Late autumn update

After a recent hard frost

Baking season is definitely here and autumn colors are gone for the most part. Holiday menus are already being planned and there’s more of an itch to get into the kitchen. For me it’s still about crisp fresh mornings, heavy frosts, bright blue skies with longer shadows and perhaps just a hint of the first snowflakes that might soon appear.

I’m in the throes of planning for a class on afternoon tea with treats the likes of scones, shortbread, financiers and madeleines. Oh boy!

Pumpkin scones

I’ve baked up some delightful autumn pastries for Kim and her peeps down the street.

Pumpkin pecan Danish

Cinnamon swirl buns

My bread project is slowly coming to a finale as I draft a post about the dough that has become my fave of late. Mmmmm!

Sesame knots and simple butter brushed rolls

The Fulton farmer’s market has wrapped up the spring/summer/autumn season.

Enjoy the days ahead everyone.

On an end note, let me share just a few more images of autumn’s last breaths.

Fairy hair?

A few weeks ago

Frosted growth along the walking path

I hope to be back soon with more baking goodness!

Afternoon tea at Hôtel de Crillon

We’ve been back home in Michigan for a few weeks now, and I want to share one last adventure from our European travels. I’ve been mulling over how to describe this one since it didn’t quite live up to our expectations, particularly after the generally stellar teas we enjoyed in the UK in autumn of 2019. Well here goes!

We had planned to meet an old friend for afternoon tea while in Paris, and, after a bit of research, we settled on Hôtel de Crillon, a 5 star spot right on Place de la Concorde that reopened several years ago after undergoing a 4 year renovation. With all the hype and the reputation of the place we were pumped to experience it. I recall during my pastry school days that the hotel was a very sought after spot for students to snag their place as a stagiaire - a real feather-in-one’s-cap kind of deal on the pastry chef resumé.

There’s a lovely lounge area soon after entering with luscious purple flowers and cushiony seating, but we were slated for Le Jardin d’Hiver, an outdoor terrace/courtyard venue for lunch and afternoon tea which lacked much luster or natural beauty - some greenery here and there and otherwise a white theme. Perhaps some might consider it calming, although we thought it pretty tame after the interior sumptuousness.

Entry lounge area

We had a quiet corner where we could catch up on the last few years (6!!) since we had seen Diane. After a lot of chatting (and staff periodically milling about wondering when we might order) we finally put in our requests for tea (me), coffee (Steve) and hot chocolate (Diane) to accompany our tiered tea assortments.

Two classic French cookies, langues du chats and lunettes with raspberry jam, came next. I gave them a thumbs up - crispy and flavorful, just as lovely shortbread type cookies should be.

We each received our own tiered server and could choose EITHER brioche or scones (the EITHER made very clear by the wait staff) which came perched above the sweets and savories. Heaven forbid we could have chosen one of each. Diane and I chose the scone pair (plain and fig/cranberry) and Steve went with the brioche (vanilla cream and strawberry/rhubarb). Truth be told, he’s not a big scone fan and he ordered the brioche simply so I could try it. Isn’t he wonderful?

Scones and sweets

Let’s check out the savories - the menu included focaccia/grilled veggies/olive cream; lobster roll on brioche with lime; goat cheese and pea toast (English muffin like) with radish. We all agreed the pea toast took first place but felt the lobster roll lacked any level of pizazz and the focaccia was one dimensional.

Savories

Before moving on to the sweets, I sampled the fig/cranberry scone which was flavorful but more cake-like than the light, fluffy crumbly scones I prefer. I then stole one of Steve’s brioche (vanilla cream) and found it absolutely superb and what would in the end be my favorite for the day. A hidden stash of vanilla cream in the bottom was perfect with the buttery, light brioche and its crisp exterior. Alas the other brioche (strawberry rhubarb) went uneaten since Steve and Diane showed no interest and I had to save room for other things. Awwww.

