Having Tea: Recipes & Table Settings

by Tricia Foley, Catherine Calvert

What could be cozier on a blustery winter's day than a mug of tea by the fire with freshly baked Irish soda bread slathered with sweet butter and tangy orange marmalade? Or more invigorating on a crisp, cool afternoon in autumn than a picnic in the country with sharp English cheeses; crusty white peasant bread; vegetable, cheese, and apple tarts; and Thermoses of steaming warm tea? Or a better way to celebrate the ripe berries of summer than a dessert party tea in the garden with lemon-curd tartlets, raspberry shortcake, raspberry sorbet, sugar cookies, and tea served in flowered china cups?

A cookbook and style book, Having Tea includes a range of stunning locations with recipes, menus, table settings, and serving ideas for tea. There are formal and elegant teas that ring in the winter holidays with rich dark fruitcake, shortbread, brandy snaps, and sherried English trifle; a tea for one in the study with spicy ginger Bundt cake and a plate of cookies; and tea for two in a loft, with slow-scrambled eggs, cornmeal muffins and apple butter, and panfried tomatoes sprinkled with fresh tarragon. Each menu provides suggestions for the ideal tea to suit the meal.

Since the American style of tea drinking originated in England, Having Tea goes to the source to show two classic English tea rooms, tea at the Savoy Hotel in London, and a tea dance at London's Waldorf. In addition, there are special sections on the history and different varieties of teas, selections of teapots and tea services, and directions for brewing the perfect pot of tea. A final section, the "Tea Larder," offers ideas for tea trimmings from honey to mint or ginger, tea sandwiches, and a directory of mail-order sources for tea.

With approximately fifty recipes for tea sandwiches, crumpets, scones, cookies, and cakes as well as hearty tea-time meals, Having Tea will make you want to make having tea part of your day. It shows how, far more than a beverage, tea is a grand indulgence that provides food for the body and the soul.

Genres: Cookbooks, Tea, Nonfiction, Cooking, Reference, Food, Culinary

96 pages, Hardcover

First published December 13, 1987

Reviews

[Juli Anna]

Aah, this is the delightfully outdated tea party book I've been looking for. Lots of sun-drenched pictures of wicker-hampered picnics, lace tablecloths on porch furniture, and *gasp* properly ironed table linens. Cozy, hearty, classic teatime treats. Pleasing 1980s-does-Victorian book design and photo staging. A 1930s-themed tea room setup full of jadeite-colored teapots and homey embroidered linens. It's all a girl can ask for.

[Jen Rodger]

Didn’t read this, actually read What is Written in Tea by Jade Taylor. It’s not on goodreads because it’s a self published book by a small author I met in La Tienda de los Unicornios who ended up giving me a free copy along with some tea.

I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it, sort of a love story but not really.

[Rehan Abd Jamil]

Yummy! Reminds me of Alice tea-party :)

[Donna Zigmont]

I love tea.I suppose its due to tea parties with my Grandma and sisters.My sister Mary and I still have afternoon tea on the weekend sometimes.This book had some cool ideas for parties as well as some good recipes.

[Lisa]

Enjoyable presentation of recipes, traditions, and table settings. After some Google investigation, I’ve found her recommendations for tea houses to visit to be exactly as she described in 1987, which makes sense since they have been doing it since 1889 (in the case of the Savoy Hotel).

I look forward to trying recipes for Mrs. Foley’s shortbread squares, Mrs. Pettigrew’s lemon cake, and cream roses.

[Elle]

Includes a brief history of tea. Most of the book is recipes for food to accompany a specific tea on a menu for a specific event. For example, raspberry sorbet with spearmint, lemon curd tartlets, raspberry shortcake with whipped cream, and sugar cookies are the menu items to accompany Prince of Wales tea for a dessert party tea.

[Aroma]

It was one of the first baking books that I bought 32 years ago and still one of the best .
Beautifully sectioned and a true inspiration, looking at it today in year 2020 and thinking that those images are as true then as they are today .

[Miranda]

Delightful

[Linda]

An elegant book for lovers of tea - one can find settings and recipes for high tea, children's tea parties, Christmas Eve tea, a summer picnic ... you name the occasion, there's a tea celebration waiting to happen.

[Erin]

I was a little disapointed with this book. I loved the idea of this book, but it didn't have as many recipes as I'd hoped or really any info on place settings. It had a lot of good ideas for themes for a tea gathering.

[Elona]

Nicely written book full of helpful hints and recipes.

[Rebecca Huston]

A very pretty, very presentable book on the art of afternoon tea. One of my keepers.

For the complete review, please go here:
http://www.epinions.com/content_21519...

[Jen]

Beautiful photography, interesting notes and fun recipes. I love how it was laid out for different types of tea. This was delightfully fun.

[Janette]

scones...yup...