Men in aprons serve tea and scones

High tea served by rural bachelors gave a change of scenery at this Fieldays, Brooke Bath watched on.

 

The Rural Bachelors with their lucky dates
The Rural Bachelors with their lucky dates. Photo: Luke Smeith

 

The rural bachelors showed their softer side today serving high tea to eight lucky women in the running for this year’s Fieldays bachelor of the year.

The high tea event was a first for the rural bachelor competition, something that proved to be a challenge when it came to precision and attention to detail.

The ninth heat in the competition took place first thing this morning with the bachelors dressed in frilly aprons serving tea and scones in the hopes to impress a lass.

This year’s contending bachelor Jeff Peek said the hardest part of the high tea challenge was being careful.

“I think the most challenging thing was trying to impress my mum and nana being served,” joked Peek.

Last year’s rural bachelor competitor Glen Hammond said it looked more of a struggle for the blokes than other challenges.

“This is the first year having this event and it looks like one of the hardest events they have compared to something like speed fencing where they can bang up a fence,” said Hammond.

“I’m pretty happy I’m not in it.”

The co-ordinator of the bachelor competition Wai Taimai said the high tea let the men mingle with the ladies.

“The events are always manly, so this gives the bachelors a chance to meet ladies – and women love high tea,” said Taimai.

The high tea event can be expected back next year.