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Tea Tuesday: Celebrating Mother’s Day with Downton Fans and Bonbons

12 Sunday May 2013

Posted by in *About the Show, Afternoon Tea, Dessert

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For those who love the show, enjoy Mr. Selfridge's  Afternoon Tea

For those who love the show, enjoy Mr. Selfridge’s  Afternoon Tea

It was a busy weekend as Toronto celebrated Mother’s Day, Downton style.  On Saturday I spoke to a room full of enthusiastic Downton fans at William Ashley, my favorite china store in the heart of the city.  On Sunday I shared Afternoon tea with Downton fans at the historic Ireland House in Burlington.  Mothers flocked to both events, happy to have time to relax.  All likely can identify with Anna whose first words on the series  were “Just once in my life, I’d like to sleep until I woke up natural.”

As you may know, Tea Tuesday is a weekly tradition I started, dishing about Downton Abbey, featuring a new “Downton” era recipe. Refer to my Online Guide to Afternoon Tea, helpful in understanding traditions and recipes to help you host your own tea party with family and friends.

This week’s treat are bonbons, one of the lovely desserts served at the historic Ireland House in Burlington, ON. 

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Tea Tuesday: A Light and Healthy Vegetable Terrine for Mom

07 Tuesday May 2013

Posted by in *About the Show, Afternoon Tea, Garden Parties

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The Cadogan in Knightsbridge has been serving Afternoon tea since 1887, famously visited by

Lord D and I are back from a wonderful visit to Bermuda.  Stay tuned for an accounting of our visit to this beautiful island and a delightful award winning afternoon tea at the Fairmont Princess Hotel in Hamilton.

Mother’s Day is this Sunday for North Americans. For my recap of the history and Mother’s Day traditions around the world, click here.  And if you have not found a unique gift  treat your mum, consider hosting a tea. Check out some of my Mother’s Day tea ideas. 

As you may know, Tea Tuesday is a weekly tradition I started last year, dishing about Downton Abbey, featuring a new “Downton” era recipe. Refer to my Online Guide to Afternoon Tea, helpful in understanding traditions and recipes to help you host your own tea party with family and friends. I don’t always make a dish to have at tea, but it will always be a dish that could have been enjoyed in the Downton era.

This week we serve up a heart healthy vegetable terrine.  A great light dish to serve mom this weekend (outside, if the weather holds).

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Tea Tuesday: Getting Downton with Strawberry Ice, Ice, Baby

16 Tuesday Apr 2013

Posted by in *About the Show, Afternoon Tea, Garden Parties

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Tea at Kingsway

Lovely Afternoon Tea at Kingsway Hall Hotel near Covent Garden in London

It is Tuesday which means it is time for tea and Downton gossip.  The days are getting longer, and the warmer weather is slowly starting to make itself at home.  Encouraged,  Lord D. bought me a new pink bicycle which I will name Daisy, although she looks like a Penelope to me.

Sadly all is not right in the world. Last Monday I lost a friend to pancreatic cancer.  Yesterday the we are stunned by the senseless bombing at the Boston Marathon.  I always looked forward to race day, when I could put months of training to the test.  From joy of accomplishment to utter shock and disbelief in a blink of an eye. My prayers to all those affected, and a way forward so that we can live in a kinder gentler world.

But we must put on a happy face and move forward.  As you may know, Tea Tuesday is a weekly tradition I started last year, dishing about Downton Abbey, featuring a new “Downton” era recipe. Check out my Online Guide to Afternoon Tea, helpful in understanding traditions and recipes to help you host your own tea party with family and friends.

Last week we made DIY Jello, this week today’s dish is Strawberry Water Ice, one of many ices (aka frozen desserts) I fancied enough to put in my cookbook.
It will have to hold you for a few weeks as I will be offline planning and then taking a trip to Bermuda.  See you in May with new recipes.

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Tea Tuesday: At Downton There was Always Room for Jiggly Jelly

09 Tuesday Apr 2013

Posted by in *About the Show, Dessert, Garden Parties

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Tea under the cherry blossoms

Cherry Blossom tea tablescape  from Stone Gable

I am still patiently waiting for Spring to take a firm hold.  We did have a thunder storm last night, but apparently are expecting snow on the weekend. In some parts of the world it is the bloom of the cherry blossom which signals the arrival of Spring.  I have fond memories of the Cherry Blossom Festival in Vancouver, organized by Linda Poole, a dear friend of mine.  If you are blessed by cherry blossoms do take time to enjoy them; why not enjoy tea under a cherry tree, or set some blossoms on your table. Every moment is precious, particularly when you lose someone who has touched your life.  Our prayers are with April’s  family and close friends. She was feisty spirit who lost her fight with pancreatic cancer this past week.

As you may know, Tea Tuesday is a weekly tradition I started last year, dishing about Downton Abbey, featuring a new “Downton” era recipe. Check out my Online Guide to Afternoon Tea, helpful in understanding traditions and recipes to help you host your own tea party with family and friends.

As we look forward to warmer days today’s dish is Jiggly Strawberry Jelly, great for Garden Parties, also known as “tea outside.”

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Tea Tuesday: Dreams of Downton Garden Parties with Garden Cake

02 Tuesday Apr 2013

Posted by in *About the Show, Afternoon Tea, Dessert, Garden Parties

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The Award Winning Royal Tea at the Intercontinental

The Award Winning Royal Tea at the Intercontinental London

Spring is here, the snow around us has melted, and you can see tulips breaking through the soil. Even the golfers have come out of hibernation on the golf course where we live. Of course we all anxious to shed our winter clothes, but not quite yet. Our patience will be rewarded in the coming weeks. I have to keep reminding myself of that.

