Afternoon Tea | Perfume Posse
Welcome to winter. The solstice meant the last of the hanukkah candles, which are beautiful to look at when it’s so dark by 4 pm. In any case, we’re here. Winter.
Last week we had flooding. Two days of torrential rain. The village roads flooded in areas they haven’t in the past. Friday it was sunny. Into town for a haircut and almost final holiday things. Last bits to pick up this week but that’s a small number and easy.
Made potato latkes and Turkish mükvar on Saturday night. Former (below) a great success, latter not so much (too wet to fry well). And after grating three huge potatoes and three large courgettes (zucchini) on a box grater (I own a large stand mixer but not a food processor) I was certainly aware of my lack of upper body strength.
I’ve been in decidedly winter fragrances. Pulled out Killian Dark Lord the other day. Always such a surprise: a ‘clean’ leather but deep and … ya know. Yesterday, it was vintage Caron Bellodgia which is deeper, sweeter, and earthier than last time I wore it. Bottle aging? Really peppery and pretty, but also with that dark, dirty knickers thing going on. Wonder what it means that I wore that on the solstice …
Today, a break from holiday-ish stuff. I know we’re very close but I thought we could use a diversion.
So, Afternoon Tea … as opposed to High Tea, Cream Tea, etc.
This is the one I tell all visitors to the UK to do during their wanderings. ‘Oh’, they say, ‘I’m doing the Tate Modern and then Borough Market and then Harrods and then etc, etc’. I say gently, ‘It would be good to eat, ya know. Have a break and go do an Afternoon Tea. Try Fortnums, or one of the fancy hotels’.
traditional afternoon tea
And they go ‘Oh, yeah, food…’
Afternoon Tea. It’s the one with a three-tiered cake caddy. Bottom is sandwiches; middle is scones, clotted cream and jam (remember: it’s cream first, then jam unless you’re from Cornwall); top is cakes. And tea, you can choose your tea. Some places to champagne included.
When Portia was in London a ways ago and we met up for a mega sniffathon, he treated me to an Afternoon Tea. Lord, that day was so much fun. The Tea was lovely too.
One of the blogger/vloggers I follow, a Japanese woman whose sense of visuals is just wonderful, recently posted about a Tea at the London Ritz hotel. Boy, did that look lovely. If you’re interested her posts on YouTube are called Grown vlog.
My current ‘I really really want to do this’ is at the Prince Akatoki hotel in London, which is Japanese themed. They currently have a special Japanese leaning Xmas Tea which just looks so great. A bit of sushi, Japanese twists on regular British tea sandwiches, special cakes (spicy tuna maki, smoked salmon with yuzu cream, matcha [sort of ubiquitous] yule log, clementine and sake trifle, miso and butterscotch tart).
So, have you done an Afternoon Tea that was memorable? Do you crave the sandwiches and scones but could give the cakes a miss? What’s your favourite tea to drink (me: current obsession is Hojicha, Japanese green tea that has less caffeine – I’m not supposed to do a lot of caffeine)?
Pics: pexels, mine
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