Remembering Jane Austen

Jane Austen, born Dec. 16, 1775, died July 18, 1817


I love all things Jane Austen and today I remembering her with a Breakfast Tea, from the book Tea with Jane Austen.  This book shares the secret of one of her favorite rituals--teatime. Each chapter includes a ritual of how tea was taken at a particular time of day, along with the history, recipes, and excerpts from Austen's novels. 

Jane Austen novels pair well with tea and tea is frequently mentioned in her work.  Jane was the keeper and maker of tea in her family and was in charge of making her family's breakfast at 9 am every morning.

This book begins with tea drinking in the morning and ends with tea in the evening--at balls and other gatherings.

This morning we are enjoying a "Grand Breakfast with the Austens at Stoneleigh Abbey."

Menu
Pound Cake
Toast
Butter
Raspberry Jam
Orange Juice
Tea



I think Jane Austen would have loved setting her table with blue and white china.


Jane loved Twinings tea and this morning we had their English Breakfast Tea...a great tea to start the day!  Twining's founder Thomas Twining opened Britain's first known tearoom in 1706 at 216 Strand, London, where it still operates today.  The business started as Tom's Coffee House, where men (not women) would gather to drink, gossip, and do business.  Thomas Twining decided to turn his love of tea into a business going against the existing coffee trend.  He came up against great opposition in the way of ridiculous taxes, thus being a beverage only the upper class could afford.  His passion and dedication would turn a little-known drink into the nations "cure all" beverage of all time. 


The loose tea is steeped in the teapot and then poured through the tea strainer, which is then placed on top of the tiny silver strainer base.  Milk and sugar may be added to a black tea. 

 

 

 

"But indeed I would rather have nothing but tea."
~Jane Austen

 

 

 

 

Autumn Soup Tablescape

This past Sunday was the first chilly day we have had this fall season so I knew I wanted to enjoy a bowl of hot soup with the Sunday football.  I'm still on the blue and white dinnerware kick and set the table with that dinnerware and burlap linens.

Candles should not be burned during the daylight hours unless it's a very overcast day or the blinds are drawn.  Okay, so I drew the blinds.

Monogram everything, especially the napkins rings!

I used my Wedgwood "Woodland" soup plates and Johnson Brothers "Blue Willow" dinner plates as underplates.

Social Graces 101 tip:  

There is of course proper etiquette to be followed when eating soup:

At an informal meal you may serve soup in a soup plate on top of an underplate and provide an oval soup spoon.  You will spoon the soup away from you and place the soup spoon on the underplate between sips or when finished.

This is the resting and finished position of the spoon on the underplate at an informal meal.

At a formal dinner, soup must be served in a soup bowl with an underplate and a round/cream soup spoon provided.  Again place the soup spoon on the underplate between sips or when finished.

This is the resting and finished position of the spoon on the underplate at a formal meal.

Mama usually uses seasonal dinnerware for her meals.  On Sunday I changed things up a bit for her and used cute blue and white paper products from Target.

So, remember to practice proper soup etiquette:

Hold the spoon just like a pencil between your index and middle fingers with the thumb up.  Spoon the soup away from you toward the center of the bowl.  Don't fill the soup spoon completely full.  Place the soup spoon on the plate in the 10:20 "I am finished" position in between sips and when you have finished.  Never leave a soup spoon in a soup bowl.  Also, do not blow on your soup to cool it down and do not slurp your soup.

Enjoy the soup season!