Table of contents for November - December 2017 in TeaTime

Serve with Holiday Cheer Bring festive design to your entertaining with this gorgeous 12-inch Spode Christmas Tree 2017 Annual Dessert Tray. ($21.99, portmeirion.com or 888-778-1471) A Season of Sweetness This Christmas, store favorite holiday treats in an adorable Christmas Village Bakery LED Light-Up Cookie Jar. ($39.95, pier1.com or 800-245-4595) A Tea Lover’s Delight With two scone mixes, two teas, and an assortment of other goodies, a Tea Lover’s Basket from Stonewall Kitchen makes a thoughtful gift. ($79.95, stonewallkitchen.com or 800-826-1752) Bedecked Boiler This elegant new copper-finish glass kettle from Hamilton Beach dresses up any countertop, and its removable conducting bottom allows you to serve hot water with ease. ($39.99, hamiltonbeach.com or 800-851-8900) Tea for All Tastes With Winter Chai, Spiced Ginger Plum, Raspberry Ganache, and much more, the Warming Joy…

An impeccably garnished spruce, pine, or fir tree is an iconic custom during the Yuletide season. However, the elaborate and ornamented Christmas tradition celebrated today didn’t blossom among the British until the reign of Queen Victoria. An image of the royal family gathered around an elaborately decorated tree, published in 1848, inspired the nation to follow suit and incorporate decorated foliage in the home as part of the holiday celebration. The central image of a Christmas tree accompanied by additional floral and festive adornments makes Johnson Brothers’ Victorian Christmas an apropos choice to set a celebratory tea table. Teatime becomes a truly joyful event when complementing this pattern with an evergreen-hued backdrop, a touch of gold in the Golden Michelangelo flatware by Oneida, and whimsical gift-wrapped place card holders. Adding…

Gluten-Free Vanilla-Orange Earl Grey Scones Yield: 11 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream 3 tablespoons Earl Grey tea leaves, divided 1 vanilla bean pod 2 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour blend for baking* 1/3 cup granulated sugar 1 tablespoon fresh orange zest 2 teaspoons baking powder ½ teaspoon salt 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, frozen 1 large egg • In a small saucepan, heat cream over medium-high heat to just below a simmer. Remove from heat. Add 2 tablespoons tea leaves, cover, and let steep for 10 minutes. • Using a fine-mesh sieve, strain cream mixture into a bowl, discarding tea leaves. Cover bowl, and refrigerate until very cold, approximately 6 hours. • Preheat oven to 350°. • Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. • Using a mortar…

My father, Ernest Henderson, was the cofounder of the Sheraton Hotels, but he was also a tea drinker and history buff. His interest in history enabled him to do something that actually changed history. But alas, almost no one knows about it. At one of the dinner parties at 8 Louisburg Square in Boston, Father entertained the British ambassador, Baron Caccia of Abernant. At the end of the dinner, instead of serving coffee, as would have been usual, Father served tea. But this was by no means any ordinary tea. Father had once done a favor for a doctor who, in return, gave him a small, antique blue porcelain jar that contained 200-year-old tea taken from the Boston Tea Party. The men who took part in the key event that…

Praise for Teatime Parties “My book came last week. I love it! The only bad thing is now I want the china pattern featured on the cover!” SUSAN HAYMON Via Facebook Susan, we are very fond of that china pattern, too, and are grateful that Replacements, Ltd. ( replacements.com , 800-REPLACE) provided it. The pattern is Royal Winton Old Cottage Chintz. For more information about Teatime Parties, turn to page 21. For Those with Lactose/ Dairy Sensitivities “I enjoy your magazine! Would it be possible to include some lactose-/ dairy-free recipes sometime? Some finger sandwiches/cookies or other sweet treats would be great in lactose-free recipes for those who have this allergy.” PATRICIA Via Website Finding Inspiration “Just bought my September/October issue. Just glanced through it, and there are some amazing…

“Christmas is a season for kindling the fire for hospitality in the hall, the genial flame of charity in the heart.” —Washington Irving Eggnog Scones with Bourbon Cream Yield: 9 2 cups all-purpose flour 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided 2 teaspoons baking powder ¾ teaspoon ground nutmeg, divided ½ teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves 4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces ½ cup cold heavy whipping cream 1 large egg ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract • Preheat oven to 350°. • Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. • In a large bowl combine flour, ⅓ cup sugar, baking powder, ½ teaspoon nutmeg, salt, and cloves, whisking well. Using a pastry blender, cut butter into flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. • In a…

While not geographically located deep in the heart of Texas, Houston is a crucial part of the state’s fascinating history. After all, its name honors the revolutionary general and first president of the Republic of Texas, Sam Houston. In addition to a plethora of historical treasures and tourist spots, such as the San Jacinto Monument and NASA’s Johnson Space Center, the metropolitan area contains a number of locales for tea, each with their own take on the time-honored tradition. EDITOR’S NOTE: In late August, Hurricane Harvey brought torrential rains and flooding to the Houston area, and many of these tea businesses suffered damage. Our hope is that all of these wonderful venues will be back serving tea again very soon. However, at press time, it was unclear when normal operations…

For more than a century, the emerald and yellow- green flush of growth on the tea bushes that blanket the hillsides have colored the highlands of Kenya’s Great Rift Valley. British growers were the first to plant these gardens with seedlings brought from India to quench the United Kingdom’s insatiable thirst for black tea. But now, as the summer sun heats the equatorial sky, an unusual purple hue colors some of the fields dotting the horizon. What do these colorful bushes have in common with autumn leaves, concord grapes, blueberries, and purple cabbage? All are painted with one of nature’s natural pigments, anthocyanins, which are water-soluble and collectively known as flavonoids. The Tea Research Foundation of Kenya (TRFK) began experimenting 25 years ago with a purple tea cultivar, named Camellia…

As Carol Allen likes to tell people, Ridgeway, South Carolina, is a small town with an abundance of charm. When one walks down the one-block main street in the heart of the historic district and comes upon the grand building that houses Laura’s Tea Room, it is hard to imagine the brick structure was once empty and all but derelict. With a history that spans more than a century, the building was the second location for the mercantile run by the Thomas Company, which originated in 1865. “I would always bring my company here,” Carol recalls. “We would walk the street and look at the old houses and buildings. This building always had a draw to it.” Carol and her mother, Eleanor Kneen, have a long-standing tradition of enjoying afternoon…