Steve’s brioche

The sweets plate

The sweets offerings included a lovely fresh strawberry and orange blossom tart which was tasty indeed (save for the slightly less than crisply fresh crust). Can you imagine slicing and arranging those strawberries just so? It’s a lot of work believe you me.

We were disappointed in the rhubarb dill number - while the cream cheese mousse base was good, the rhubarb dill concoction simply didn’t do it for us.

The third sweet, milk chocolate mousse with pink grapefruit jelly, was odd and quite jiggly. Oh well, ya gotta try some new things right?

In the end it was more about chatting and enjoying each other’s company. The icing on the cake, as it were, was receiving the news through a message from Diane’s husband back home that the COVID testing requirement to get back into the USA had been lifted! She was slated to fly home the same day we were and all of us couldn’t have been happier with the news.

Now we’re back to life as usual, whatever that really means. Since being home, I’ve taught a summer tart class through our local school system and look ahead to occasional pastry activities on the horizon. We’re back in a very casual at home mode for the most part and wondering when all the turmoil around the world will wane. It’s anybody’s guess.

Meanwhile my annuals are potted up, I’m back to regular walks and swims and working on staying calm.

Enjoy summer!

Afternoon tea at The Grand Hotel, Mackinac Island

Last week Steve and I were fortunate to be able to take our first real get-outta-town outing since mid-March and the beginning of social restrictions. It felt good to hit the road, making a stop in the small farming community of McBain (just east of Cadillac) for a visit with cousin Harv and his wife Ev. Always a treat.

Heading north to Mackinac City it felt good to clear our minds, admire the early autumn colors popping up, the sparkling lake waters and simply cruise. Our ultimate destination - Mackinac Island, a well known landmark here in the Midwest, sitting in the Straits of Mackinac between Lakes Michigan and Huron.

To get there one must take a boat from either Mackinac City or St. Ignace (across the bridge in the Upper Peninsula). We departed Mackinac City on the Starline, the trip providing a great view of the Mackinac Bridge . . . .

as well as the island with the Grand Hotel clearly visible.

Not only is the island home to the well known hotel but also a number of inns/B&Bs, grand homes on the bluffs and its famous fudge shops, horse drawn carriages/taxis, LOTS of bicycles and best of all - NO CARS!

Main Street looking west from our lodging at Harbour View Inn

There is also a stunning natural beauty to the place - along the lake shore and throughout the forested island. Flowers are in abundance fronting many homes/lodgings/walkways, and the clip-clop of horse hooves provides a certain sense of calm. You should go sometime if you can.

Looking through Arch Rock - gorgeous hues, rocky shores and clear water!

Walking through the woods (most of the island is state park)

I knew as we were planning this mini-vacation that going to afternoon tea at The Grand Hotel would be on my to-do list. It’s been over 25 years since Steve and I were last on the island, and I had fond memories of the tea experience back then. Little did I know all these years later that I would have attended pastry school in Italy and France and developed my own interest in afternoon tea to boot!

Tea is served in the large open sitting room just inside the grand porch. The decor is as we remembered - still striking with reds, greens and a clear geranium theme (the Grand’s signature flower). The hotel has been there since 1887 and, even though I don’t know what the original decor was like, I have to wonder how often they have to re-carpet and re-upholster everything. Whew - what a job!

As is true of any establishment we entered while on this little adventure, masks are required. Once seated we removed them to enjoy our food and drink. There were quite a number of folks both inside and out on the porch, all properly distanced from those not in their own party.

We ordered one tiered tea tray (for me) and both of us opted for a glass of sparkling wine. What made this especially lovely was the harpist who played beautifully for the entire hour and a half, providing a true feeling of serenity (something that’s been difficult to grasp for many over the last 6 months).

The offerings were classic, and I appreciated the small portions - finger sandwiches on white bread (ham/cheese, cucumber, prosciutto), mini lemon scones with clotted cream and an assortment of French style pastries (eclair, fruit tart, macaron) plus mini cheesecake, chocolate dipped strawberry and some sort of cake ball??

