Cream Tea for Two

Some local "handmade" Devonshire cream was discounted at the hippie store today, and I just got a small paycheck, so.... I bought it, of course.

I love clotted cream and jam, so I grabbed a few scones and planned a five o'clock teatime.

A few bags of masala tea, one warmed, sliced scone, some heavy cream, sugar, clotted cream, and jelly (i didn't think to grab some fruit jam) later, and my late afternoon tea was set!

The clotted cream (made in Chapel Hill, I believe) was good! Rich and buttery, though not sweet at all (which, I know, is how it's supposed to be) it had a consistency that I really thought I would hate at first. It looks thick and sticky like glue, but it actually has a nice texture/mouth-feel that I was really happy with.
And with the jelly, it was amazing! Even the not-great scones were delicious with the sweet and rich mixture.

I just thought I'd share.




Related Posts  :: posts labeled Afternoon Tea

"Superheated infusion of free-radicals and tannin"

So we've been doing our afternoon tea almost every day this week. 

Our first tea. I need a bigger tray...

Despite my original menu, this week we've mostly been having:

Cucumber & Cream Cheese Sandwiches

Salmon & Cream Cheese Sandwiches

Strawberry Pocky

Almond Pocky ($.75!)

Pimento Cheese Sandwiches

Butter Crackers ($.69!)) with EuroCrem

Toast with Butter & Jam

Green Tea

Irish Breakfast Tea

Chai Tea

Had these mango cookies: too sweet to eat!!

I like it, but it's having the opposite effect from what I wanted. Instead of refreshing myself with a light snack and hot drink, I end up feeling full and even more sleepy! I've been trying to work with caffeinated teas, but no helpfulness so far!

Somehow the pocky and buttered toast are still my favorites!

But as the weeks gone on, we're losing steam as far as doing it every day. Thursday we just didn't feel like it, and today there wasn't much point because we were both home most of the day.

I'm hoping to start it back up tomorrow, though it might have to be with coffee instead of tea...

Upcoming food ideas are pimento cheese & bacon sandwiches, fruit slices, and (hopefully) pumpkin muffins.

Drink up!

Tea Time Research

An Afternoon Tea for Two

One of my birthday presents was a tea service at our only Tea Room in town. 

I took this time to take a break, have a treat, and I jumped at the opportunity to consider it research ^-^

We got a tea service for two including a pot of tea (Winter...Palace, I think; very almond-y and sweet, reminded me a little of cough syrup unfortunately, but I was still quite happy with it) and a service of desserts, scones, and sandwiches.

The salmon sandwiches were okay (just salmon and cream cheese on a bagel), the chicken salads were perfectly light, and the scones with clotted cream were my favorite (just because of the cream!). I also discovered that I adore Treacle tarts, but only in small amounts...

This is not something I'd want to do often (particularly because I'm not sure the quality/quantity was worth the $30 price-tag) but it was calm, relaxing, and tasty. And definitely inspired me to work on beginning the transition.

Afterwards I grabbed a few things to slowly build my afternoon tea supply.

Pocky (strawberry, almond)

European crackers (possibly cookies; I haven't tried them yet)

Green Tea

Spicy Chai Tea

along with some veggies and bread.

I've made a box for the dry things, so they stay in one place for me! Yay Organization!

Instituting Afternoon Tea

I've been working almost full time for the past two weeks (the state won't let me work proper full time- they'd have to pay more than minimum, or give us benefits) and there are two constants when I get home, regardless of how my day went.
I am always sleepy.
And I am always hungry.

It's time to remedy this with a new tradition/habit.

Tea Time!

Tea Food Ideas:

[sandwiches] cucumber & herbed cream cheese. salmon & herbed cream cheese. ham & butter. curried chicken salad. pimento cheese. apples & cheese. avocado & cheese or turkey. tomato & mozzarella or avocado. veggie.

[savories] cheese biscuits. cheese croissants. crackers & spread. veggies & dip. shrimp toasts. meat slices. rice balls with nori. tomato bites.

[sweets] cake minis. pastries. scones with clotted cream & jam. tartlets. fruit & chocolate croissants. muffins.

[easies] toast with butter & jam. crackers & cheese. fruit. cookies.

Inspirational images follow. The internet is FULL of them, and I can't wait to get started. 

My boy and I both get home at 3 almost every day, and he never eats unless food is provided (-.-) and I am looking for a new and fun tradition-- and desperately need a pick-me-up every afternoon-- so this is perfect.
My plan is afternoon tea every weekday between 3 & 3:30. And on weekends (if we feel like it) at 4.
To save myself time, I will (theoretically) prep most of the week's menu on Sunday nights. Pre-cut breads, toppings, etc. Slice & store fruits and necessary fillers (meat, veggies, etc). Also, make bulk things like chicken salad (have I posted that recipe yet? it's amazing), cucumber cream cheese mix, etc.

My first week starts Monday, so I'm looking through pictures and recipes and working on an early menu. I'm probably not really going to stick with it, but since I'm so broke right now, I need to have a plan for affordable and reusable things and stick to it. This list should run about $15 for the week, assuming any time I use "meat", it's whatever meat was eaten for dinner the night before. This is my base idea for Week 1.

{Monday}
Cucumber Sandwiches
Fruit Bites
Cheese Squares

{Tuesday}
Crackers with Herb Spread
Meat Slices
Veggie Bites
Fruit Bites


{Wednesday}
Savory Sandwiches
Toast with Jam
Cookies

{Thursday}
Dinner Bites (leftovers)
Apples & Cheese
Fruit Bites

{Friday}
Week's Leftovers
(most likely Cucumber Sandwiches, Cheese & Crackers/Apples, Toast with Jam)

I'm excited.