I am a hardened and shameless tea-drinker, who has, for twenty years, diluted his meals with only the infusion of this fascinating plant ; whose kettle has scarcely time to cool; who with tea amuses the evening, with tea solaces the midnight and, with tea, welcomes the morning. Samuel Johnson (1709-84) English writer and lexicographer
Author: Treeca
The winner of this year’s Great British Bake-off Joanne Wheatley won the title with her mini Victorian Sandwiches, which is one of my favourite bakes. The programme has become so popular that M&S has reported an increase in sale of up to 20% for ingredients for baking and John Lewis has seen a 46% rise in sales rom three tiered cake stands and cake and muffin tins. The 42 year old winner who is a mother of three sons, said she made cakes for her boys regularly, who would score her cakes out of ten for her efforts. They say…
With all my writings on afternoon teas I was getting quite desperate to have one of my own. So, yesterday I had a surprise ‘Vintage Theme Afternoon Tea’ for my friends 60th Birthday. I have a number of my own vintage cups and saucers but I knew I needed more to have enough for 20 of us. So for some time I’ve been popping into charity shops to look out for cake stands and china. I then bought some pretty vintage style napkins and laid them all out for us which I think you will agree looked really pretty. My…
National Chocolate week is from the 10th-16th October. Divine Chocolate is the major sponsor of National Chocolate Week and has been ever since it was established eight years ago. Chocolate Week has been voted the nationÂ’s favourite themed week, and with heavenly chocolate experiences happening across the country itÂ’s no wonder! Â Divine organises events and tastings for chocolate lovers carefully selecting shops, hotels, and restaurants to work with. Chocolate experiences on offer include sampling of DivineÂ’s newest products at shops, special Divine cocktails at hotels, Divine-themed afternoon teas and exclusive Divine Chocolate menus at tea rooms and top restaurants,…
If you go the Tate Galleries in London, Liverpool or St.Ives you will see that they supply JING teas. JING is run by Edward Eisler and his team. By building relationships with the worldÂ’s finest tea farmers in China, India, Sri Lanka, Japan and Taiwan, JING hand sources not only the finest teas and herbal infusions, but also special, rare teas which are seldom seen outside their country of origin. They supply tea and tea ware directly to customers through their website and offer full tea service concepts for the world’s best hotels, restaurants and retailers, in the finest British…
MzTEK provides a learning community in technology and arts for women. They have organised Chi-TEK, which was a tea inspired showcase celebrating the work of international acclaimed women artists who utilize computers, electronics and technology in their work. It was launched at the Victoria & Albert Museum as part of the London Design Festival Digital Weekend, September 24th – 25th 2011 . There were 20 international women artists and designers who were invited to hack a teapot to showcase their unique use of technology in the arts. This is the first time so many contemporary women artists working with technology…
Just in case you’re planning to do a little cooking To keep potatoes from budding, place an apple in the bag with the potatoes or do it the easy way and buy mashed potato mix, it keeps in the cupboard for up to a year. When a cake recipe calls for flouring the baking tin, use a bit of dry cake mix instead and there won’t be any white mess on the outside of the cake. Â Wrap celery in aluminium foil when putting in the refrigerator and it will keep for weeks. Cure for headaches take a lime, cut…
I’ve made another video and I would love to hear want you think. Thanks to skwriter she has got me playing with this all night. Very relaxing… http://www.onetruemedia.com/shared?p=f432e1b1aa678b5ef67cec&skin_id=1602&utm_source=otm&utm_medium=text_url
Use good quality tea Store it in an airtight container at room temperature Warm your teapot or cup before using it Always use ‘fresh water’ For the best results, use loose tea To gain the maximum health benefits, drink around 4 cups a day Use porcelain and bone china to drink out of as they make the best tea cups
The Angel Hotel won the ‘Tea Guild’s’, ‘Top City and Country Hotel Tea Award for 2011’. The Angel was voted into the top spot of the Tea Guild’s award after gaining a near perfect scored from the anonymous inspectors. The judges praised the elegant surroundings, attentive and efficient service and tasty sandwiches, cakes and scones, the excellent choice of teas and quality of service. http://www.angelabergavenny.com/index.html The Angel Hotel, Abergavenny, Wales. Tel No 01873 857121
The amazing scone baking race is America’s unique event for tea lovers, baking enthusiasts and ‘contestaholics’. The best scone-baker entrants compete for prizes and will be entered into the ‘World’s Largest Scone Competition Ever’,and the, ‘World’s Largest Virtual Tasting Party’ for an entry into the famous book of World Records. Only America could organise an event of this size, which also has a facebook page. You can enter the contest with photos or a utube video of you baking scones at home. For more details on this fun event go to www.amazingsconebakingrace.com
Rocke Cottage Tea Rooms in Shropshire won the ‘Tea Guild’s’, ‘Top Tea Place 2011’ Award for their spectacular afternoon teas. It’s like stepping back to a bygone age when you enter the tearoom. With background music from the 1920’s and 30’s you can feel the scene of bygone times. They have a selection of light lunches and home-made soups as well on offer and produce is prepared freshly on the premises, including the cakes and scones. http://www.rockecottagetearoom.co.uk/ Rocke Cottage Tea Rooms, Shropshire, SY7 OPX. Tel No 01588 660631
I am sure most of you will have heard of slimming tea, green tea being a popular one. However there is another one called Pu Erh which keeps popping up on the internet as also being successful for weight loss. Apparently Pu Erh tea is the only tea that improves with age and in that respect it is very much like wine. It is hand-picked from old and ancient large-leaf tea trees that grow high in the remote misty mountains of Yunnan, China. The leaves are fermented twice over several weeks, then dried. It has an earthy flavour, is strong…
EASY VICTORIA SANDWICH LOAF CAKE… Ingredients 175g Self Raising Flour 175g Caster Sugar 175g Butter or Flora 3 Eggs (beaten) 1 Tablespoon Baking Powder 2 Tablespoons Milk 1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract 1 Tablespoon Icing Sugar Strawberry Jam Method Preheat oven to Gas Mark 4, 180C and 350F Line your loaf tin. Place all the ingredients into a bowl and whisk together for no more than 2 minutes Pour into a loaf tin and bake for 40-50 mins or until your skewer comes out clean Place your cake on a wire rack to cool Slice the cake in half, lengthwise Spread…
On December 16, 1773 American natinalists dumped crates of tea from a British ship into the Boston Harbor in a protest over rising taxes imposed by the British colonists. Known after that as the Boston Tea Party, which was a direct action by colonists in Boston over the rising taxes. The incident is still an iconic event of American history, and other political protests often refer to it. The Tea Party was the culmination of a resistance movement throughout British America against the Tea Act, which had been passed by the British Parliament in 1773. They believed that the taxes…