The flavors were fair to decent, some of the textures lacking (dense scone, soggy tart shell), and we couldn’t help but reminisce about the tea experiences we had a year ago in the UK. Buuuuutttt . . . . . we took the time to sit back, relax, listen to melodious harp music and remove ourselves from the cares of the world for just a short while. Special indeed.

Afternoon tea in the United Kingdom

Steve and I recently returned from a wonderful trip to the United Kingdom, during which we spent some quality time with friends Richard and Pauline, visited a number of historic sites and enjoyed many travel experiences and foods. Check out Steve’s blog to read about our other adventures.

Leading up to our departure, afternoon tea was on my radar, prompting us to reserve spots for three, count' ‘em three, tea venues - The Balmoral Hotel in Edinburgh, The Dorchester in London and The Pump Room in Bath. We also had a spur-of-the-moment lunch in the tea room aboard The Royal Yacht Britannia.

Get ready for it - here we go!

The Balmoral in Edinburgh was first. We were pleasantly greeted by the staff and seated in the Palm Court along with a number of others who came to enjoy this traditionally British pastime.

We started with glasses of Ruinart champagne as we perused the menu and made our tea choices. Interestingly they were still offering the summer menu even though it was late September, and let me tell you, it worked!

Hmmm . . . . I wonder what the autumn and winter menus are like.

We were treated to a dazzling display of tea pouring, and when we asked our server how long it took her to master the technique, she reported just a few practice sessions before she was raring to go.

The amuse bouche of leek and potato soup was creamy and tasty, soon to be followed by our savouries and sandwiches.

We had planned to try haggis at least once on the trip and this turned out to be the one and only time. On the top tier above - a small dollop of haggis tucked into a nice round of puff pastry was pretty darn good and paired nicely with the marjoram and sweet corn tartelette along side. Well prepared, nicely presented and, in a word, delicious.

The other sandwiches were classic afternoon tea offerings of The Balmoral’s take on cucumber, egg salad, coronation chicken, ham and smoked salmon. The small brioche roll with the egg salad was particularly delightful, although Steve and I must admit we’re not big smoked salmon fans so that one went by the wayside.

After a satisfactory post sandwich break our plain and fruit scones arrived accompanied by clotted cream and strawberry jam. Now I’m the first to tell you I love a good scone but these were too cake-y and dense for my taste (although the cream and jam helped!).

The desserts were definitely the piéce de resistance for me - spot on textures and flavors, particularly the praline cream on the crunchy topped choux and the buttery, crisp tart crust with the combo of cherry/pistachio/milk chocolate. The pumpkin spice version of opera was moist, creamy and nicely layered, but alas Steve doesn’t like pumpkin so he did not indulge. Poor Steve.

We received some final treats as parting gifts - strawberry sorbet cones, tins of tea and a box holding chocolate and pâte de fruit. Not a bad way to round out the afternoon!

Needless to say, we left satiated and wondering if we would even want dinner later on.

The next day we opted for the “Hop on, Hop off” city bus tour to get a lay of the land in and around Edinburgh. One of our goals was to visit the Royal Yacht Britannia which has been docked in Edinburgh since it was decommissioned in 1997. We took the self guided audio tour, making an unplanned stop for lunch in the tea room on the ship.

I chose the cream tea special for one and Steve went for the mature cheddar sandwich (he did of course join me in a glass of the sparkling rosé). Note that cream tea, as it’s been explained to me, is typically tea with scones, clotted cream and jam so this luncheon version strayed a bit from that, offering a more hearty approach. Notice my sandwich came with either scone or cake, not both. In the end I chose the egg salad on wholemeal bread and a slice of lemon drizzle cake (one of the many popular cakes in Britain, very much like our glazed pound cake). Very tasty and quite a switch from the petite versions we had enjoyed at the Balmoral. We thought it a pretty perfect lunch in a very pleasant setting.

