So, this is the week of THE wedding! Are you excited? Hope so! The weather is seriously lousy outside...might as well focus some attention on the good ol' Royal family! And what will the beverage of choice be...tea, of course. It seems like there is a resurgence of tea lovers these days. There are tea shops popping up all over the place in Toronto. It is hard to walk down a trendy street without bumping into a David's, Steeped and Infused or a Tea Emporium. Why has tea taken over our fair city you might ask?
Well, I did one of my unscientific Facebook surveys and discovered that most people enjoy drinking tea. While coffee is the number one choice in the morning, tea provides an equally enjoyable pick-me-up in the afternoon. As our society reverts back to tried and true traditions, tea is making a come back. Perhaps our desire for the handmade and homegrown has led us into these tea shops where you can try any one of 100 different types of tea. The choices are endless.
We went to our local tea shop, Pippins, to see how they are preparing for THE wedding. When I asked how things were going leading up to the big day, the woman explained that they have been quite busy. They even sold out of the Royal family tea bags.
I have to go back tomorrow and pick up a set. These tea bags have the entire Royal family with arms outstretched...wide enough to span a tea cup..instead of bodies there is a tea bag! Rest the arms on the rim and the bag steeps away in the cup! Hilarious!
I am in the hunt for the perfect tea for watching THE wedding. While at Pippins, I was in luck! They actually have a custom Royal Wedding blend...earl grey, lady grey, rose hips and hibiscus...sounds delicious to me.
The woman even put together a supply of Pippin Berry mix for the girls to enjoy during the big show...a mix of various berries...lovely.
When we returned home I was inspired to host a little afternoon tea...or low tea, as the British would say. Low tea and high tea are distinguished by the height of the table. Low tea is customarily served around 4-5pm, consists of light snack foods and is served on a low table...like a coffee table. On the other hand, high tea is traditionally served around 5pm, consists of sandwiches and is served on a high table...dining table. Very interesting.
Here is what we prepared for our low tea.
cucumber sandwiches (of course) - simply cut the crust off your bread, butter the bread to keep it from becoming soggy, slice the cucumbers paper thin, pile them on, slice into small serving sizes.
carrot cake (any sort of scone, biscuit will do) - this was a left over treat from Easter dinner...but I'm sure it would be acceptable at an English tea, my recipe came from Martha
earl grey tea - with milk
chamomile tea - for the girls....lots of milk
How do you steep the perfect cup of tea you ask? I think this one is debatable...but according to Pippins these are the appropriate steps.
Black Tea - 3-7 minutes
Herbal Tea - 4-7 minutes
Oolong Tea - 4-6 minutes
Green and White Teas 1-3 minutes
Fill kettle with freshly drawn cold water.
Bring water to a full roiling bowl.
While water is boiling, warm teapot.
Measure one level teaspoon of loose tea per cup of water.
Place tea into teapot or infuser.
Pour boiled water over tea and allow to brew.
Well, I can check "tea" off my list of things to do in preparation for Friday. Now, on to flowers and fashion...to be continued...
* Royal family tea bag image sourced from designswan.com
