For 9 out of the past 11 years I have served a Holiday Tea
with a theme for Lily's family.
Saturday was the day set aside for this special event.
A new Christmas teapot, a gift from a friend, sat ready to be poured.
The theme was Finally - A British Tea.
All the teacups were made in the United Kingdom.
The teapot is Lenox, Holiday Gatherings, and also made in the UK.
The table was waiting.
The crown was the center piece.
Poppers, an English tradition started during the Victorian era, were sitting in wait.
There were crowns to wear and laughter too.
The menu was gathered from friends that had enjoyed tea in England,
mostly at hotels there.
We started with English Breakfast tea.
The Stacked Sandwich was inspired by tea at The Savoy Hotel in London.
It combined cucumber, egg salad, and stilton cheese with salami.
The Roast Beef sandwich is served at Fortnum & Mason in London.
It has horseradish and capers for additional flavor.
Then there was a Coronation Chicken Sandwich, served at Fortnum & Mason
in London, but quite popular in many tearooms in the United Kingdon.
The stars are Salmon Cream Cheese with a small tomato for the center.
Salmon Cream Cheese is often served at the Dalton Hotel in Yorkshire.
Then spoonfuls of Shrimp Salad represented tea at The Berkley Hotel.
British Scones with Strawberry Jam were served next, as
we changed to drinking PG Tips tea.
This recipe came from a small motel in Oregon where the proprietor
came from England and said her recipe was the "true" scone recipe of England.
A Fruit and Nut Cake was service with Wensleydale cheese.
A British cheese with cranberries tucked in.
The Yorkshire saying given to me by my friend Denise says:
Cake without cheese is like a kiss without a squeeze.
The crown.
There also were Chocolate Shortbread Cookies
served at The Berkley Hotel. They came in shapes of crowns
and high heeled shoes. No picture available here.
Finally we topped off the tea with a Striped Parfait of raspberry,
orange, and lime, representing tea at The Berkley Hotel.
It was a special time of laughter, visiting, sipping tea,
and enjoying the holiday spirit.