White piano display in the Britannia’s tea room

We had a pause in our afternoon tea adventures until several days later when we arrived at The Dorchester in London to experience another mid-day repast. Rather unassuming from the outside (save for the Rolls Royces and Bentleys parked out front), the interior was a floral extravaganza within the portion of the hotel called The Promenade. Cushioned seating and tables lined the sides of the space and more seating ran down the middle. And the flowers - what a feast for the eyes!

Looking down The Promenade

While the tea menu was very similar to that at The Balmoral, the setting was definitely more sumptuous. We were seated along one side and soon had our glass of Veuve Cliquot Yellow Label Brut to sip and enjoy while we made our tea choices.

The primary difference in the sandwich selection was the addition of a beef pastrami version to go along with The Dorchester’s take on the classic egg salad, smoked salmon, cucumber and Coronation chicken. We both thought the tastes and textures topped those of The Balmoral (the smoked salmon not withstanding). Plus they brought us a second round to boot!

See that glass carafe in the background? That’s a tea leaf “flower” steeping in hot water which would eventually serve as a palate cleanser after our sandwich course. Hmmmm . . . . interesting.

We were also served a pre-scone treat that hadn’t been listed on the menu - a mango pineapple number, quite delicious indeed.

The scones were pretty much identical to The Balmoral’s, earning only a small bite of each - too cake-y and dense for me.

Finally - dessert!

The Balmoral beats The Dorchester in this category. The chocolate mousse cube was lovely but the mandarin and nut tart didn’t even come close to the caramel nut tart that yours truly (if I may be so humble) makes! Raisins and some kind of gelée stuff in the mix just didn’t work for us. The yuzu tonka bean mousse on a jasmine biscuit was quite odd both in texture and flavor, and the caramelised apple and quince delice on a shortbread round too jelly like.

Nonetheless we did enjoy this experience in a beautiful setting in the heart of London.

We left The Dorchester and headed to Paddington station to catch our train to Bath in Somerset County where the following day it was time for lunch at The Pump Room in the heart of town.

Reportedly one of the places at which Jane Austen hung out, the Pump Room has been around since the late 1700s. Adjacent to the Roman Baths, it is indeed a popular place.

Even though we had reservations, the staff seemed a tad distracted and disorganized at first. Once we were seated we had three different servers approach our table as though none of them were aware of what the others were doing. Oh well. It all smoothed out in the end.

We had a variety of choices from the lunch and afternoon tea menus. Steve chose the fish cakes from the luncheon menu, but for me, having experienced two very classic afternoon teas already (Balmoral and Dorchester), it was time for something a little different.

While many of us think of a posh, classic tea experience when we hear the term “high tea”, in reality it has traditionally been more of a country style, rural “meat tea” at the end of an arduous work day out in the fields. Some say the “high” part of it comes from being seated at a higher table than the usual low lounging chairs from which an afternoon tea might be enjoyed. There you have it.

My high tea was intended to highlight the local apples of Somerset - perfect for this time of year. As you see on the menu below, one had a choice between cider and “apple rambler”. We learned that when the Brits say cider, they mean hard cider (as do the French). The apple rambler was a simple apple juice, more akin to American apple cider. When in Rome . . . . .

Since Steve and I ordered a couple of Kir Royales, I kept my apple choice on the juice side of the equation.

Served on a rustic wooden board, it certainly spoke of being out in the English countryside.

This was a most interesting repast. I had heard about Scotch eggs not too long ago, and friend Pauline had explained what they are just a few days before our arrival in Bath - essentially a softish boiled egg wrapped and fried in a breaded meat layer. This one was served with piccalilli, a mix of pickled, finely chopped veggies like cauliflower, celery, carrot, tomato, onion, sweet peppers and gherkins to name a few. The recipe varies from region to region and usually includes some mustard and a variety of seasonings depending on who’s making it. Whoever set up my board put the piccalilli next to the chicken fennel sausage roll instead of the Scotch egg. Oh my!

I typically shy away from both fried and pickled foods, but I must say this egg and piccalilli combo was a unique and delicious experience. After all, part of traveling is to learn about and enjoy regional cuisines and customs, eh?

