Family Tea Party, English Tea

 A family asked if they could come over for tea, of course I said yes!!

We did an Afternoon Tea

I set the table with my best china from England.

Afternoon tea vs High Tea 

Using the term "high tea" when you really mean "afternoon tea" is a dead giveaway you're American.

Whilst they both include tea as a beverage, afternoon tea includes delicate pastries, little sandwiches, scones and cakes. Whereas high tea is typically a more wholesome meal of meat, potatoes and vegetables served after a long hard day at work.

Afternoon tea was often served at a low table in a parlor or drawing room and thus called 'low' tea or 'afternoon tea'. In contrast, High Tea is what workers came home to after a hard day's work, especially in northern England, and was served in the early evening

Afternoon Tea is traditionally served between 2pm and 5pm, whereas High Tea is served between 5pm and 7pm

As the decades passed, it began to be the custom for ladies to change their clothing for Afternoon Tea. In the 1880s, records show that upper-class and society women would put on long gowns, gloves and hats before enjoying their tea – a sign that it was a genteel occasion

Afternoon tea highlighted the British tradition of dunking biscuits into tea- biscuits are cookies. You don't dunk scones

In the kitchen I prepared the tea.  I put hot water in the teapot to warm it up, then swished it around and added the water that I would steep the tea in.

I used some English plates to serve lemons on....

           

I was also excited to use these TEA LEAF patterned stoneware dished from England to display the tea I was using.

I put the signs up on my porch and Earl Grey watched for vistors.

I served 5 kinds of tea:

ENGLISH BREAKFAST

https://www.ohioteaco.com/English-Breakfast_p_45.html

Whole leaf black tea. A full-bodied blend of Indian, Ceylon, and Chinese tea with rich undertones and hints of malty, bitter, and mildly sweet. This tea is substantial enough to add milk and sugar; however, it can also be enjoyed without adding anything.

Ingredients:  Organic whole leaf black tea

ROYAL PALACE

https://www.harney.com/products/royal-palace?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiA0syqBhBxEiwAeNx9NxHB7_vWdUz6gvSou9hpd-8scl4ZhgoqGstvzHj5Q76uvm7G7z1zYRoCbJcQAvD_BwE&tw_adid=&tw_campaign=18309882468&tw_source=google

Description

Royal Palace tea is a lovely blend of black tea, with notes of lemon and grapefruit. Featured in our Historic Royal Palaces Collection in a traditional tin design.

Historic Royal Palaces is an independent charity that looks after the Tower of London, Hampton Court Palace, the Banqueting House, Kensington Palace, and Hillsborough Castle and Gardens.

Ingredients: Black tea, lemon flavor, grapefruit flavor. Contains natural flavors.  

MRS PATMORES PUDDING TEA

https://www.republicoftea.com/downton-abbey-mrs-patmores-pudding-tea/p/v20240/

This decadent dessert tea has the homemade flavors of vanilla sponge cake drizzled with rich caramel sauce. The full-bodied base of premium black tea lends itself well to a splash of milk, making it a perfect afternoon tea to partner with puddings, scones and shortbread.

Ingredients  Black tea, sweet blackberry leaves, carob bits, natural caramel and vanilla flavor

EARL GREY

https://www.taylorsofharrogate.com/

The most famous flavored tea, Earl Grey is a blend of fine black China teas and the natural oil of bergamot, a pear-shaped citrus fruit grown in Italy and Sicily. A delicious, very aromatic tea, it is best served black or with a slice of lemon at any time of the day. It is said that a Chinese Mandarin gave the secret recipe to one of Earl Grey's diplomats in 1830 as a reward for saving his life.

Ingredients: Black tea, natural oil of bergamot

DARK CHOC CHILLI CHAI

https://www.birdandblendtea.us/products/dark-choc-chilli-chai-tea?variant=37616710942881

This award winning blend is our absolute favorite sweet treat - chili chocolate.
Real chunks of decadent dark chocolate are blended in to help melt away the day's worries followed by the warmth of chai & chili kick to awaken your taste buds.

Ingredients Sri Lankan Black Tea, Cocoa Nibs, Cocoa Shells, Cardamom, Cinnamon, Ginger, Chili, Natural Flavoring

Ingredients

Each person was given a taste testing sheet, if they wanted to play along.  I sent the tea around the table first to see if people could guess what was in the tea by sight and smell.

                               

I made sure I had touches of England around the room. 

I also made sure I had lots of sweetener options for people.

When I served the Earl Grey, I first served it hot.  I let them know if they added milk to it, it becomes a London Fog. 

I then served it as an iced tea and I frothed lavender syrup in the milk and it then became a London Cloud.

One of the gals brought gluten free scones that were delicious!!!

Most English says scones with the "con" being emphasized instead of "cone".  So, it sounds like scon,

Between 75% and 90% of people in Derbyshire pronounce scone as scon compared with between 

60% and 70% of people from Southampton who pronounce it as scone.

https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/how-you-pronounce-scone-regional-2013461

Family fun.

What is the proper English way to drink tea:

If sat at a table, the proper manner to drink tea is to raise the tea cup, leaving the saucer on the table , and to place the cup back on the saucer between sips. It's considered rude to look anywhere but into the cup whilst sipping tea, and absolutely no slurping!

Lots of empty tea cups at the end of the morning.

Earl Grey was a big hit.  One of the little girls even drew a picture of him for my fridge.

Rules for Afternoon Tea:

*Do not call Afternoon Tea, High Tea
*After sitting down, put your purse on your lap or behind you against the chair back.
*Unfold napkin and make sure to place it on your lap.
*Never, ever use your napkin as a handkerchief, and only dap, don't wipe
*Sugar is placed in your teacup first, then thinly sliced lemon.
*Stirring backwards and forwards (never in a circular motion, one should never touch the sides of the cup).
*Do not learn forward, bring the cup to you, leaving the saucer on the table.
*Dress smart causal, no jeans, t-shirts, or sneakers
*Do not put your pinky out, do not cradle the cup, hold on to the handle, but your fingers are not meant to go through the handle (To hold your teacup, place your index and middle fingers on the back side of the handle and put your thumb over the front side. Your fingers and thumb may meet each other through the tea handle, but you will want to keep your fingers from curling through the handle itself. Support your teacup with your ring and pinky fingers — and remember to keep that pinky down.)
*Do not drink tea with the spoon in it
*Do not put the spoon in your mouth 
*Do not lick your fingers
*Do not blow on the tea, let cool on your saucer or add milk
*Never fill the tea cup to the top, only 3/4 full
*Tea is served by the host
*Take small sips, never slurp or swish your tea
*Milk and sugar only goes in black tea, not white, oolong, or green- do not add cream to your tea
*Eat with your fingers, take small bites, even if it all fits in your mouth, take small bites
*Eat sandwiches first, then scones, the desserts
*The knife is for clotted cream and jam
*Break off small pieces of the scone, it is not a sandwich
*Never dunk your scone in the tea
*Used utensils never go on the table, they go on the side of your plate
*You want to make sure that the little teacup handle stays parallel to your body. This means that it will either face the direction of 3 o'clock or 9 o'clock.
*Putting any utensils you’ve used in the 4:20 position lets the server know you’re done with your meal and that it can be taken away. Fork tines should be up and knife blade facing you
*When you get up the napkin should go on your chair, not on the table

Psalm 96:3

Declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous works among all the peoples!