TEA SOCIETY CHRISTMAS TEA

( Darleen opened her lovely home to the Tea Society for our Tea Cup exchange)

Sunday was certainly the day for special tea events. Not only did I attend Mr. Toast’s wonderful Christmas Tea in Scotland but I also found myself at our Tea Society Christmas Tea in Lexington, Kentucky. Wow…Two teas within a 24 hour period on two different continents..Hum…isn’t that some sort of record? ;)

Of course everyone in the blogosphere is still abuzz over our tea adventure at Torosay castle on the Isle of Mull but we also had a delightful late afternoon tea a bit closer to home and on a much smaller scale. Every year we have an annual member’s only tea cup exchange for Christmas. It was truly a wonderful relaxing afternoon spent in laughter and wonderful conversation among cherished friends and over the greatest drink on the planet, tea of course. And best of all, you always end up bringing home a special tea cup! I will post a glimpse at the Spode tea cups that I received in a future post. Thank you, Natalie!


(A glimpse at some of the delicious tea fare we enjoyed)


(The ladies deep in conversation)

(Darleen's amazing glass ornament filled tree)


(One of members, Carolyn F., had to leave early to attend an advent service but those of use remaining were: Seated( Darleen, our hostess, Natalie- wearing her Edwardian inspired creation- standing, Polly, Rebecca( me)in the center and Caroline B.>)


Our menu this year was: Fresh baked cranberry scones with lemon curd( Yes they were warm and delicious!), artichoke and roasted red pepper savories, Sally Lunn tea sandwiches with a spinach /cheese filling, sun dried tomato sandwiches, cranberry nut sandwiches, mini raspberry cheesecakes, fresh baked cookies, peanut butter roll, pineapple and banana nut breads. The teas served were: Czar’s Samovar (a robust aromatic blend of Ceylon with dried currants), Elmwood Inn Rose, and Kentucky Blend (A perfect black tea best enjoyed with milk and sugar).

What a wonderful way to spend a cold, blustery December afternoon...and such a lovely way to kick off the holiday season.

DERBY WEEKEND IN KENTUCKY



It’s that time of year again in the Bluegrass State. Today is the Kentucky Oaks but tomorrow, May 1st, is the world famous Kentucky Derby. For most of us in Kentucky that means a weekend of Derby themed parties, dinners, and more parties! The Tea Society has had Derby Teas in the past where we’ve highlighted all things Kentucky, especially in reference to teas and food products. We've even designed our own Derby hats in the past years. But this year, with incredibly busy schedules from all, it seemed impossible to find a weekend where most of us could join together.



Some of our members are wearing their finest millinery and attending all the racing events. While our Polly, a well-respected and talented milliner, has been covered up in hat orders from around the globe. She will no doubt welcome a bit of breathing time after the race on Saturday. That is, until wedding season sweeps her up with more orders! For me, I think I will spend the weekend watching all the celebrations from a cozy seat in my parlor while sipping a hot mint infusion or a cuppa Elmwood Inn’s Kentucky Blend. On Sunday, however, I will take advantage of a tradition among many of the women in our region in wearing a fine Oaks or Derby hat to church on Sunday.

If by chance you would like a taste of the Derby, try the famous Kentucky Mint Julep(seen in the image below). Southern Living offers a recipe here.

CHRISTMAS TEA AND TEACUP EXCHANGE


(Natalie, Denise, and Mary)

Sunday afternoon we held our annual Christmas Tea and teacup exchange. This year, Darleen opened her home to hostess the event and we were all so grateful for her hospitality and the warmth of her festive decor. I must say that her Christmas tree was spectacular with hundreds upon hundreds of ornaments, extending all the way through the tree's branches, filling it out to become a show place of sparkling jewel tones, making for one spectacular blown glass ornament extravaganza. Tea was served at 3PM, or perhaps more like 3:30 since we were all rather caught up admiring one another's hats and attire. After all, it was Afternoon Tea and why rush something so beautiful and lovely? Our Tea menu was as follows: artichoke and roasted red pepper tarts, cranberry scones served with lemon curd and Fayette Cream( our mock Devonshire Cream), chicken olive tea sandwiches, olive-nut tea sandwiches, pimento cheese tea sandwiches, chess bars, chocolate chip banana nut bread, chocolate chip cookies, pineapple cake, and Victoria Sponge Cake. Our teas were: Ceylon, Elmwood Inn Black Rose, and Earl Grey.


(In deep conversation...actually, I think this was about Master and Commander and the Aubrey-Maturin series by Patrick O'Brian..LOL!!)


(Polly and Caroline)


(I did manage to stop making pots of tea long enough to at least get a shot of Natalie's wonderful Victoria Sponge Cake, as shown here in the photo with Polly in front of the beautiful tree. As you can see, we had already begun to devour this treat:)


(Darleen, our lovely hostess for the afternoon)


(Denise and her large tea cup which we all agreed would be perfect for a huge cuppa English Breakfast)


(LHTS: Bottom row-Mary, Polly, Darleen~ Back row- Denise,Rebecca,Natalie and Caroline so graciously took the photo.)

After we spent two hours chatting,laughing,eating,laughing some more, and relishing just being in the company of friends, we retired to the living room with a pot of Earl Grey and had our teacup exchange for the final hour. It is quite a treat to anticipate that each year you will be getting a special teacup from a friend. We do so look forward to this particular event.

Now, on to planning the Tea Blending for January, and St. Valentine's Tea...