The chicken fennel roll was done up in a flaky puff pastry, had just the right fennel-y twist and paired well with the mellow onion chutney.

Last but not least, the apple cake was served with a light clotted type cream and apple jam. The cake was moist with a light crumb and just the right hint of spices - definitely an autumn treat and a perfect ending to my Somerset high tea.

Aside from all of these adventures on the tea trail there were many opportunities for a cuppa any time we felt the need. And we barely scratched the surface of all of the afternoon tea experiences available throughout the realm. It’s Great Britain after all!

You should go sometime. Cheers!

My first afternoon tea menu

I've finally done it!   My first afternoon tea menu has been created, implemented and served - yay!!

le menu

I created this tasty tea assortment as the result of partnering with Kim Murphy, the activities director at Heron Manor, a local assisted living facility just down the street from my home.

Kim contacted me several weeks ago with the idea of putting on a royal tea for the residents in commemoration of Queen Elizabeth's 90th birthday.  I was all ears.

la table

I was responsible for all the food planning, preparation and set up, and Kim kindly provided the tables, linens, assorted tea cups and saucers (many of which belong to a 97 year old resident there!), place settings, tiered servers and rose nosegays.

Everything but the fig spread and the strawberry jam was made by my own two hands.  I love that. 

orange currant and lemon scones

finger sandwiches

sweet treats

salted caramel, chocolate and lime ginger shortbread

It was a grand time.  There were a handful of men in the largely female audience of 25 attendees.  Some of the ladies donned lovely hats or tiaras in addition to dressing up for this queenly occasion.

Kim had chosen Earl Grey tea with vanilla and lavender, as well as a lemon herbal tea to serve alongside the goodies.

I spoke briefly about the practice of afternoon tea, and Kim presented some interesting facts about Queen Elizabeth along with showing a series of royal photos covering her life and reign.

A lovely afternoon with even more lovely people.

And so it has begun.

Afternoon tea at the Townsend Hotel

a medley of petite treats

After a lovely week of warmer weather and sunshine, spring is doing its best to hold sway, even though this week looks to be cooler and intermittently rainy.  But you know what they say . . . . showers bring spring flowers and all that.

early primroses blooming in our little courtyard

This past Sunday Steve and I took a drive over to the other side of the state to pay a visit to the Townsend Hotel in Birmingham, Michigan for their afternoon tea.  As I consider how I might go about offering such an enjoyment to small groups here in Grand Rapids, I'm always up for seeing how different places manage that particular delight.

Birmingham is a northern suburb of Detroit.  Due to the pouring rain, we weren't able to stroll around the ville, but as we drove through the main business district, we sensed an upscale community with an array of interesting shops and eateries.

Upon our arrival at the hotel, the hostess introduced us to Laura Klein, the tea director.  Laura and I had communicated by email in past weeks, and it was good to finally meet her in person.

We were ushered into the tea room, a lovely muraled space with a fireplace, fireside sofas and several traditional tables which were all set for tea.  Steve and I chose a cozy spot along the wall with a nice view of the fireplace across the room.

ready and waiting for guests

There were orange cranberry scones already in place on Wedgwood's Oberon pattern china - soft autumnal colors which blended very nicely with the overall decor of the room.

Mascarpone cream and house made lemon curd were in place as accompagnements for the scones . . .

in addition to small jam jars of Dickinson and Bonne Mamam (our favorite "store bought").

The Townsend offers Harney and Sons teas, and the Earl Grey won out over the raspberry herbal for us.  Ginger, our server, was immediately at hand to pour, and she kept our cups topped off throughout our stay.

Laura stopped at our table often and was very willing to share her tea expertise, answering my questions and giving me advice and tips on how one might proceed in developing an afternoon tea concept.  Her best advice - as you start out "keep it simple"!

Once our tea had been served we started in on the scones - crisp exterior, moist interior and a noticeable orange essence, although I felt the baking powder taste was a bit too forward.  The mascarpone and lemon curd pleasantly complimented the orange-cranberry.

