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An Old Fashioned Tea Party

An Old Fashioned Tea Party-An Old Fashioned Tea Party In serving tea, the table should be arranged before any visitors arrive. Its cover may be a linen tea cloth embroidered or trimmed with lace, while the cups and saucers, with the spoon resting in each saucer, the thin slices of lemon, the small wafers, cakes or sandwiches on plates or pretty doilies, should be artistically arranged upon it. The teakettle should be in its place, the teapot just in front of it. The cream pitcher and sugar bowl should be within convenient reach. If the hostess pours the tea, she allows the guest to put in the sugar and cream for themselves. If she expects many visitors, then there will be wisdom in asking a friend to pour the tea for her. —-Ladies Home Journal, 1897 The custom of taking afternoon tea is one of England’s most charming rituals, and has long been regarded as a lovely gesture of gracious hospitality, and as one of life’s most elegant and enduring pleasures. And though the four o’clock hour is considered by many to be a “graceful time for gathering,” tea is a sweet indulgence which may be savored at any hour of the day, serving as a lovely occasion to gather friends, old and dear, and to bask in the sweet fellowship and the cozy warmth of friendly conversation. During the reign of Queen Victoria, afternoon tea was so highly regarded, it was often the subject of many old time ladys manuals and household guides, which provided detailed instructions on the correct methods and accoutrements needed to host a proper tea party, enabling women of every social background to share in the graceful world of taking tea. In those days, such things as “daintiness of service” and “congeniality of guests” were important hallmarks of an afternoon tea party, with every proper and hospitable hostess endeavoring to make her gathering a notable and sweet success. Afternoon tea was so esteemed by Queen Victoria that an old journal entry, written by one of her closest servants once stated: Her Majesty has a strong weakness for afternoon tea… she always brews the tea in the urn herself. Tea In The Parlor To prepare for an afternoon tea party, an heirloom linen, edged in fine old filigree lace, was laid neatly upon the tea table and a bouquet of fragrant tea roses were gathered from the garden and nestled in a lovely antique vase. For special occasions, fanciful tea menus would include sumptuous savories, delicate pastries, and steaming pots of deliciously fragrant tea served in precious china teacups, with sliced lemons and cinnamon sticks added for a fine flavor. In the olden days, no tea party or ladies luncheon was considered complete without a delightful array of “sweets” of the most “varied and delicious kinds”, and were always properly served with silver tongs for daintiness of service and to keep from soiling one’s prettiest gloves. Made from old family recipes, confections such as pastel colored divinity flavored with tiny bits of fruit, hand dipped chocolates, sugar coated pansies and candied orange peel were the highlight of the afternoon tea party, and were always highly loved and favored by all. To add to the beauty and elegance of the table, dainty silver teaspoons, heirloom tea napkins and hand painted dishes were standard accompaniments, allowing all to revel in the enchantments of an afternoon tea party, and to bask in the prim formalities that made it such a joyous affair. For less ceremonial, but equally joyous occasions, a traditional “cream tea” was favored by many a gracious hostess, and often consisted of deliciously simple fare such as old fashioned scones, served with clotted cream and lemon curd, along with a pot of cinnamon spiced friendship tea for a much loved afternoon treat. The night before the festivities, a batch of clotted cream was made fresh, the old fashioned way, using a combination of rich Jersey whole milk, with a bit of fresh heavy cream added for richness and flavor. The mixture was placed in a shallow dish and set on the cook stove over the lowest heat for four to five hours, and then cooled in the ‘buttery’ overnight. The next morning, the cream was skimmed with the aid of a cream skimmer and served at afternoon tea. When planning an afternoon tea party, the hostess had an infinite variety of tea’s with which to choose from to compliment her tastefully chosen menu, and included a wide assortment of flavors, ranging from the full-bodied black teas of India, to the lightly fragrant green teas and oolongs of the orient. For a delightful and unique blend, tea was often flavored with a variety of herbs and spices, including lemon verbena, rose hips, lemon balm, rosemary, dried orange peel and rose geranium leaves for a refreshing and distinctive flavor. For the true tea enthusiast, the traditional lemon slices with cloves, along with a bowl of sugar cubes and a little pitcher of milk were always included on the tea tray as well. tea party etiquette tea party recipe's tea party children's tea parties birthday tea parties Victorian tea party
