Indice dei contenuti per March - April 2016 in TeaTime

Birthdays, perhaps more than any other special occasion, inspire us to host an afternoon tea. And it is a birthday—Queen Elizabeth’s, to be precise—that prompted us to give this issue a British theme. Her Majesty will be 90 years young on April 21, 2016, although official celebrations won’t occur until June as is royal tradition. (Go to hmq90.co.uk to see the many festivities that are planned.) Whether you prefer to mark the occasion with an elegant tea that is truly fit for a queen (page 38) or with a cozy cottage-style teatime (page 22), you’re sure to find the perfect menu. Since Queen Elizabeth will likely spend her actual birthday at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, we have included a Scottish-inspired menu and table setting. And in true British fashion, we’ve…

March 6 Alice in Wonderland Tea Dance 1:30 to 5:30 p.m. Victorian Tea & Dance Society Scottish Rite Cathedral Hall Pasadena, California Interested in learning more about dancing in the Victorian Age? Come join the members of the Victorian Tea & Dance Society for an afternoon of dancing to live music. Newcomers are welcome at this event, which includes tea refreshments. The cost is $20 per person. For $5 more, come an hour early for a couples’ dance class. For more information and to purchase tickets, go to victorianteaanddance.org. 12 Victorian Unmentionables Cream Tea 10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. Molly Brown House Museum Denver, Colorado From the Titanic crossing to a Denver opera, Denver doyenne Molly Brown was always well dressed, but what did she wear under her skirts? Enjoy…

Is any scene more typical of English life than that of a tea setting? Charlotte Brontë captured that archetypical tableau in her 1853 novel Villette when she describes an English tea and suggests the complex negotiation of social identity that revolved around the ritual of the tea table. “How pleasant it was in its air of perfect domestic comfort! How warm in its amber lamp-light and vermilion fire-flush! To render the picture perfect, tea stood ready on the table—an English tea, whereof the whole shining service glanced at me familiarly; from the solid silver urn, of antique pattern, and the massive pot of the same metal, to the thin porcelain cups, dark with purple and gilding.” Brontë’s setting illuminates the role of tea in defining social order within the larger…

Gluten-free Cream Scones Yield: 12 2 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour* 2 tablespoons sugar 2½ teaspoons baking powder ½ teaspoon salt 4 tablespoons cold salted butter, cut into pieces 1 ¹ / ³ cups plus 1 tablespoon cold heavy whipping cream, divided • Preheat oven to 400°. • Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. • In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt, whisking well. Using a pastry blender, cut butter into flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Add 1 ¹ / ³ cups cream, stirring until mixture is evenly moist. (If dough seems dry, add more cream, 1 tablespoon at a time.) Working gently, bring mixture together with hands until a dough forms. • Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead gently…

Britain’s National Trust is a much-loved conservation charity that protects and preserves some of the country’s finest historic houses, gardens, and countryside. As well as tracing the nation’s social and political develop- ment, many of the houses contain furniture, porcelains, silverwares, and stories that bring our tea history to life. Of the hundreds of Trust properties, five manor houses in the south of England reveal secrets and special tea moments dating from the middle of the 17th century to the elegance of Edwardian Britain. Queen Catherine drank tea at Ham House; Polesden Lacey’s Edwardian tearoom hosted international politicians and ambassadors; hand-painted Chinese wallpaper at Saltram House illustrates 18th-century tea processing; Castle Drogo was built with money made by selling tea; and in the 1880s, Queen Victoria and the Prince of…

“We taste in a very consistent way. It’s the same way we’ve tasted for the last 200 years.” —Sebastian Michaelis Like any good Englishman, Sebastian Michaelis enjoys a nice cup of hot black tea, strong and rich, and with a spot of milk. But unlike most of his fellow countrymen, Sebastian can have a sip of tea and, within approximately 15 seconds, can distinguish between thousands of varieties. He wasn’t born with this ability, but, rather, acquired it through many years of training as a tea taster with Tetley in London, which he joined in 2005 shortly after earning a degree in philosophy. “Tetley is one of the few companies in the world that trains up graduates as professional tea tasters,” he says. “The program is a minimum of five…