Soon the tea sandwiches and sweets were delivered . . . .

 

offering a generous and traditional assortment (with some Townsend twists) of finger sandwiches and petite sweets.

Below are salmon/egg salad/crème fraiche/caviar on wheat and beef tenderloin/citrus horseradish cream/watercress on rye . . . .

followed by chicken salad/maple walnut butter on puff pastry, hummus/cucumber/tapenade on pita and asparagus/boursin topped with quail egg on white.

My favorites were the asparagus/quail egg and the chicken salad, although the beef/citrus horseradish was pretty tasty as well.

I found the hummus/cucumber/tapenade too briny, but I must admit I'm not a huge olive/pimento fan.

The sweets medley consisted of chocolate covered strawberry, white chocolate raspberry teacup, chocolate glazed éclair and orange flavored teacake, providing a pleasant spectrum of textures and flavors.

 

Steve had decided ahead of time that he wouldn't partake of the traditional tea, and so he ordered an omelette with potatoes and English muffin - pretty basic Sunday noon fare and plenty to eat.

We continued chatting with Laura as we sipped our tea and took some breaks between taste testing.

For the pièce de resistance we were surprised by beautifully presented trays of petite sweets, prepared expressly for us by the hotel's pastry chef.

Lavender cupcake, fresh fruit tartlet, strawberry and mango gelées in pastry shells, green tea mousse and raspberry cream éclair  - quite a selection!

While the assortment was pleasing to the eye, when it came time to taste, I found the gelées a tad too gelatinous and the strawberry and mango flavors not as fresh and natural as I had hoped.

The fresh fruit tart was delicious and the pastry shells were not at all bad for commercially stamped out products.

It's all about learning, all the time!

Laura was kind enough to send some samples of their loose and bagged teas home with us as well as "doggie boxes" of left over treats.

Our visit was a positive and enjoyable experience.  The ambience of the tea room is just right, the staff are knowledgeable and attentive, eager to please and very willing to talk about their trade with the likes of us.  The menu is well thought out and offers an array of tastes and textures.

Try it sometime and see for yourself.

Not bad for a Sunday drive, wouldn't you say?!

Tickles tea room

Last week for a nice mid-week break, sister-in-law Dorothy and I met up at my condo in Providence, hopped into the Subaru and made the quick 10-15 minute drive east on 195 to Swansea.  Our tea goal this time - Tickles - a boutique/cafe/tea room rolled into one.

I had first learned of Tickles a couple of months ago from Tish Bodell who has a classy "permanent botanicals" business at Hope Artiste Village in Pawtucket.  It had been on my radar for an after-the-holidays outing, and it was time.  As it turns out, they also have a newly opened restaurant, The Aviary, right next door.

We had no trouble finding a parking spot in, what we later discovered, was a HUGE parking lot stretching around the back.  Upon entering the building one can go off either left or right and browse the sprawling boutique, full of jewelry, clothing, cards, bags, tea accoutrements and more.

Heading back toward the hostess stand one passes a display case full of assorted chocolates . . .

and, a few steps farther, a pastry case holding cupcakes, cookies, bars, cannoli, cakes, pies and what appeared to be large baking dishes of perhaps fruit crisp or bread pudding.

The tea room is cozy with a cottage like feel, decorated in pink hues (with a bit of Christmas decor still in view) and lined with high shelves along the walls displaying an assortment of tea cups and tea pots.  There are a dozen or so tables and most of them were occupied during our visit.

We were seated promptly right next to the fireplace, and our server arrived shortly thereafter.  We had already taken a brief look at the menu, and it didn't take us long to choose the "afternoon tea" option, which would be perfect for the two of us to share a light repast.  We chose the white ginger pear tea to go along with our tea sandwiches, scones and sweets.

check out the tea sandwich options

Once our tea arrived we started right in . . .

Dor did the honors

and our two tiered afternoon tea assortment soon followed.

We were served classic cucumber, brie and apple and pesto chicken salad sandwiches, having been informed that the kitchen was out of the other two offerings (fig/prosciutto and salmon).