An Old Fashioned Tea Party-An Old Fashioned Tea Party In serving tea, the table should be arranged before any visitors arrive. Its cover may be a linen tea cloth embroidered or trimmed with lace, while the cups and saucers, with the spoon resting in each saucer, the thin slices of lemon, the small wafers, cakes or sandwiches on plates or pretty doilies, should be artistically arranged upon it. The teakettle should be in its place, the teapot just in front of it. The cream pitcher and sugar bowl should be within convenient reach. If the hostess pours the tea, she allows the guest to put in the sugar and cream for themselves. If she expects many visitors, then there will be wisdom in asking a friend to pour the tea for her. —-Ladies Home Journal, 1897 The custom of taking afternoon tea is one of England’s most charming rituals, and has long been regarded as a lovely gesture of gracious hospitality, and as one of life’s most elegant and enduring pleasures. And though the four o’clock hour is considered by many to be a “graceful time for gathering,” tea is a sweet indulgence which may be savored at any hour of the day, serving as a lovely occasion to gather friends, old and dear, and to bask in the sweet fellowship and the cozy warmth of friendly conversation. During the reign of Queen Victoria, afternoon tea was so highly regarded, it was often the subject of many old time ladys manuals and household guides, which provided detailed instructions on the correct methods and accoutrements needed to host a proper tea party, enabling women of every social background to share in the graceful world of taking tea. In those days, such things as “daintiness of service” and “congeniality of guests” were important hallmarks of an afternoon tea party, with every proper and hospitable hostess endeavoring to make her gathering a notable and sweet success. Afternoon tea was so esteemed by Queen Victoria that an old journal entry, written by one of her closest servants once stated: Her Majesty has a strong weakness for afternoon tea… she always brews the tea in the urn herself. Tea In The Parlor To prepare for an afternoon tea party, an heirloom linen, edged in fine old filigree lace, was laid neatly upon the tea table and a bouquet of fragrant tea roses were gathered from the garden and nestled in a lovely antique vase. For special occasions, fanciful tea menus would include sumptuous savories, delicate pastries, and steaming pots of deliciously fragrant tea served in precious china teacups, with sliced lemons and cinnamon sticks added for a fine flavor. In the olden days, no tea party or ladies luncheon was considered complete without a delightful array of “sweets” of the most “varied and delicious kinds”, and were always properly served with silver tongs for daintiness of service and to keep from soiling one’s prettiest gloves. Made from old family recipes, confections such as pastel colored divinity flavored with tiny bits of fruit, hand dipped chocolates, sugar coated pansies and candied orange peel were the highlight of the afternoon tea party, and were always highly loved and favored by all. To add to the beauty and elegance of the table, dainty silver teaspoons, heirloom tea napkins and hand painted dishes were standard accompaniments, allowing all to revel in the enchantments of an afternoon tea party, and to bask in the prim formalities that made it such a joyous affair. For less ceremonial, but equally joyous occasions, a traditional “cream tea” was favored by many a gracious hostess, and often consisted of deliciously simple fare such as old fashioned scones, served with clotted cream and lemon curd, along with a pot of cinnamon spiced friendship tea for a much loved afternoon treat. The night before the festivities, a batch of clotted cream was made fresh, the old fashioned way, using a combination of rich Jersey whole milk, with a bit of fresh heavy cream added for richness and flavor. The mixture was placed in a shallow dish and set on the cook stove over the lowest heat for four to five hours, and then cooled in the ‘buttery’ overnight. The next morning, the cream was skimmed with the aid of a cream skimmer and served at afternoon tea. When planning an afternoon tea party, the hostess had an infinite variety of tea’s with which to choose from to compliment her tastefully chosen menu, and included a wide assortment of flavors, ranging from the full-bodied black teas of India, to the lightly fragrant green teas and oolongs of the orient. For a delightful and unique blend, tea was often flavored with a variety of herbs and spices, including lemon verbena, rose hips, lemon balm, rosemary, dried orange peel and rose geranium leaves for a refreshing and distinctive flavor. For the true tea enthusiast, the traditional lemon slices with cloves, along with a bowl of sugar cubes and a little pitcher of milk were always included on the tea tray as well. tea party etiquette tea party recipe's tea party children's tea parties birthday tea parties Victorian tea party
An Old Fashioned Tea Party

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