TeaTime will be exhibiting and Editor Lorna Reeves will be speaking at these tea festivals. Coffee & Tea Festival NYC March 19–20, 2016 Brooklyn Expo Center • Brooklyn, NY coffeeandteafestival.com/nyc  • 631-940-7290 Midwest Tea Festival May 7, 2016 Ararat Shrine Auditorium • Kansas City, MO midwestteafest.com Northwest Tea Festival October 1–2, 2016 Seattle Center Fisher Pavillion • Seattle, WA nwteafestival.com  • 206-448-4054 Coffee & Tea Festival Philly November 5–6, 2016 Greater Philadelphia Expo Center • Oaks, PA coffeeandteafestival.com/philly  • 631-940-7290…

Festive Sweets Celebrate Queen Elizabeth’s 90th birthday by savoring this limited-edition Walkers Shortbread gift tin, available April 1, 2016. ($18.99; us.walkers shortbread.com or 800-521-0141) Gilded Touches A metallic gold tea infuser and charming tea caddy commemorate the 50th anniversary of Wedgwood’s iconic Wild Strawberry pattern. ($48 and $120, respectively; wedgwood.com or 877-720-3486) Dish of Pride A petite (6¼" x 4¼") porcelain Union Jack tray is perfect for teatime treats. ($12; rosannainc.com or 877-343-3779) Such Great Sights Keep your favorite teapot warm with this lively London Landmarks tea cozy. ($15; english-teapots.com or 909-718-9999) Noble Infusions Beautiful tins hold 30 sachets each of Harney & Sons’ fine teas, produced under license from England’s Historic Royal Palaces. ($10.95–$12; harney.com or 888-427-6398)…

Steak & Onion Bridies Yield: 16 1 tablespoon olive oil ½ pound ground sirloin ½ cup finely chopped yellow onion 1 (10½-ounce) can beef consommé ½ cup very small diced russet potato 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves 1 teaspoon ground mustard ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper 2 (17.3-ounce) packages puff pastry sheets (4 sheets) 1 large egg 1 tablespoon water Garnish: fresh thyme leaves • Preheat oven to 400°. • Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. • In a medium sauté pan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Add sirloin and onion, and cook, stirring frequently, until sirloin is browned and onion is tender. Add consommé, potato, thyme, mustard, and pepper. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook, stirring frequently, until potato is tender and…

Edward Eisler is a dazzling presence, especially when he appears unannounced on your doorstep half a world away from his then home in Norwich, England. He had e-mailed me from there, and seeing it was my wife’s hometown, I replied I could deny him nothing—“Ask anything you wish,” I wrote. He wished for my book, at first, and then turned up for my tutelage. He and Louise celebrated his 25th birthday with Valerie and me in San Francisco. That was, what, 2003? Today Edward Eisler (left) is making a significant impact on England’s changing tea scene because of Jing. Jing is the Mandarin word for “essence,” a good name for Edward’s company, as well as his ambition to transform tea as today’s British know it—“poor quality, tasteless builder’s brew masked…

Always use freshly drawn water from the tap. “Water that has already been boiled [and then is reboiled] tends to lose its oxygen and doesn’t brew the tea as well.” Use the correct water temperature for black tea. “With black tea, absolutely use boiling water. With black tea, you want to have the water as hot as possible.” Use a lower water temperature for green tea. “Some people get put off by green tea because they use boiling water, which can make it have a very harsh taste and a bit too astringent. But really with green tea, you should have water between 70° and 80° C [170° and 185° F] because if it brews too strong at the higher temperature, it brings out harsher notes.”…