The bread was the same for all three - a soft, yet sturdy white bread which seemed a good vehicle for the toppings.  The cucumber was definitely our favorite with its lemon and dill cream cheese spread that was bright and oh-so pleasing with the crisp cucumbers.

We found the brie and apple to be uninspiring, kind of blending right into the white bread and lacking in any forward flavor.  Dor's observation on the pesto chicken salad was the need for some seasoning (just a touch of salt and pepper folks!), and I felt it didn't lend any particular attractiveness to the plate.

Next up - scones and sweets . . .

The cranberry scones had a pleasant flavor, nice texture and crumb, and the raspberry jam accompaniment was tasty (I was less fond of the fig jam, but, hey, it's all a matter of taste, right?).

The mini-chocolate-chip biscotti were a tad on the chewy side, although the hint-of-spice, caramel-y flavor was delightful, and they dunked nicely in our white ginger pear tea!

In addition we had some candied pecans and, the surprise of the bunch, a fudgey looking chocolate triangle that was ethereally light in the mouth.  Yes!

After a bit of tea sipping and conversation we headed to the boutique for some browsing, and then decided to check out the neighboring "Aviary" restaurant.

The short walk from the tea room passes through some outdoor patio areas and is nicely landscaped, as I'm sure the grounds in front of the building will be once they're completed.

When we entered, the hostess kindly allowed us a walk-through of the space, which consists of a large open room with a bar, lots of windows and light, and the "garden room" with a fireplace, potted plants and plenty more windows and natural light.

the garden room

All in all, the Tickles trip was worth it - a unique combination of shopping, food and atmosphere - and certainly there is nothing like it in greater Providence!  It's obvious the proprietors are putting their all into making Tickles/The Aviary a destination.

Kudos to them!

Christmas tea at Blithewold Mansion in Bristol, RI

It's been raining and dreary here in RI the past couple of days, so the timing couldn't have been better for Dor and I to add some holiday cheer and sparkle to an otherwise dismal day.

We had made reservations for Blithewold's Christmas tea some weeks ago, and, since December 9 was the date, we couldn't let the rainy, windy deluge stand in our way.  Dor picked me up in Providence and about 30 minutes later we were pulling into the parking lot at Blithewold, an English country manor style home on the waterfront in Bristol.

You can read more about the history of the place here:  http://www.blithewold.org/blithewold-history

Steve and I had visited Blithewold once before during the summer months and enjoyed touring the mansion and the grounds.  However, the place takes on an entirely different aura when it is decorated for the holidays.  And decorated it was!  What a sumptuous, lavish feast for the eyes!

I'll share just a few examples of what we saw, since, if I included every photo of every room, it would be simply overwhelming.  The entrance hall was inhabited by a two story high tree - here is the view of the treetop from the second level balcony.

We were directed into the main dining room for our tea experience.

All of the rooms in the mansion were decorated with a different holiday theme, the dining room's being "A New Year's Eve Party".  All was white, bright and glowing - we could just imagine spending New Year's Eve in this festive setting.

Mounted on the windows at either end of the dining room were clocks whose hands were poised at 5 minutes to midnight, as though everyone was waiting to shout "Happy New Year"!

Dorothy and I were assigned to Table 8 . . .

which was set with mix-and-match tea cups, saucers, and our own sugar and creamer.

We had a view out to the water, but, sadly, it was foggy and rainy and there was not much of a view to be had.

Soon the servers were bringing Yorkshire/Earl Grey tea and warm scones to each table.  We weren't given a menu, so we rendered a guess as to the scone's flavor - I thought it perhaps a pumpkin or ginger-spice raisin (?cranberry) version, but it wasn't totally clear.  It did have a delightful texture and nice crumb.

Next we received our two-tiered server with sandwiches and sweets.

The tea cozy was a nice touch, something we felt was missing at our other tea experiences earlier this fall.

