could put on a high tea event that would top that of any other city.
‘‘In May this year I had a vintage high tea DIY wedding,’’ she said.
‘‘And in organising my wedding I found that high tea was very big throughout Australia but not here in Canberra.
‘‘The High Tea Company have a high tea for each state of Australia but not Canberra, even Dilmah Tea were having a high tea competition with incredible prizes but Canberra was not in the ‘city’ entrants.
‘‘So I wanted to have the biggest event that Australia has seen to show that Canberra too can do just as beautiful styling, fashion, dance and should be included in everything that the bigger cities do.’’
Mrs Kirk said she had received support from fashion experts at Rockstars and Royalty and Alice be Curious and from Bond Hair Religion for the fashion shows.
‘‘I have sent an entry into the Guinness Book of Records for the tallest high tea display and we will see if we can make it in to the records,’’ she said.
Guests will receive gift bags with Henkell Trocken sparkling wine, hair accessories from GHD and plenty of tea.