COVER Royal Crown Derby Pemberley accent plate ($150); Royal Crown Derby Ashbourne teacup ($105), tea saucer ($65) from DeVine Corp., 732-751-0500, devinecorp.net. Royal Crown Derby Heraldic Gold teapot ($339.95) from Replacements, Ltd., 800-REPLACE, replacements.com. Godinger Symphony 3-tier server ($79.49) from Godinger, 718-418-1000, godinger.com. Mini creamer and sugar set ($28.95), tea strainer ($18.50) from Tea for Two, 888-601-9990, teafortwo.com. TITLE PAGE Page 2 : Spode Camilla Blue 5-piece place setting ($119.95), teapot ($309.95); Spode Blue Italian pitcher ($159.95) from Replacements, Ltd., 800-REPLACE, replacements.com. MASTHEAD Page 5 : Royal Albert Brigadoon dinner plate ($41.99), salad plate ($21.99), footed cup and saucer ($29.99) from Replacements, Ltd., 800-REPLACE, replacements.com. Mikasa Regent Bead flatware ($149.99 for 65-piece set) from Mikasa, 866-645-2721, mikasa.com. THE COMPLETE TABLE: A PRETTY CALICO TEA Pages 19–20 : Staffordshire Calico Blue…

You make us blush I really enjoyed the video sneak peek of the January/February 2016 issue. Lorna nailed it! WENDY FIELDS Via Facebook Thanks, Wendy! We plan to do video overviews of each issue this year, so be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, or sign up for our e-newsletter at teatimemagazine.com . Lake-effect snow today, and the January/February 2016 issue will be a nice way to go into the afternoon with a pot of Lady Grey. WANDA ELISCHER Via Facebook Beautiful issue! Every detail thoughtfully and artistically put together. SUSAN BROWER TAYLOR Birmingham, Alabama Stunning table [in the “A Rosy TeaTime” feature], as are all of your table settings. Each one transports me to a beautiful place and thoughts of a special time with very…

Lord Bergamot STEVEN SMITH TEAMAKER smithtea.com • 800-624-9531 TEACUP: Johnson Brothers Indies Blue “The citrusy finish is a nice counterpoint to this rich blend of Ceylon and Assam black teas.” —Lucy Herndon, stylist Creamy Earl Grey SIMPSON & VAIL svtea.com • 800-282-8327 TEACUP: Johnson Brothers Rose Chintz “This succulent tea is a pleasant balance of bergamot’s zest and vanilla’s luscious taste.” —Janece Maze, editorial assistant Queen’s Earl Grey QUEEN MARY queenmarytea.com • 206-466-1173 TEACUP: Johnson Brothers Denmark Blue “Touches of lavender and vanilla add depth and complexity to this Earl Grey, making it fit for royalty.” —Lorna Reeves, editor Cream Earl Grey White CAPITAL TEAS capitalteas.com • 888-484-8327 TEACUP: Wedgwood Mirabelle “The creamy, lighter taste of this white tea is so appealing, and I love the…

Apple, Cheddar, and Chutney Tea Sandwiches Yield: 12 3 teaspoons Major Grey’s chutney* 6 slices firm wheat bread 1 large green apple 6 slices Cheddar cheese • Spread chutney onto each bread slice. • Using a mandoline, cut very thin slices of apple from whole apple. (Cut out and discard core and seeds from slices, if necessary.) • Place a cheese slice on each of 3 bread slices. Cover cheese with apple slices, overlapping as necessary. Cover apple layer with another slice of cheese, and top with remaining bread slices, chutney side down. • Using a serrated bread knife, trim crusts from sandwiches, creating 3-inch squares. (Discard crusts.) Cut sandwiches diagonally into quarters, creating 4 triangles. *Several companies make Major Grey’s chutney, a relish made with mangos, raisins, onions, vinegar,…

Coronation Chicken Salad Sandwiches Yield: 24 1 tablespoon salted butter 1 cup chopped yellow onion 6 tablespoons Major Grey’s chutney* ¼ cup tomato puree ¼ cup water 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar 2 tablespoons curry powder 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice ½ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper 1 bay leaf ½ cup mayonnaise 3 cups finely chopped roast chicken ½ cup chopped toasted slivered almonds 3 tablespoons finely chopped dried apricots 2 tablespoons finely chopped green onion (green tops only) 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley 2 tablespoons dried currants 12 slices potato bread • In a large sauté pan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion, and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is tender and translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Add chutney, tomato puree, water, vinegar, curry powder,…