Time for Tea:Tea and conversation with thirteen English Women by Michele Rivers


Here is a delightful book about the customs and traditions of tea by English women from many different walks of life. This book would be a great Christmas gift for the tea enthusiast and ritualist. Thankfully, there are more than a few of us still left out there.


From the Inside Flap
Time for Tea offers a delightfully unique expression of why English society has so steadfastly preserved its teatime tradition. Thirteen English women, ranging in age from six to eighty, share their very candid and entertaining reflections on why the teatime ritual -- in all its incarnations -- is such an indelible fixture in their lives.

From Virginia, Lady Bath, to Winifred Westcott, a dairy farmer, from Anne Slade, a retired ballerina, to schoolgirl Hayley Richards, a farmer's daughter, we are treated to the surprisingly moving and engaging medley of these women's memories and dreams, as they discuss their own teatime traditions and their lives with us -- over a cup of tea.

The women also share their family teatime recipes for delicious cakes, scones, crumpets and jams, and suggest an appropriate tea to accompany them. Along the way, we explore the secrets of an English specialty tea shop, see the inside of a tea blender, learn how to brew a perfect pot of tea and how to make an authentic cream tea.

The women's stories are beautifully framed by spectacular photographs of the breathtaking English countryside, which perfectly complements the peace and serenity of a good English tea.