Table of contents for Spring 2005 in TeaTime

Summers are long and leisurely in charming Charleston, South Carolina. So when we were invited to visit one of the historic homes overlooking the harbor, with the promise of tea served by one of the city’s most popular and well-loved caterers, we quickly accepted. Frances Hamby and the delicious and beautiful foods she prepared for us exceeded our expectations. As I nibbled the tasty shrimp salad finger sandwiches, the unique miniature corn muffins filled with a tasty mix that included collard greens, and other sumptuous tea foods, I listened to Frances’ story and gained a new appreciation for the creative work she has done in the city for over a quarter of a century. Her catering calendar fills years in advance, and it is rumored that once the engagement ring…

There are few Easter rituals more pleasurable than dyeing eggs. Remember the fun you had as a child, dunking the white orbs into pools of colored liquid, creating a veritable rainbow of hues? This season, recapture that joy—albeit with a slightly different twist. Instead of using pre-packaged dye, try tea, which will give your eggs a more subtle, natural shade. Different types of tea will impart different hues, so experiment with a variety of teas for a colorful assortment. Whether you choose to hide the finished eggs or display them as a centerpiece on your tea table, they’ll make a lovely addition to any Easter event. Eggs of a Different Color The chart below is a basic indication of colors imparted by various teas. (Note: Blending two teas together will…

There is perhaps no book for tea drinkers—or rather, connoisseurs—as definitive as Jane Pettigrew’s The Tea Companion, first published in 1997. However, it only stands to reason that such a thorough guide to the beverage would need an update every so often to keep up with new trends and discoveries. Enter The New Tea Companion, published in March by the National Trust of England. When the National Trust first approached her about writing a new book about tea (they previously published her Tea-Time Recipes and The Social History of Tea), Jane says she knew the timing was right for an update of her classic guide. “I now know a lot more than I did then,” she says, “and I wanted to pass on that wider information to a growing audience…

-Lowcountry Savories- Miniature Orange Muffins With Smoked Turkey Pickled Shrimp Wrapped in Snowpeas Shrimp Salad Finger Sandwiches Open-Faced Cucumber Sandwiches Salmon Canapès Miniature Corn Muffins With Tasso, Chicken, and Collard Greens -Lowcountry Sweets- Petit Fours Hamby’s Heath Bars Lemon Bars Carolina Tarts Fresh Fruit with White Frangelico Mousse -Tea Brea_ - Yogurt Fruit Scones Devonshire Cream South Carolina caterer Frances Hamby understands better than most the gracious art of entertaining. It’s a talent she mastered at her mother’s knee. “I come from a background of people who love food and who love to cook; a family of great entertainers. It was nothing unusual for us to have people over every Sunday after church,” Frances recalls. “I grew up in a family of 11. My mother and sisters all cooked, and…

To draw inspiration from the late poet laureate Robert Frost: Something there is that loves a teapot. Edith Harrington, of Birmingham, Alabama, certainly thinks so. The sunny yellow Le Faubourg pieces pictured above are paired with a Williams-Sonoma cup and saucer set, as well as a miniature hand-painted teapot. Though imported from Thailand, the tiny teapot reminds Edith of a child’s tea set she shared with her sister as a young girl. “I still have a plate, a cup, and a saucer from that set. I keep them as a remembrance to remind me of those happy days when I was carefree.” Or as the late Sigmund Freud might have said: Sometimes a teapot is just a teapot—and sometimes a teapot is joy.…

Southern Salutations There are those who believe that courtesy has gone the way of the Edsel, but as any Southerner will tell you, it's not necessarily so. In the South, an asked-for favor is sugared up with a “please,” while one that is granted is—literally— noted with a “thank you.” The keepsake cards and pen sets that sell by the dozens at Summerhill, Ltd. in Homewood, Alabama, bring together two of the South’s most revered traditions: tea-time trifles and good manners. “Southern ladies have always written thank-you notes and taken tea with their girlfriends,” says Summerhill owner Anne Hultquist, who adds that courtesy, like afternoon tea with a friend, is the kind of tradition that never falls out of fashion. “Some things are just tried and true,” Anne says. “I…

Among the world’s most aromatic flowers, red roses are perfectly paired with a cup of Darjeeling. The tea’s delicate perfume complements rather than competes with the redolence of the rose. Lavender roses are a welcome addition to any proper teatime bouquet. Considered the “rose of sweet thoughts,” lavender or blue roses also represent tea time’s most notable qualities: grace, gentility, and refinement. For thousands of years, the Chinese have cultivated both orchids and green tea. Each is valued for its exotic beauty, as well as perceived healing properties. How fitting to enjoy the two together! As the weather warms in time for spring, a glass of lemon-laced iced tea is a bracing restorative any time of day. The sweet citrusy scent of the lemon combined with the subtle sachet of…

A former fashion illustrator is turning her talents to painting and finding a host of fans along the way. In a particularly popular series of watercolor works, the Missouri native captures the pleasures of tea time on canvas. The ladies portrayed in the painting An Afternoon Tea for Women are up to something; you can almost hear the naughty cloud of giggles that floats over the table as they sip. A plate of tarts sits untouched in the center of the cloth-covered table, as though the three women sitting there are content to forget food and instead make a meal of whatever it is they are discussing. And clearly, that something is juicy. Artist Sherri Crabtree giggles herself as she describes her painting—one that, for her, pokes a gentle sort…