As you may know, Tea Tuesday is a weekly tradition I started last year, dishing about Downton Abbey, featuring a new “Downton” era recipe. Check out my Online Guide to Afternoon Tea, helpful in understanding traditions and recipes to help you host your own tea party with family and friends.

Today’s dish is Garden Cake, as we look forward to getting back into our yards, to grow, or just throw fabulous garden parties. Garden Parties, after all is just tea outside.

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Tea Tuesday Features Easter’s Simnel Cake

26 Tuesday Mar 2013

Posted by in *About the Show, Afternoon Tea, Dessert

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Easter Tea at the trendy Ampersand

Easter Tea at the trendy Ampersand Hotel, Kensington

Spring has officially arrived, a time of birth, renewal and Easter.  A moveable feast, Easter occurs the First Sunday after the Full Moon following the Vernal Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere.  Just check a calendar, it’s much easier.

As you may know, Tea Tuesday is a weekly tradition I started last year, dishing about Downton Abbey, featuring a new “Downton” era recipe.  Check out my Online Guide to Afternoon Tea, helpful in understanding  traditions and recipes to help you host your own tea party with family and friends.

Today’s dish is Simnel Cake, the traditional cake eaten at Easter, signifying the end of Lent.

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Tea Tuesday’s Downton Dish is Ham and Potato Soup

19 Tuesday Mar 2013

Posted by in *About the Show, Soups

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Enjoy a special Easter Tea at the Dorchester

Enjoy a special Easter Tea at the Dorchester

Only one more day before we can officially say goodbye to Winter and hello to Spring. Unfortunately the seasons take their sweet time in making the shift change, but it won’t be long until we can put our winter boots and sweaters away. It does help that Easter is earlier this year.

As you may know, Tea Tuesdays is a weekly tradition I started last year, dishing about Downton Abbey, featuring a new “Downton” era recipe.  Starting last week we departed from simply providing Afternoon Tea recipes and expanding our Tuesday repertoire to include dishes you would see at High Tea–what workers would eat as an early supper at the end of their day.  It will give you a better sense of the difference between Afternoon Tea and High Tea, and give Lord D, my official taster, a chance to recover from tea treat overdose.  There are only so many delicious cakes and tarts (even if they are made healthier) that a man can take.

You can still refer to my Online Guide to Afternoon Tea, helpful in understanding  traditions and recipes to help you host your own tea party with family and friends.

Today’s dish is Ham and Potato Soup, a great way to use the left over ham bone from your upcoming Easter Dinner.

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Tea Tuesday/Downton Downtime Mashup with Glamorgan Sausages

12 Tuesday Mar 2013

Posted by in *About the Show, Breakfast, Brunch, Garden Parties, Side Dish

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Tea at the Kensington

Afternoon Tea at the newly renovated Kensington Hotel in London

This past Sunday, clocks “sprang” forward one hour around the world in observance of Daylight Savings Time (DST), first implemented by the Germans in 1916 during World War I as an energy saving measure. The idea caught on.  Currently 70 countries utilize Daylight Saving Time in at least in part of their country. Japan, India, and China are the only major industrialized countries that do not observe some form of daylight saving.

It will likely take a week or so to adjust to losing one hour of sleep.  That still does not explain how I managed to lock breakfast in our locking (self-cleaning) oven on Saturday morning.  I am sure Daisy never had this issue.  By the time I figured out how to reset the oven, our breakfast was now brunch.

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Tea Tuesday: Dress up your Tea Tray with Gougères, Cheese Puffs

05 Tuesday Mar 2013

Posted by in *About the Show, Afternoon Tea, Appetizers

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check out the free flowing champagne

There is free flowing champagne with the   Vintage Tea at the Mandeville Hotel till June.

My actual “birthday” is over and it while it was a lovely day, I love claiming a full month to share merriment with other March babies, including son Master J.     Making a special effort to reach out to friends for lunch or perhaps Afternoon Tea is a great way to make the best of March while we wait for Spring flowers to emerge. While Granny might not approve, many tea houses now offer champagne or celebration teas.

Each Tuesday I dish on Downton Abbey and other topical issues one might discuss at tea, served up with a recipe with an interesting history.  You may find my Online Guide to Afternoon Tea helpful in understanding traditions and recipes to help you host your own tea party with family and friends. For those of you who have just discovered Downton, enjoy the ride but watch out for spoilers.

Today’s treat is a savoury tea treat: Gougères, french name for cheese puffs. The nice thing about savoury items is they can also do double duty as appetizers and vice versa. They pair nicely with your champagne tea.

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How will You Spend Your Downton Downtime? Reflecting with Consommé

04 Monday Mar 2013

Posted by in *About the Show, Soups

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My birthday dessert bar: pink velvet and chocolate cupcakes, cake pops and cake balls, chocolate covered oreos.

Memories of my 50th birthday dessert bar

Well in spite of Spring being ever so close but still out of reach in this part of the world, and Downton Abbey fading into memory, today is a good day since it is my birthday. My milestone birthday was last year so this year is a return to a low key affair of dinner out with Lord D at our favorite seafood restaurant, and a month full of coffee and lunching with friends I haven’t seen in a long while, particularly those who are also March babies.

And what would a birthday be without some reflection?  Of course I think that only happens as you age, as I remember  I would dread my mother asking me every year about any words of wisdom I had with the passage of time.  I was young and looking forward, not so much behind.  Then miraculously your perspective changes and yes, parents seem to gain wisdom as we get older.

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