Notes from My Research about Hostessing a Victorian Tea
~Taken from various sources~
The English tradition of the "Afternoon Tea" was created by Anna the Duchess of Bedford. The lapse between the afternoon meal and the evening meal was rather lengthy. In order to stop the hunger pains, Anna began having tea and scones to suppress her appetite. Soon she invited friends and relatives to join her and within time everyone in England followed suit. Afternoon Tea was now customary.
Victorian tea parties were extremely well planned and elegantly decorated. How the presentation of the food and the teas were presented were of great importance too. Tea Parties became a distinguished characteristic during the Victorian and Edwardian era.
The Hostess of the Tea Party has a
lot of responsibilities other than planning the entire event. The
Hostess upon the arrival of her guests, greets them, takes their outer
garment, hangs them up, makes introductions to other guests, asks them if they
would like a cup of tea, offers either cakes or candies or asks them if they
would like to sit down. The etiquette of a Hostess is that she circulates
throughout the room to see that everyone has met and that everyone is enjoying
themselves. The Hostess will then enjoy
a bit of conversation with her guests before calling everyone to the
table. Once the Hostess has let everyone know that it is time for tea, all her
guests will gather together as one. Once the teapot is placed on the
table, the spout should always face the Hostess. The Hostess is the only one
that serves tea to her guests. The way that tea is served properly is, that the
milk or cream always goes in the cup first, then sugar cubes followed by the
tea. During Tea, the Hostess continues to make sure that all her guests are
comfortable and that everyone is a part of the conversation. If at any time the
conversation stops, the Hostess will immediately start up a conversation that
she knows will interest more than three of her guests. The Hostess's main goal
is to make sure that each and everyone has a wonderful time.
Guest Etiquette is to remember that
you stir your tea with a teaspoon and then place it lightly on the saucer. Do
not place the teaspoon on the tablecloth or serving tray for this is considered
improper. When you sit down at the table, take your napkin, unfold it
completely and lay it across your lap flat. Do not place it upon the table,
throw it on your plate or let it drop to the floor. When you are eating your
food, it is proper to eat with your fingers. When eating a scone, break it into
little pieces and always eat one piece at a time. Do not use a knife to cut
your scone or use a fork to eat your scone. When you are eating tea sandwiches
again you eat this food with your fingers. However be polite and only take a
few bites at a time. At a Victorian Tea Party you are to have manners.
Quick Definitions:
Tole Tray: A laquered or enameled
metal serving plate that is decorated with gold and beautifully painted.
Tea Urn: Is only used when you have
a large party. Make the tea in the kitchen, strain very well, pour back into
the urn and light the lamp. It will remain fresh for several hours.
Flaring Cups: Is a Tea Cup that
increases gradually in width
Tea Suggestions:
1. White Tea: a Light Blend. Out
of all the teas it ranks number one. Highest antioxidant levels.
2. Green Tea: a Mild Blend.
Helps lower cholesterol, good for headachs and depression
3. Chai-Tea: Chai is the generic
name for Tea. Helps lower blood pressure and lower cholesterol
4. Pu-erh Tea: Aids digestion,
reduces cholesterol, helps with weight loss, improves eye sight, and improves
blood circulation.
5. Oolong Tea: Helps reduce heart
disease, inflammatory disorders, controls obesity, is used in treatment for
diabetes and helps protect someone from cancer
6. Black Tea: Helps prevent heart
attacks, strokes, may prevent stomach, prostate and breast cancer.
Recipes:
1. Scones: The Fresh Loaf
2. Little Tea Cakes: Best Recipes
3. Fancy Finger Sandwiches: SheKnows
Food & Recipes
4. Bon-Bons: allrecipes.com
5. Candied Fruits: Better Homes and
Garden
*Victorian Recipe Book:
Agnes B. Marshall
*Victorian Tea Recipes:
peeplo.com/Recipes+For+Tea
*English Afternoon Tea Parties:
joyofbaking.com
Tea Trivia Questions
01. Did the British prefer black,
green, Oolong or white tea?
02. What famous tea party was held
in the United States in 1773?
03. What tea that is still very
popular today is named after a British Royal?
04. Who was the Victorian tea party
named after?
05. Where were the most famous tea
farms located in England during the Victorian Era?
06. What did the English drink for
breakfast before tea became popular?
07. Which of these things may have
been served at afternoon tea... small tea sandwiches, scones, or cakes?
08. Which beverage contains more
caffeine, coffee or tea?
09. Afternoon tea is also known by
another name. What is that name?
10. What water temperature should be
used to brew green tea?
11. What tea offers us a surprise
inside?
12. What is the Chinese method of
stopping oxidation when processing tea leaves?
13. Should loose leaf tea leaves be
stored in the refrigerator?
14. In what country was iced tea
first introduced?
15. What about pu erh tea is similar
to fine wine?
16. What grade of tea is used in tea
bags?
17. What is referred to as the champagne
of tea?
18. Who is credited with initiating
afternoon tea?
19. How many tea farms are in the
United States?
20. What tea is often used to sooth
the nerves?
Tea Trivia Answers
01. The British favor black tea with
milk and sugar / 02. The Boston Tea party to protest unfair taxation / 03.
Earl Grey / 04. England’s Queen Victoria / 05. England had no tea
farms they had to import tea / 06. Ale / 07. All of them / 08.
