London Ritz Bk.of Afternoon Tea

by Helen Simpson

Afternoon tea is the english meal-time institution, a social as well as a culinary event. It is precisely this atmosphere which is embodied in the Palm Court Tearoom at the Ritz in London, which for many years has been one of the most delightful and traditional places to take tea. The London Ritz Book of Afternoon Tea captures the essence of this traditional British occasion and provides the reader with all the Ritz expertize in the ceremony as well as over 50 recipes, illustrated with passages from Dickens to Oscar Wilde and charming drawings.

Genres: Cookbooks, Tea, Nonfiction, Food, Cooking, British Literature, London

64 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1986

About the author

Helen Simpson is an English novelist and short story writer. She was born in 1959 in Bristol, in the West of England, and went to a girls' school. She worked at Vogue for five years before her success in writing short stories meant she could afford to leave and concentrate full-time on her writing. Her first collection, Four Bare Legs in a Bed and Other Stories, won the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award while her book Hey Yeah Right Get A Life, a series of interlinked stories, won the Hawthornden Prize.

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name. (In particular, the mystery author Helen de Guerry Simpson is a different author.)

In 1993, she was selected as one of Granta's top 20 novelists under the age of 40.

In 2009, she donated the short story The Tipping Point to Oxfam's 'Ox-Tales' project, four collections of UK stories written by 38 authors. Her story was published in the 'Air' collection.

Reviews

[Terri · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice little book celebrating tea and its history. The Palm Court Tearoom at the Ritz is one of the most famous places to do so. It features a history of tea and calls it "The Democratic Herb" as it is enjoyed by all classes and most cultures. It features differences between Winter Teas, High Tea, Afternoon Tea, Pre-Theatre Tea, Nursery Teas and Summer Teas. It offers many recipes in both metric and Cup measures. Recipes include traditional savories and sweets and show how they have been updated over time.They include, Crumpets, English Muffins, Shortbread, Scones, Seed Cakes, Madeleines, Eccles Cakes (which I had no idea were illegal in 1650 - imagine going to jail for eating a cake???)Egg or Cucumber Sandwiches, Scotch Woodcock, English Rabbit and Welsh Rarebit as well.

The book is filled with literary quotes involving tea and lovely illustrations.

If you love tea, definitely worth checking out

[Georgetowner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous little book that, with it's Dickensian illustrations, folksy interpretations, and old school recipes, presents as though it was published in 1886, rather than 1986. The book is comprehensive in it's presentation of the practice of taking tea, and informative in all things about tea. The recipes are what your granny learned as a girl...priceless! The book is about taking tea, not about taking tea at the London Ritz.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

C. S. Lewis once wrote that “you can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me.” I agree with him, adding that one cannot get enough of London either. You know where this is going, yes? I was given a book about how tea became a tradition in England. A rather perfect gift, wouldn’t you say?

In The Ritz London Book of Afternoon Tea: The Art & Pleasures of Taking Tea one is taught how tea first arrived in Europe, and how it then found its way to the UK (by the hands of a Portuguese Princess, yes). Starting from the very beginning, the discovery of tea, you are taken through the evolution of what is now still a tradition. This information, for someone who absolutely adores tea, was extremely interesting, but it wasn’t the only wonderful thing about this book. You see, not only are you taught how to brew the perfect cup, you are also given recipes for what constitutes the afternoon tea tradition, one that goes way beyond the simple task of getting water to boil.

[Carolyn Page · Rating 3 out of 5]

Part history and part cookery, there's a lot of information packed into this little book. A number of the sandwich recipes I wouldn't care to try, but that's balanced by the recipes for classic British baked goods. With the dawn of the Great British Bake Off, this is the book I'd base my designs off for cake week.

[Teresa W · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bit of info about Ritz tea and many recipes

[Winnie Marth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Both entertaining and informative.

[Charlotte Fay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it

As a lover of tea this book was the perfect combination of history and recipes. I have learnt so much about this much loved drink and gained some great recipes too.

[Sammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely little book of digestible culinary history, complete with recipes, charming illustrations, and literary references.

[Sarah Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this in the library of the Inn at Brandywine Falls (Cuyahoga Valley NP), and it was charming. I'll add favorite quotes later, but I laughed out loud multiple times. I'm not enough of a baker to take the recipes to heart, but they were interesting to peruse, and I did pick up some good tips for future tea drinking. Very much enjoyed!

[Ellie Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

Such a beautiful little book! A brief history and guide to afternoon tea! A pleasure to read!

[Una (EX) precaria tra i libri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review at https://precaria-tra-i-libri.blogspot...

[Helen Pugsley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very fancy. Very nice.

[Cheri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Relevant though possibly a bit dated in today's standards. I learned much from her recipes, tea history and directory of teas.

[Jessie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charming little book. I checked this book out from the library because I thought it had historical information about the Ritz. Instead 85% of the book is recipes. However, it was still charming.

[Camila · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute and short read.

[Ellisnoblebooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un libro perfetto per farsi una cultura su té, dolcetti britannici&co, soprattutto legati all'ora del té

[Debbie Droege · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this for Christmas because I am becoming something of a tea enthusiast. It was a delightful little book to read around the house and on the plane on the way home. Ms. Helen Simpson's writing style is humorous and familiar. It made me want to have tea with her at the Ritz! While the book is focused on the London Ritz, I found it enjoyable and useful having never visited there. The Ritz's traditions are mentioned a few times, but not overwhelmingly. The book briefly and entertainingly tells the history of tea, afternoon, tea, and high tea in England. Then, Simpson details the yummy snacks, including recipes, typical for different kinds of afternoon tea. Finally, she outlines the various types of tea and their tastes, brewing, etc. It was a fun read and a happy addition to my cookbook shelf. The quotes and literary excerpts about tea were an amusing addition. The layout and appearance is perfectly suited to the subject matter. A wonderful gift!

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Afternoon tea is the English meal-time institution, a social as well as a culinary event. It is precisely this atmosphere which is embodied in the Palm Court Tearoom at the Ritz in London, which for many years has been one of the most delightful and traditional places to take tea.

"The London Ritz Book of Afternoon Tea captures the essence of this traditional British occasion and provides the reader with all the Ritz expertize in the ceremony as well as over 50 recipes, illustrated with passages from Dickens to Oscar Wilde and charming drawings."
~~back cover

What a delight it was to get lost in this book, to dream of someday actually being at the Ritz, in a summery dress and garden party hat. And the scone recipe is to die for!

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick read at just 64 pages, and most of the text consists of recipes. There also are many facts and quotes about the history of tea, tea foods and tea rituals, though, so it's highly informative to the novice tea aficionado. For example, the author points out that "high tea" isn't the dainty affair that one typically thinks of when thinking of tea. Rather, the "pinkies up" event is afternoon tea, while high tea is a hearty affair more suited to a farm table.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

This charming book was half cookbook, half history book, focusing on the history of teatime in England. I found the history fascinating, and the recipes made me hungry. My only problem involved some ingredients: occasionally substitutes were recommended while other times not. I wish there had been consistency. Otherwise a sweet, quick read.

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great little read that covers every aspect of tea from its origins to how it arrived in Britain and how it changed societal traditions and crossed the classes. Complete with recipes appropriate to every tea gathering occasion this a great little book that any tea-lover will enjoy.

[Priscilla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful. Read many tea books but this one had new information. Loved the literary quotes and excerpts from historical cook and etiquette books. Especially enjoyed the chapter on sponge cakes and the need not to depress them while baking.

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute! Full of helpful tips and recipes for creating a lovely tea spread. Not as much historic evidence as I would have liked, but it was still a very pleasurable and helpful little read.

[Kitty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book on tea.

[Larissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting was the only thing I mentioned in my notebook...guess it was...interesting!

[Isilme · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated, filled with interesting tidbits of history and mouth watering recipes. It made me want to fire up the oven and start baking!

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good and enjoyable book for those who like teas.