Gilbert White's Tea Parlour

If you're ever in the Selborne area in Hampshire, I recommend this place for afternoon tea or a light lunch. It has again been awarded the Tea Guild Award for Excellence and serves speciality teas and delicious homemade cakes.

Housed in a museum for Gilbert White himself, a naturalist, and for the Oates Collection. It tells the story of three explorers of the natural world.

Vintage Tea Party Part 2

Part 2 has finally arrived with a....

teacup and saucer.

Although I was also expecting issue 3 and my tea tray with my first delivery. Then perhaps I can invite a friend round for tea and scones.

Vintage Tea Party

I have found a solution to my tea tray problem.

There is a new magazine collection in stores now. As always the first issue is a bargain. £1.99 for a cake plate.

 

 

The magazine has a few recipes and little tips on how to present your baking.

 

 

I have started to subscribe for £6.99 for each issue as I'm hoping to get a new tea tray.

 

 

I don't think I'll get the whole collection but it does look quaint.



Whittard of Chelsea

I finally bought my Sunday best tea set. I made a special trip to the outlet store in Hatfield. Plenty to choose from.

This is what I wanted

With this design

 

Unfortunately they had all sold out. That's the risk you take if you wait till it arrives at the outlet store so I bought this instead

 





I now need a tea tray to carry it all.

Teacup and Saucer and Teapot

I've been meaning to buy myself one of these....

 



A matching teacup, saucer and teapot.

I saw these at Whittard who seem to have the best variety although are more expensive than others I've seen in TK Maxx, Dunelm Mill but are more plain. However, you do not need to compromise between design and price.

The Solution: Whittard of Chelsea outlet stores where they're usually half the price.
There are also stores in York and Swindon.

I shall be picking up my favourite if/when they arrive in store.

Rose Creme Brulee and Pistachio Cupcakes

I have come to notice that a lot of men like creme brulee but they don't like afternoon tea. In my attempt to tempt men to the table at 3pm for a spot of tea and cake I rustled up these sophisticated and gentle'manly' cupcakes.

For the creme brulee, you will need:

• 300ml double cream
• 75 ml of full fat milk
• 5 egg yolks
• 3 tbsp of caster sugar
• A few drops of rose extract or rosewater
• Demerera sugar for the top

Heat oven to 140C/120C fan/gas 1. Put the cream and milk into a pan and heat to boiling point. Add a few drops, to taste, of the rose flavouring, cover and leave to infuse for 10 mins. Meanwhile whisk the egg yolks and 3 tbsp of sugar together until pale and thick. Pour the boiling cream onto the mixture. Stir well, then pour into a square tin. Place the tin in a bain marie and cook in the oven for about 20 mins or until just set. Leave to cool. Once cooled divide into equal portions for the number of cupcakes you have to be topped. Baking your brulee in a square tin makes this part easier.

For 12 cupcakes, you will need:

• 140g butter
• 140g caster sugar
• 140g self-raising flour
• 2 eggs
• 100g pistachios

Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3 and line a 12-hole muffin tin with cases. Put all the pistachios into a food processor with about half the sugar, then whizz until very finely chopped. Tip into a large mixing bowl with the remaining sugar, butter, eggs, flour and milk and beat until smooth. Divide between cases, then bake on a low shelf for 22-25 mins until a skewer poked in comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

 

 

My cupcake cases are a little smaller than usual so I managed 16 cupcakes. You may notice that there are only 14 in the picture above but that’s because I tasted a couple to make sure they were good enough for the next bit. Scoop each allocated section of brulee on top of each and spread.

Now for the fun part, blowtorch at the ready and your demerera sugar. Sprinkle the topped cakes with the sugar then melt with the blowtorch till it caramelises. Don’t be afraid of a little charring, it adds to the gorgeous smoky flavour. When still molten drop a few pistachios on top if you have any left.

Tea Infusers

These are very good for when you are making just the one cup of that special loose leaf blend. When I feel like I need the pomp and pageantry of an afternoon tea without the calories I like to treat myself to a loose leaf tea in my favourite tea diffuser.

 

I love my Yellow Submarine especially as I am a big Beatles fan. However, on some Sunday mornings when the only reason I got out of bed was to make myself a cup of tea and want to get back into bed asap I find this very useful.

