On Tuesday, November 13th I attended a Jane Austen Tea at Longacre House in Farmington Hills, MI. It was a sold-out event, coordinated by Linda Pudlik [in photo below].
An artificial nosegay was at each place setting for attendees to take home.
Menu
Barbara Gulley was the special speaker. She shared a few words before the tea began.
The first course was a Roasted Pear Salad w/Pomegranate Seeds and Balsamic Vinegar.
It was accompanied by a Cream Scone
The main course was Chicken Fricassee with Noodles
Dessert was Caramel Apple Cheesecake
The main course was Chicken Fricassee with Noodles
Dessert was Caramel Apple Cheesecake
Barbara writes about tea for the Detroit Examiner, an online publication. She is a member of the Jane Austen Society of North America, and has attended the Jane Austen Festivals sponsored by the Greater Louisville, KY Jane Austen Society. She has been to Jane Austen's home in Chawton and Bath, England. Her program was titled: An Austentacious Tea.
She began by sharing how and when tea came to England. She mentioned that Jane liked to purchase her tea from Twinings in London, and drink it in Wedgewood china. Her presentation was interestingly categorized: Jane's Bio; House in Chawton; Tea in the Morning [in Jane's time]; Tea Sources in Jane's day; Tea Smuggling; Regency Influence on Everyday Life [Servants, Attire, and Military/Politics]; Bath, England; and she concluded with Tea at the End of the Day.
She highly recommended Jane Austen's Handbook by Margaret Sullivan, and Tea with Jane Austen by Kim Wilson.
She gave away a package of Jane Austen green tea which she obtained from Lito Gallery in Birmingham, MI. It's part of their Literary Tea Collection. I plan to buy some soon!
Kudos to Linda and Barbara for a wonderful afternoon!
What fun! I would love to hear that presentation. And taste those yummy looking goodies. It's a shame I live so far away from you... :-). Hope you have a wonderful weekend.
ReplyDeleteOh, so lovely!!!
ReplyDeleteHi Phyllis, I enjoyed this post. The salad looks fabulous, and so does the main course. I like the nosegay too. I remember you remarking in a prior post that you like Celestial Seasons Candy Cane Lane tea. I've been watching for it but haven't found it yet. However, I did fine a green tea called Candy Cane Green tea, labelled and sold as Trader Joe's. It's really good. I've considered buying up a few boxes for later, but then, my tea cabinet is really quite full! lol
ReplyDeleteNice! The salad particular struck me as both beautiful and, I can just imagine, delicious. Next year I am hoping to visit at least one of Jane's homes in the UK.
ReplyDeletePhyllis, great write-up! You captured the afternoon perfectly in words and pictures. It was so nice to see you there and looking forward to sharing tea with you again in the near future! It will be most agreeable and provide much felicity!! : )
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like fun! Did you know there's a tea book called 'Tea with Jane Austen'? I have it and look forward to reviewing it over the next few weeks.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful tea you went to! Thank you so much for sharing your teatimes with us. I just got the mail and am invited to a friends tea in the next town and am so excited! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
ReplyDeleteNancy
Oh oh oh ... I would have LOVED to attend such a tea! I greatly admire Miss Austen and was thrilled to get to visit the Jane Austen museum in Bath. I especially appreciate her wry social observations--and, of course, the fact she sipped tea!
ReplyDelete