We had two sandwich offerings - one the classic cucumber cream cheese on white bread and the other a cheese/red pepper jelly on wheat bread.  Both breads were moist and flavorful, however the cheese on the red pepper sandwich was very thin and hard, almost as though it had been sliced from the end of the rind.

The chocolate madeleine was a tad dry (why do you think Marcel Proust dipped his?) with a subtle chocolate flavor.  Of the two small cakes I believe one was a financier with a berry baked on top and the other a moist, sense-of-pumpkin cake.  The meringue peppermint kisses were a cute addition to the plate and had a typical crispy-outside-slightly chewy-inside texture, however the mint flavoring was too much for our palates.

We sat, sipped tea, relaxed and chatted until it was time to vacate the dining room and allow the staff to prepare for the 3 pm tea seating, the second of the afternoon.  So up and away we went.

We strolled past all of the themed, decorated rooms in the mansion - all so well done, absolutely stunning and a delight to behold!

The afternoon teas are offered Tuesday through Friday at 1 and 3 pm and continue on through the New Year weekend (reservations required), so, if you're looking for a fun, festive holiday outing, head over to Bristol and Blithewold mansion!

Cheers!!

Boston Teatime

Boston Teatime

On a recent crisp, clear autumn afternoon I hopped on the MBTA purple line in Providence and soon arrived at South Station in Boston.  Since I had some time to kill before meeting sister-in-law Dorothy and her friend Grace for afternoon tea at the Boston Harbor Hotel, I took the prerequisite stroll down the Greenway and over to Quincy Market.   Tourists were out in force and a couple of buskers were performing for the crowds.

The Rose Kennedy Greenway

I meandered down city streets, passed the occasional historic building, walked through Post Office Square, and made my way back to the Boston Harbor Hotel for our 2:30 pm rendezvous.

Old South Meeting House

Post Office Square

From the foyer looking into the Sea Grille restaurant

Dorothy and Grace soon arrived after a somewhat slow T ride from Riverside, and we were seated at our rose petal strewn table in the dining room of the Rowe Wharf Sea Grille restaurant.  We had a lovely view looking out over Boston Harbor.

Our only task was to decide on the flavor of tea we wanted, since the tea menu is otherwise all-inclusive.  Dor went with Earl Grey (her fave), Grace with passion fruit, and I with Formosa oolong.  There are “tea-tails” offered as well, for those who wish to have an alcohol laced addition to the tea experience.

Our perfectly steeped pots of tea arrived and were soon followed by a three-tiered assortment of treats.   Everything was described by our server and looked very tempting, although I thought the presentation would have been more pleasing had the top and bottom plates been switched in position, thus improving upon the “top heavy” look.

We thoroughly enjoyed our afternoon repast.  Once we had finished everything, save for two rather large pieces of the coconut chocolate chip shortbread bar, we voted for our favorites.  Of the sandwiches Dor and Grace gave the smoked salmon top prize, and I chose the Vermont cheddar and ham.  The grapefruit segment with the lobster salad was a nice touch, but the egg salad mousse was rather flavorless.

The menu described “warm lemon poppyseed and dried cherry scones, various pastry breads and Devonshire cream”.  In reality the scones were not warm, there were a scant few dried cherries involved (mine had none), and there were no “pastry breads” (unless the coconut chocolate chip shortbread bar is considered by those who made it "bread").  The Devonshire cream and fresh strawberries were tasty and did give a certain lift to the scones.

The sweets portion of the tier included raspberry mousse on a shortbread crust, passion tartlet topped with fresh blueberries, chocolate dipped strawberry and candied peanut topped PB cremeux in a chocolate cup.  The raspberry mousse was the winner, although Grace was surprised by the nice flavor and texture of the peanut butter offering, particularly since PB is usually not her first choice!

Once our tea pots were empty we bid each other adieu.  I headed for South Station and the train back to Providence, and Dorothy and Grace took a walk along the water before heading back to Douglas.

All in all an enjoyable afternoon with great company, tasty treats and a lovely autumn day!

The tea musketeers!