Cream Tea

Tea time is anytime, however, there are certain names for special times of the day to take tea--Breakfast Tea, Elevenses, Afternoon Tea, Light Tea, Royal Tea, Silver Tea, High Tea, and Cream Tea.
Cream Tea is one of my favorites teas!  This British tradition is a light repast that originated in Southwest England. It is served with tea & scones and must include jam and clotted cream.
National Cream Tea Day will be celebrated in Britain this Friday, June 29th.  Since I’m a tea and scone enthusiast, I am enjoying a tea today and will share with y’all the etiquette of a Cream Tea.  Tomorrow I will talk about Finessing the Scone, on Thursday I will offer some Scone/Cream/Jam recipes, and on Friday I’ll post about a visit to a tearoom to enjoy a proper Cream Tea.

I have chosen to enjoy my tea today as a "Low Tea," versus a "Seated Tea," (at the dining table).  A Low Tea is enjoyed while seated in a comfortable chair or seated on a sofa.
I am using a tea table to hold my tea tray.

I will begin by placing my serviette/napkin (12" square) onto my lap.  The serviette is opened fully and placed on the leg area just above the knees.
My tea for today is Harney Tea's ‘Florence’  tea.  It is a chocolate hazelnut black tea.  I love flavored teas!

Since I’m serving myself, I will pour the tea, which was steeped with tea leaves, into my teacup through a silver tea strainer. (The strainer is designed to fit over the teacup to catch tea leaves that escape from the pot when the tea is poured). After the tea is strained, the strainer is placed over a small silver bowl.



What is this??? It’s a Waste Bowl, also known as a Slop Bowl.  It is used for the spent tea leaves (if your tea strainer becomes full) or for emptying the end of a cup gone cold.

The tea plate will rest on the serviette.  The teacup and saucer is held in the palm of the left hand or left on the tea table.  Just remember that the teacup and saucer are never more than 12" apart.
Now I’m off to enjoy my tea this delicious scone.

But, how to add the cream and jam to the scone and how to eat it?  I will be back tomorrow to discuss "Scone Etiquette."  And yes, there are several correct ways to eat a scone!