Keep Calm and Drink Tea!

Tea Break

I'm on a "Tea Break" holiday in England...

enjoying afternoon tea everyday. 

I'll be back soon. 

Until then, as they say in England...

Keep Calm

and

Drink Tea

Hail Britannia!

Time for Tea

If you love tea...

you can never have too many teapots!

Emma Bridgewater's Union Jack teapot has been on my "wish list"
for a very long time. 

During the Royal Wedding weekend, a US stockist, Joann Hudson ran a "Royal Sale" on all Emma Bridgewater pottery.  I treated myself to a new teapot and even though it's not commemorative china, I think it's a wonderful souvenir for me to remember the Royal Wedding.

I love that it's hand-decorated and made in Stoke-on-Trent, England...
also known as The Potteries!

It arrived yesterday and I love it! 


(In the photo:  Emma Bridgewater Union Jack Teapot and Spode Blue Italian Round Platter)

The Laduree Dream

 Marie Antoinette Tea
(All the way from Paris!)

I'll be in Paris in a few weeks...

and it is my dream
to have afternoon tea at Laduree.

 Macaroons
(All the way from Paris)

Laduree is always one of our very first stops in Paris.  My husband and I just adore their French macaroons and their beautiful shops certainly let you know, that you have arrived in Paris! 

Through the years, I've sneaked a peak at various Laduree restaurants and tea salons around  Paris but I have never had tea at one. I'm hoping that this trip to Paris makes my dream of having tea at Laduree come true!

Laduree Treats

I've already had a taste of how wonderful Laduree's afternoon tea is going to be.  My dear friend's daughter who lives in Paris brought me Laduree's Marie Antoinette The` (tea) and macaroons when she came to California last year to visit her mom. 

I have felt quite spoiled at home drinking my Marie Antoinette tea. Just as you would imagine, this black tea has rose floral notes and comes in a pretty pink canister.  Marie Antoinette most definitely would approve!

Now let's just hope I can get a table for two
and have my Laduree dream come true....


Be sure to watch this beautiful clip from Laduree's web site called
 The Laduree Dream. 

It will have you dreaming of Laduree,too!

Happy May Day!

It's May Day!

Look what's growing in my garden....

Liberty of London Flowers!

 My Fabric Flower Garden

I've been a bit crafty lately making fabric flower pins.  I upcycled one of my Liberty of London for Target scarves into flower pins to wear with my Liberty of London scarf to England in a few weeks.   I can't wait to wear them to tea or to a garden party!

There is inspiration and tutorials all over the Internet to get you inspired to make your own fabric flowers. 

I like to make mine with a brooch back that has a pin and an alligator clip

so I can wear them in my hair or on a pretty cardigan. 

Hand-made Liberty of London

Fabric Flower Pin

Enjoy May Day...

and don't forget to wear a flower in your hair!

Royal Wedding Tea & Scones

 Royal Wedding Tea Party

for One

Oh, the Pomp and Circumstance..

Fairy tales do come true when the girl next door can marry her Prince!

Katherine Middleton was breathtakingly beautiful and Prince William certainly was Prince Charming!  I stayed up all night to watch The Royal Wedding live and I'm so glad I did!

I've been enjoying all the Royal Wedding coverage drinking my Twinings Royal Wedding Tea in my Union Jack tea mug with Savoy Scones.

This was my first time making Savoy Scones.  Here are a few of my tips from following the Savoy Scone recipe:

Savoy Scone Tips:

The secret to making thick British-style scones is

to not over mix your dough and

roll out the scone dough to 3/4" thickness. 

 For proper looking scones,

stamp out 2 1/2 " rounds with a pastry cutter.

Transfer scones to a baking sheet and

brush tops with an egg wash.

Let the scones rest for 15 minutes before baking.

Be patient and do not skip this part!

Enjoy your fresh baked scones

with clotted cream and jam.

The Savoy Scone recipe will certainly be one of my "go-to"
tea party recipes now. 

You can find the recipe here with American measurements
and find the UK version in Taking Tea at the Savoy.


(In the photos:  Hand Knit Tea Cosy, Emma Bridgewater Union Jack 1/2 Pint Mug & Spode Jane Seymour Plate.)

Baking Day!

Tea & Scones

With the Royal Wedding now just hours away...
today is Baking Day.

I'm making Savoy Scones to enjoy with my "cuppa"
of Twinings Royal Wedding Commermorative Blend.

I'll be smothering my scones with Scottish Strawberry Preserves with Champagne and
Mock Clotted Cream.  Real clotted cream is tricky to find here in the States, so here is a recipe for mock clotted cream:


Mock Clotted Cream
Serves 4 to 6

1 cup heavy cream, at room temperature
1/3 cup sour cream, at room temperature
1 T. confectioner's sugar

One hour before serving, pour the heavy cream into a bowl and whip until soft peaks form.  Whisk in the sour cream and sugar.  Continue to beat until the mixture is very thick.

Place in the refrigerator and chill until serving time. 


And, yes, I'll be in my jammies since the USA West Coast TV coverage
begins at 1:00 AM.

I may just stay up all night drinking tea
in my Emma Bridgewater Union Jack mug!

Royal Wedding Dress Rehearsal

Twinings Royal Wedding 

Commemorative Blend

The Royal Wedding is just days away now.  In fact, dress rehearsals begin tomorrow at Westminster Abbey. 

I'm having a bit of a dress rehearsal myself trying out my Royal Wedding tea

that I had shipped from England.

Royal Tea Dress Rehearsal

I'll be celebrating the Royal Wedding in style with Twinings Royal Wedding Commemorative Blend.  It's a special edition White Earl Grey with Rose Petal Tea blended exclusively to commemorate the
Royal Wedding on April 29, 2011. 

To enjoy this tea, Twinings recommends:

Use one teabag per person and pour on boiling water, leave to brew for no more than 1 minute (or you will loose its delicate flavor).  It's perfect without milk but the Queen won't mind if you prefer to add a splash of milk.

I've sampled the tea both with and with out milk and do prefer it without milk.  I'm so glad I had a dress rehearsal so I am properly ready for the big day now!

I plan on enjoying my Royal Wedding tea with scones
(smothered with Scottish Strawberry Perserve with Champagne )
when I watch the Royal Wedding in my pajamas.  How about you?


(In the photos: Vintage Spode Jewell china.)