The Mote Spoon

I love to collect tea accoutrements.  All the dainty pieces serve a purpose and also are pretty to look at during teatime. The mote spoon is an elegant accessory to use while serving tea.  The spoon end is pierced to skim stray tea leaves from the cup.  The pointed end is used to stick into the spout of the teapot to scoop out tea leaves.  With its long handle, it is also a convenient utensil to stir the loose tea after the hot water has been added.

In this photo the silver tea strainer is placed on top of the tea cup to catch the stray tea leaves while pouring the tea.

If there are any stray leaves in the teacup after straining the tea, the mote spoon can be used. The silver mote spoon is placed on a teaspoon rest after each use.

The mote spoon is from the Victorian and Edwardian era and a must-have teatime accoutrement. 


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

I love starting my morning with a good pot of tea...planning my outfit, writing my to-do list, and relaxing.  Thank you for visiting with me today.

Magnolia and Ivy

Does anyone recognize these two ladies?  Well, the lady on the left is Terri Eager and her sister Kay Snipes is on the right.  They owned the South's most fabulous tearooms--my favorite one being Magnolia and Ivy Tearoom, in Destin, Florida...back in the 90's.  Both ladies are fellow Tea and Etiquette and Children's Etiquette Consultants from the Protocol School of Washington.  I remember having tea at Magnolia and Ivy several times back in the day and it was THE place for Southern ladies to enjoy a proper tea!  After a hiatus from tearoom operations, they are back as the owners of Kingdom Teas.  At Kingdom Teas, they offer a luxury line of specialty loose-leaf teas, some teapots, and their cookbook.

I have the cookbook from their tearoom and love the recipes for "Southern Teatime Made Easy."


I decided to prepare their recipe for *Strawberry Butter and it was the perfect topping to my crumpets yesterday morning.  Crumpets are the perfect bread for breakfast.  They should be toasted on both sides, the smooth side first, the holey side last.



The recipe made enough to store some in the frig for later. Probably not a good idea for me!



Remember to use the spreader to transfer the butter from the butter dome to your plate.  Then use the spreader at your setting to add the butter to your crumpet.  I had to control myself with just ONE crumpet!  I purchase the multi-pack crumpets and freeze them individually in zip lock bags.  After thawing out and toasting, they are still fresh!




*Recipe for Strawberry Butter

1 lb. softened butter
1/3 cup strawberry jam or fresh ripe strawberries
1 cup powdered sugar

Whip butter, berries, and sugar until light and fluffy.  Store in frig until ready to serve.  (I let the butter soften a bit before serving).

Come, let us have tea and talk about happy things.