Warm Up with a Mid-Winter Tea Party

The bone-chilling cold of winter currently grips much of the country, and it's the second such blizzard in less than a month! If you need something to warm you up physically and mentally, why not hold a tea party?

Many of our clients own Victorian homes that they've either fully restored or are in the process of restoring. But no matter where you live, a proper English style tea will warm your tummy and your heart!

A Proper Tea in 5 Simple Steps

1. Choose a good, black tea such as English Breakfast tea. Loose tea will give you a great result. Place the tea in a tea ball or knot it in a piece of cheesecloth and drop it into scalding (not boiling) water. Let it steep to your desired color, usually 5-10 minutes.

2. Start with a great savory. To quell the appetite, begin your tea service with a hot, bite-size morsel. You can go fancy, with something like Mini Mushroom-Beef Wellington, or choose something a little easier, like these miniature quiches with bacon and chives.

3. Add a classic cucumber sandwich. Usually served as part of the savories, the cucumber sandwich is a staple of English teas. This recipe for Buckingham Palace Garden Party Cucumber Sandwiches may not be the queen's own, but your guests will find them tasty!

4. Add scones with clotted cream and fruit curd. What we would call a "biscuit," the English call a scone. And you simply can't serve an authentic "cream tea" without clotted cream and curd to top the biscuit. You can use any flavor of fruit curd, though lemon curd is always popular and can be purchased at most grocery stories. You also can use regular jam. And you can make your own clotted cream. Here's one great clotted cream recipe. And here's another recipe for mock clotted cream.

5. Finish with something sweet. Indulge your palate with an authentic French macaron that's as tasty as it is pretty. They look fancy, but they're not really that hard to make. Check out this recipe for Macarons Aux Amandes.

Of course, you'll want to set a pretty table, with lace doilies, linen napkins, and your best tea service. Take your tea by the fireside and ride out the cold winter storm in warmth and style!