For Julie Peterson, the concepts of tea and family are inextricably intertwined. In the introduction to her book, Treasuring the Gift of Tea Time, Julie recalls the spur-of-the-moment tea parties she often staged with her mother, grandmother, and sisters. “As children, those were magical moments that seemed to sprinkle us with tender love and security,” she writes. “Those simple, spontaneous teas with my family are precious memories forever captured in my heart.” Now she’s helping other families create such special memories through her book, a natural extension of her catering business, Specialteas, which plans children’s tea parties. The business started seven years ago when Julie began hosting teas for her own young daughters. “Friends would ask me to host them for their children,” she says. “Then people I didn’t know…

Urbane Meets Urban Something about Pat Sileo fairly screams “great American melting pot.” Maybe it’s the not-too-heavy, but still unmistakable, “Queens cadence” in her New York accent. Or maybe it’s the fact that Pat’s tearoom sits less than 50 miles from Ellis Island, where only three or so generations back, her own family first landed on American shores, an ocean away from their native Genoa, Italy. Or, in a less literal sense, perhaps it’s the story of how Pat came to own and operate a tearoom in the first place. A “melting pot” is by definition “ a place where many different people and ideas exist together, often mixing and producing something new.” Those words mirror both Pat’s personal and business philosophies; the idea that by knitting together a patchwork…

Come for Tea Page 7: Makeup, michaelmarcus. Hat, Louise Green Millinery. Inviting Words Page 8: Summerhill, Ltd. Tea & Etiquette Page 10: Protocol School of Washington. Egg-Cellent Eggs Page 14: Celestial Seasonings. Spa Time Page 20: Robe (left), Cabbages and Kings. Page 22: Bath tea and foot tea, Tracy Stern SALONTEAS. Page 23: Bath teas, Deep Steep. Lychee Tea Refresher, Aqua Dessa. White Tea Rose Soother, 100% Pure. Firming White Tea Mask, Garden Botanika. Focus Me body cream, Mixed Emotions. Constant Companion Page 25: The New Tea Companion, available through Benjamin Press. Miss America Comes to Tea Page 29: Flowers, Janet Flowers Wedding & Event Designs. Embroidered handkerchiefs, Martha Pullen Company. Hostesses’ hats, Louise Green Millinery. Lowcountry Flair Page 34: Cookbook, Catering to Charleston: Cherished Recipes from a Premier Southern Caterer,…

Q I read conflicting advice in etiquette books regarding where to place the napkin when I briefly leave the table. Some authors say on the table, others say on the chair. Whose advice is correct and why? Also, is there additional tea and dining napkin etiquette I should know? A Place your napkin on your chair, not on the table, when you briefly leave the table. To validate my answer, I kindly refer you to Letitia Baldrige’s New Manners for New Times, page 198, and The Art of the Table, by Suzanne Von Drachenfels, page 536. The authors are respected and recognized in the etiquette and protocol industry. Finally, as an etiquette historian, I stringently research the subjects I write about and teach. The word napkin derives from the old…

There are few things quite as relaxing as spending some quality time with a good cup of tea—few things, that is, other than a pampering spa experience. It only follows naturally, then, that combining the two would result in a supremely serene way to spend a quiet afternoon, be it with a good friend or all by yourself. The best part is, you don’t even have to leave the house. Almost everything needed to create a luxurious tea spa can be found in the comfortable oasis of your own home. Beauty & the Tea The first ingredient for any successful tea spa is, of course, tea. The same beverage that soothes your soul can also have calming effects on your face, body, and hair. In recent years, the cosmetic industry…

Afternoon tea at the Willard — a lovely occasion to commemorate the Miss America experience Hot tea, delicious food, lovely flowers, and enchanting guests—the mix was perfect when TeaTime magazine hosted afternoon tea for the Miss America 2005 contestants. Joining them were their state traveling companions and other members of the Miss America organization. The elegant Crystal Room at the Willard InterContinental Hotel in Washington, D. C., was the setting for the group’s final social outing before the preliminary events preceding the pageant. A lasting memento, a hanky personalized with embroidery by Martha Pullen Company, was presented to each contestant. For many of the young ladies, the tea party was a first. “I thoroughly enjoyed the tea party and hope to attend one again,” wrote Megan Reichert, Miss Wyoming, in…

Not only do the British appreciate a steaming cup of tea, they also admire a clever turn of phrase—particularly when it comes to describing something yummy to eat. In the U.K., a jaffa cake, filled with orange jam and topped with chocolate, is considered especially scrummy (scrumptious), as is a good bickie (cookie). If you’re feeling peckish (hungry), a sarny (sandwich) might do, but a real nosh-up (feast) absolutely must include something moreish for afters (dessert). What does moreish mean, you ask? In British slang it refers to an especially tempting dessert … as in, “I want some more.” Now the word has made its way stateside, specifically to San Francisco, where the family-owned Moreish Treats is based. The company produces a line of scone mixes that are prettily packaged…