Tea in London

We never did get to a "High Tea," but when we go back, I would definitely put that on our schedule.  I had tea wherever we ate, and every cup was respectfully served and deliciously prepared.  Not only did they give you a china cup and saucer and a dainty little silver spoon, but the tea was presented in a teapot on a tray.  "Twining's English Breakfast Tea" was always served, no matter if I ordered it in the morning, at lunch, or in the evenings.

My very first cup of tea in London, at The Grove Cafe, was so delicious that it brought tears to my eyes because it tasted exactly like the tea my grandmothers used to make.  I don't drink coffee at all, and I've always loved good tea, and I'd rather do without than have a cup of tea that's poorly made.  And don't even offer me a cup of tea in one of those take-away cardboard cups.... and if you're making tea in the microwave, then I'm out the door.

But the tea in London.... at any of the tea salons, in the museums, in all of the restaurants.... delicious, just delicious, and properly made, and meant to be leisurely enjoyed.

Since we've been back home, I've been using one of my teapots every day... a small one that will make two cups of tea.... small teacups, not mug-sized cups.  I've bought Twining's English Breakfast tea.... I've put the milk into the cup first, then the sugar, and then poured in the hot tea.... stirring it with a small silver spoon that's in proportion to the Made-in-England china cup and saucer.

The little teapot sits on an oval china plate, along with a very small sugar bowl and creamer... I've been trying to have tea every day between three and four o'clock, which was about the time we had tea in London because by that time of the afternoon, we needed a break from sight-seeing.

The sugar that was served with tea in London was not loose-sugar that you scoop up with a spoon. All of the cafes and tea salons had both white and brown crumbles of sugar.... not perfectly-made cubes, but little clumps or crumbles in uneven shapes and sizes. I tried both the white and the brown, and those light brown crumbles definitely made the tea sweeter... a smaller brown crumble would be even sweeter than a larger white crumble.

Both of my grandmothers took time every afternoon to sit down with a cup of tea. They each had a collection of teacups, a habit that I naturally picked up from them. My grandmothers were Italian, not British.... and they each put sugar and milk into their tea, and always had a little piece of cake or a biscuit or a cookie with their tea. It was a daily ritual with both grandmothers, one that I was taught when I was just three or four years old.  I was given my own little china cup and saucer, with a very small spoon. We would sit at the table, always covered with a pretty tablecloth..... with that plate of something sweet in the middle of the table with the sugar bowl and creamer.

With my afternoon tea now, in this house, I don't know if I'm trying to duplicate tea in London, or tea with my grandmothers.