 

 

You can brew whilst you get back in bed and still take the leaves out of the cup into a matching bowl without staining your bedding. Plus you can make your cuppa without the need of a teaspoon.

Although I am thinking about giving my Sunday morning tea ceremonies a little more decadence I'm thinking of investing in a teapot/teacup set that neatly stacks on top of one another. More on that later.

Silk

This is one of my favourite places in London, aptly named as it's based in an old courthouse and serves food found along the silk route. You can also enjoy pre-dinner cocktails ordered at the bar and drunk inside jail cells with jeans-wearing tables.

 

Dinner is eaten in the courtroom where little has changed since the trials of Oscar Wilde, Mick Jagger and John Lennon. The menu now boasts an afternoon tea.

 

 

 

Tea for two includes sweet and savoury dishes to share with a Japanese flavour. So if you want to try something different and like sushi and Green tea pound cake then give this place a go.

 

Tea doesn't have to be taxing

Last week when I found myself very thirsty at 3 o' clock whilst driving through the English countryside on a rare sunny day I saw this

 

and had to stop for an afternoon tea.

 

Afternoon tea doesn't always have to be the grand old hotel affair. The best ones are usually spontaneous, relaxed and kitsch.

 

Goes to show, you don't need a 108 piece matching china set to host your own little treat.

 

We were at Kilver Court for a spot of Designer Outlet shopping. I nabbed myself a new Mulberry Wallet with leather as soft as a baby's bottom.

On the way home we caught a free glimpse of stonehenge

High Tea by the High Seas

As I mentioned earlier I recently celebrated my birthday and there was only one place to do it this summer .... at the Olympics (wearing my new knickers). The only tickets I could get on the day were for the sailing down in Weymouth and Portland. A long drive from London but thankfully the weather made it worth it.

With all good birthdays there is always cake although this year was slightly different as it was the first time since being a child that it was bought ready-made.

I know, I know... not what you want to hear from a cake blogger but there is a reason for this. I had to choose between cake or scotch eggs and as you can't buy pork free scotch eggs there was only one way to get around the dilemma. I did add a twist by using cute little quail eggs.

You'll need:
12 quail eggs
250g sausage meat (I used chicken mince flavoured with dried herbs and paprika)
2 spring onions
Panko breadcrumbs
Flour, for dusting
1 hen's egg

First, boil your quail eggs for 2 mins. No more, no less. It's important to get the timing right. When the time is up plunge them into cold water to stop them cooking and to cool them so they can be peeled.

 Be gentle with them as they can be delicate.

Next take each egg and with a teaspoon of the sausagemeat, begin to mould the meat so that it surrounds the egg completely. Once this has been done for all the eggs you'll be ready to breadcrumb.

In three different bowls, put flour, beaten hen's egg and breadcrumbs. Place the sausagemeat covered eggs first in the flour, then the egg and finally the breadcrumbs. If you like a crunchier coating place in the egg and breadcrumbs again before semi-shallow frying for 4-6 mins.

These were enjoyed with a beetroot relish carried to the venue in a little jam jar. Followed by the birthday cake with a cup of tea.

The Other Cup

You've probably gathered from my last post that I like all types of underwear from comfy boy shorts to sexy see through bras so now it's time to explain my other love.... Afternoon Tea!

Every year around Christmas I venture into London hotels in search of clotted cream, teas from far flung fields and a luxurious sit down. Here are a few of my favourites:

1) The Ritz - We had prime position in The Palm Court and had a great view of everything and everyone seated at the top of the grand 1920s hall. I will always be impressed by the waiters who could tell which tea was in which teapot, on a tray of many, just by the aroma of the rising steam.

2) The Dorchester - this felt very luxurious as it had a very warm atmosphere. We were celebrating a birthday whilst here and were amazed at the complimentary cake brought to our table with candle et al.

3) The Four Seasons - this was the first place I ever had tea and as a novice I was wowed by the service, the several courses, the tinkering piano and will always be one of my favourite places to lounge.

When not at these lush surroundings I make do and bake my own cakes and make sure the kettle always boiled for a good cuppa and have recently taken a shine to decorating them.