British foods at Rose Tree Cottage, PasadenaA box of tea bags is the food item most likely to be found stashed inside the suitcases of British travelers going abroad. I found this fascinating bit of gourmet triva while reading the Daily Mail at breakfast in London a few weeks back. A survey of shoppers discovered that…
Tea at London’s Maids of Honour
How do I top off a morning after viewing the world-class gardens at Kew? I like to stop for tea at the Original Maids of Honour, located outside the garden wall on Kew Road. It’s my favorite refreshment stop along the short walk back to Kew station for the 30-minute tube ride to Central London.Those who…
Afternoon Tea at Claridge’s Hotel in London
I was delighted to spend a leisurely August afternoon with my writing partner Jane Pettigrew at one of the most stylish of all London hotels—Claridges. On the way, Soho traffic became so snarled that we had to abandon our cab and walk a few blocks. Finally, fifteen minutes late and a bit stressed, we were greeted…
A Fortune in a Teacup
1935 sheet music published in New York City.Within the American tea room movement of the 1920s, gypsy tea rooms emerged as a unique phenomenon with roots that extended back to the 1880s. Many immigrant women had established fortune telling enterprises in major American cities, but the practice had been frowned on and ordinances were enacted…
Tea at Kew Palace with King George III
Kew Palace from the back garden on the River Thames side. © Bruce RichardsonOn the morning of October 25, 1760, George II died suddenly at Kensington Palace. His eldest son, Frederick, had died eight years earlier and the crown therefore went to Frederick’s first son, the 22 year old George. This young king’s boyhood had been…
The Royal Kitchens at Kew Palace
A tasty dish to set before the king.The Dining Room at Kew Palace served King George III’s family and guests. In February 1789, this also included the King’s doctor, Dr. Willis. England had been thrown into turmoil the previous year as the King was declared ‘mad’ after the onset of a mysterious illness, probably porphyria. This…
Gentleman’s Tea at London’s Athenaeum Hotel
Jane Pettigrew chats with Bruce Richardson over tea at The Athenaeum.I had the opportunity recently to preview the new Gentleman's Afternoon Tea offered at London's 5-star Hotel Athenaeum, located in fashionable Mayfair on Piccadilly across from Green Park. Afternoon tea unfolds here every day in the sunny Garden Room, enclosed on one side by the hotel’s unique ‘Living Wall’ – home to…
Who Sells the Most Tea in the US?
As Americans become more health conscious, they continue to shun sugary carbonated beverages and turn more often to alternative drinks - such as tea. That is one of the reasons for the steady growth in sales of both loose and bagged tea, as well as canned and bottled ready to drink teas known as RTDs. Celestial Seasonings packaging line at their…
Dressing a 700-Year-Old Tea Jar
A centuries-old tea jar has taken center stage this summer at the Smithsonian’s Sackler Gallery in Washington, DC. The revered Chinese jar has a personal name—Chigusa, an evocative phrase from Japanese poetry meaning “thousand grasses” or “myriad things.” The story of Chigusa is the remarkable tale of how an ordinary Chinese storage jar, over the…
The Suffragette Movement Begins with a Cup of Tea
While the Boston Tea Party is often the most common story of tea’s role in rebellious acts, the beverage found its way into the homes and lives of another group interested in revolution: the American women’s suffrage. On July 9, 1848, five key members of the American women’s suffrage movement met for tea in Waterloo, New…