Afternoon Tea

[Kimberly Badger]

Hello everyone,

I've been reading through some of the messages and I don't remember where I saw it on the boards. But, it made mention of afternoon tea with cakes like on the Titanic. Does anyone know anything of the typical afternoon tea food that would have been offered? Or a good starting place for some research?

Thanks in advance,
Kimberly

 

[Shelley Dziedzic]

Ah Kimberly- you ask the right question! We have had many lively tea discussions on the Gilded Age Topic option- from The Edwardian Dinner Table to Feasting Afloat subtopics. A great source for all things TEA is a UK site http://www.tea.co.uk/
Having a British crew, you can be sure tea was done right on TITANIC with all the proper utensils from sugar tongs to dessert forks to lemon curd and Dundee cake and cucumber sandwiches. Tea made a comeback here in America about ten years ago- we got civilized again. A few large hotels still offer it and I hope it comes back again. My favorite is anchovie toast and Victoria spongecake. Let me know if you need the recipe!

 

[Kimberly Badger]

Oh recipes would be good... I'm trying to do a whole themed weekend around the Titanic next year. I already have a dinner party but I'm a glutton and want to add a full two days of Titanic activities. *lol* I'm just on this kick of getting as close as possible to what was typically served at tea in Edwardian times. It would have been in the Cafe Parisian, correct? I think someone told me they have pink roses and white daisies on the table?! But now I don't remember where I read it.
I love the tea.co.uk site. I'm in the process of opening a tea room with my mother

I've been trying to research Edwardian cookbooks but with limited funds at the moment. I can't afford to just buy and hope a suitable recipes is included. So, yes the recipe would be wonderful!
Are there any books that detail the table settings?!
If I'm a pain just let me know... my husband tells me daily.
Thanks again for the help! Very much appreciated.

 

[Maria Fernandez]

i dont know is this site will be any help..

http://victorian.curiouscastle.com/tea/tea.html

 

[Bob Godfrey]

Good link, Maria. It's a treat to see a web page which looks so elegant, when most sites prefer the 'dog's breakfast' school of design.

 

[Kimberly Badger]

Oh that link was a great help... it gave me a little background info on Edwardian times and pointed me in the direction of the Ritz Afternoon tea book which I do own. I just wonder where I put it.

Does anyone know of any surviving tea menus around that time period other than the 2nd class Carpathia one at THS museum. I'm only two hours away from the museum. I'm going to have to take a ride one of these days.

Thanks again! And yes, the site was very nicely done.

 

[Michael H. Standart]

Kimberly, you could also go to Amazon.com and get a copy of Last Dinner On the Titanic Menus and Recipes From the Great Liner. If this doesn't come close to giving you an idea of what was offered on board, I don't know what will.

 

[Randy Bryan Bigham]

Kimberly,

There is also a great little book which is often sold at gift shops called "The London Ritz Book of Afternoon Tea: The Art and Pleasures of Taking Tea" by Helen Simpson.

It's a delight, being both elegantly written and practical (so I am told). It has a history of tea drinking and descriptions of and recipes for both afternoon and high teas.

The book also looks nice sitting on a table in a guest room which is as close as my copy has gotten to the kitchen!

Randy

 

[Kimberly Badger]

I have the Dinner book... I host an annual dinner party and that book is a must have. But it doesn't do much on the tea menu side.

I wish it did though. I also have The London Ritz Book of Afternoon Tea which another poster recommended. I just don't know where I placed it! I bet my toddler has stashed it somewhere! *lol*