Fans of Downton Abbey may be fascinated—and a bit envious—of the Crawley daughters' morning ritual of awakening to a tray of hot tea placed upon their recumbent laps by their ladies' maids. I suspect the grand estate house was quite drafty; consequently, more than a few cups of hot tea were consumed before the pampered…
Authentic Dundee Cake Recipe for Downton Abbey Fans
Dundee Cake made with Scottish Marmalade Interest in the tea rituals of Downton Abbey and the runaway success of the BBC Great British Bake-Off series has spurred a resurrection of Victorian recipes, including one of my favorites - Dundee Cake. Named for a city on the western coast of Scotland (where I spent one of…
Carson’s Guide to Tea at Downton Abbey
No doubt, Carson was well-schooled in the myriad duties entrusted to his care at Downton Abbey. If a question of protocol did arise, he surely had the butler's bible of the day sitting on his desk. Published in London in 1823, The Footman's Directory and Butler's Remembrancer contained the answers to every bit of etiquette minutiae…
Lipton Tea and British Social Classes
Thomas Lipton was always the master of marketing, especially when it came to touting the fact that he indeed owned the Ceylon gardens wherein his teas were grown. "Direct from the Grower" was one of his favorite slogans. Why then pay the extortionate prices that are being charged by the Trade when you can buy…
When to Add Milk to Tea
The habit of putting milk in tea reportedly started in France. Madame de Sévigné described how Madame de la Sablière launched the fashion: Madame de Ia Sahlière took her tea with milk, as she told me the other day, because it was to her taste.Much of the tea produced in India, Sri Lanka, and Kenya is…