Tag Archives: Germany

How to Decorate An English Afternoon Tea Party

Posted on by

Throw an authentic English Afternoon Tea Party complete with tasty tea sandwiches, scones, shortbread cookies, cream puffs, English Trifle and tarot and palm readings. Get out the good lace, floral china and silver tea set. Be sure the table is decorated with Victorian placards and bouquets fo flowers.

It is important to not confuse High Tea with Afternoon tea. British High Tea was a more substantial meal that usually included a major dish consisting of meat and fish. It was an early dinner well suited the middle and lower classes after a long day at work. An English Afternoon Tea Party would only involve between four and 20 guests at most and be held at about two or three o clock. So to throw a true English Afternoon Tea Party there will not be a great emphasis on heavy dishes or desserts – just a few sandwiches, cookies and scones.

The English afternoon tea party was also not really that formal of an occasion. It simply happened every day and whoever showed up for tea got served. Invitations are really not necessary for an English Afternoon Tea Party. All that is really required is a phone call and a request from you for your friend to join you for tea and a bit of gossip.

Although the purpose of the afternoon tea party is mainly to catch up on gossip, wit and conversation, you could make it a more major event by transforming it into a Tarot reading or palm reading session. In both the French and English courts a game was played with images featuring popular personalities of the day. In this game of 56 cards, participants were often required to come up with a kind of “soap opera” fiction starring the personalities on the cards. These cards later became part of the 72-card Tarot deck. You could hire a professional psychic or palm reader to read at your afternoon tea or you could be much more casual about it and simply have some tools of divination around so that your guests can amuse themselves should they run out of things to talk out.

The traditional English Afternoon Tea Party of:

Freshly baked scones and crumpets served with Devonshire cream and Country preserves

Afternoon tea sandwiches

Bread and Butter Pickles

Assorted Cheeses

Assorted pastries

Traditional English trifle

Tea (and or coffee.)

At your party, it is suggested that you serve –

Orange Pekoe Tea – This is a soothing mellow orange tea that is actually a hybrid of green tea and Assam plants.

Peppermint Tea – Germany makes some of the most delicious peppermint teas in the world. It is also a digestive that does not contain the caffeine of other blends.

Lapsang Souchang – This is a very strong Chinese Black tea that offers tired types a caffeinated pick me up in the middle of the afternoon.

Remember to showcase high quality teas so you can have the best experience possible.

Decorating With Salt-Glazed Pottery

Posted on by

Salt glazed pottery is a type of handmade stoneware that is crafted in Maine. One of the largest producers of the beautiful, durable stone ware is Monroe Salt works which is located in the rambling low hills near Penobscot Bay. This stoneware is considered to be both practical and a work of art.

Salt glazing is an ancient technique that was developed in Germany in the fifteenth century. The pottery made at Monroe Salt works is based on this age old practice that starts with baking raw clay in an oven over a period of twenty hours. When the temperature builds to 2300 F employees throw handfuls of salt into the raging fire. When it hits the flame it is vaporized and the vapor imprints itself onto the pottery surfaces to create a glaze.

This salting process also affects the color of each piece. The hue of the final vessel is determined by where it was set in the kiln. The more salt vapor that hits the piece the more likely it is to have a glazed appearance. This results in darker and lighter colored pots as well as pots with dimpled surfaces. No two pieces of pottery are alike.

One of the main characteristics of this type of pottery is how simple and practical it is. The shapes are everyday and meant to be used to serve food in or to hang as art on the wall.

The artists at Monroe Saltworks make images of what they see every day including tall pines, wild flowers, cattails and moose. It is part of how they share the sights of Maine forever.

One of the most popular items of this sort are Bean pots. This type of ceramic fire lends itself perfectly for making this type of pot. The pots are embellished with pine cones, bears, irises and other lovely symbols to do with the flora and fauna in Maine. The bean pots are traditional four quart vessels that are perfect for simmering two pounds of beans in for a long time.

The reason that Monroe Salt Works is so crucial is because it is recognized throughout the world as being the preeminent Salt Glaze studio. It has been reviving this age old technique of glazing pottery since 1971.

Salt glazed pottery can be used for anything including holding flowers, umbrellas –whatever you can think of. The bowls give a particularly lovely rustic touch to a bowl of fruit.