Coffee with 60-120 mg / 09. Low tea, because it was served on low tables
such as coffee tables / 10. 180 degrees fahrenheit or 82.22 degrees
celsius / 11. Blooming tea also called flowering tea (when this tea
is brewed it opens up to release the flower sewn inside) / 12. The
leaves are pan fried / 13. Absolutely not, tea leaves absorb like baking
soda / 14. The United States in 1904 / 15. Both beverages are
aged / 16. The lowest grade called dust and fannings / 17.
Darjeeling tea grown in India / 18. Britain's Anna the 7th Duchess of
Bedford / 19. One commercial farm in Charleston South Carolina / 20.
Chamomile and Lavender teas
Etiquette when attending a tea party
- Greeting/handshake
- After sitting down — put purse on lap or behind you against chair back
- Napkin placement — unfold napkin on your lap, if you must leave temporarily place napkin on chair.
- Sugar/lemon — sugar is placed in cup first, then thinly sliced lemon and never milk and lemon together. Milk goes in after tea — much debate over it, but according to Washington School of Protocol, milk goes in last. The habit of putting milk in tea came from the French. “To put milk in your tea before sugar is to cross the path of love, perhaps never to marry.” (Tea superstition)
- The correct order when eating on a tea tray is to eat savories first, scones next and sweets last. We have changed our order somewhat. We like guests to eat the scones first while they are hot, then move to savories, then sweets.
- Scones — split horizontally with knife, curd and cream is placed on plate. Use the knife to put cream/curd on each bite. Eat with fingers neatly.
- Proper placement of spoon — the spoon always goes behind cup, also don’t leave the spoon in the cup.
- Proper holding of cup — do not put your pinky “up”, this is not correct. A guest should look into the teacup when drinking — never over it.
Since ancient Rome, a cultured
person ate with 3 fingers, a commoner with five. Thus, the birth of the raised
pinkie as a sign of elitism. This 3 fingers etiquette rule is still correct
when picking up food with the fingers and handling various pieces of flatware.
This pinky “up” descended from a misinterpretation of the 3 fingers vs 5
fingers dining etiquette in the 11th century.
Tea cups did not always have
handles. Chinese tea bowls influenced the first European teacups. At first, the
English made cups without handles in the traditional Chinese style. Not until
the mid 1750’s was a handle added to prevent the ladies from burning their
fingers. This improvement was copied from a posset cup, used for hot
beverages-hot drink made of milk with wine, ale or spirits. The saucer was once
a small dish for sauce. In Victorian days, tea drinkers poured their tea into
saucers to cool before sipping, this was perfectly acceptable. This is what writers
of the period mean by “a dish of tea.”
Originally tea was poured into small
handle-less Chinese porcelain bowls that held about 2-3 tablespoons of tea. It
is said that the idea of the saucer developed in the 17th century when the
daughter of a Chinese military official found it difficult to handle the hot
bowls of tea she brewed for him and asked a local potter to devise a little
plate on which to place the bowl. (Taken from “A Social History of Tea” by Jane
Pettigrew).
Hostessing a tea party....Ladies dressed as if they stepped out of
a Victorian painting will interact with guests speaking in the vernacular and
of subject matters of the time. These Ladies will sing Victorian songs, play
Victorian parlor games, hand out prizes, read period poetry, gossip, bicker,
and engage in a fun historically accurately display that will be remembered as
a unique experience and will be talked about for years to come.
Simple Scones
Ingredients:
2
cups all-purpose flour
1/3
cup sugar
1
teaspoon baking powder
¼
teaspoon baking soda
½
teaspoon salt
8
tablespoons unsalted butter, frozen
½
cup raisins (or dried currants) **Sarah’s curiosity: try craisins
perhaps?**
½
cup sour cream
1
large egg
Original recipe makes 8 scones
Directions
- Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- In a medium bowl, mix flour, 1/3 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Grate butter into flour mixture on the large holes of a box grater; use your fingers to work in butter (mixture should resemble coarse meal), then stir in raisins.
- In a small bowl, whisk sour cream and egg until smooth.
- Using a fork, stir sour cream mixture into flour mixture until large dough clumps form. Use your hands to press the dough against the bowl into a ball. (The dough will be sticky in places, and there may not seem to be enough liquid at first, but as you press, the dough will come together.)
- Place on a lightly floured surface and pat into a 7- to 8-inch circle about 3/4-inch thick. Sprinkle with remaining 1 tsp. of sugar. Use a sharp knife to cut into 8 triangles; place on a cookie sheet (preferably lined with parchment paper), about 1 inch apart. Bake until golden, about 15 to 17 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes and serve warm or at room temperature.
Footnotes
- Cranberry-Orange Scones
Follow the
recipe for Simple Scones, adding a generous teaspoon of finely grated orange
rind (zest) to the dry ingredients and substituting dried cranberries for the
raisins.
- Lemon-Blueberry Scones
Follow the
recipe for Simple Scones, adding a generous teaspoon of finely grated lemon
rind (zest) to the dry ingredients and substituting dried blueberries for the
raisins.
- Cherry-Almond Scones
Follow the
recipe for Simple Scones, adding 1/2 tsp. almond extract to the sour cream
mixture and substituting dried cherries for the raisins.
Another variation from a reader's post....Add dried cranberry with orange zest. The second time, I did
fresh blueberries with walnuts. I made a frosting for the left overs. It had
confectioners sugar, almond extract and orange juice. I dunked the scones in
when they were completely cooled. And they were excellent with coffee the next
day.
