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Lady Violet: My nanny always said, "A sweet tea is what it takes to calm your nerves." Why it should be sweetened I can't tell you. Somebody could think that Downton Abbey - Afternoon Tea Recipes is another delightful cookbook to put on the kitchen shelf waiting to be browsed on a gray rainy afternoon. I believe that this edition, among many books dedicated to the Crawley family is pure magic. I love the cover of a typically english green and the title written in silver. Caress the fabric of which it is made with your eyes closed: you will be in the 1920s, in the estate of the Earls of Grantham and the tea, as Mr. Carson reminds us, is about to be served. The table in the library is set with a beautiful porcelain service with delicate gold decorations. The Sheffield teapot shines and the saucers with the family crest are ready to receive scones and delicious butter biscuits. Mrs. Patmore's Victoria Sponge has just been baked. Lady Violet, sitting on the velvet sofa, waits to dispense advice and Lord Grantham's sweet Labrador waits confidently for a few crumbs of cucumber sandwich to fall on the carpet. I confess to having had a "coup de foudre" for this TV series since the first episode back in 2011. I walked for hours in the vintage markets looking for a cloche hat like those worn by Lady Mary. I am sure that the recipes and photographs in this book really have the power to make you dream come true. The introduction tells a short story of the origins of the drink and the afternoon tea ritual and an entire chapter describes its etiquette. We are talking about a world with habits and rituals that now belong to the past and that appear like a mirage in our everyday's hectic life. I am convinced, however, that it is important to have relax time in front of a good cup of tea and to be able to grasp the thoughts and feelings we are experiencing in the simplicity of that gesture. In this delicate and confused period I am trying to find some habits that I had abandoned. Those who follow me know my love and my deep passion for England; whenever I can, I take a moment during the afternoon for a cup of tea and in that instant I close my eyes and I see the little Tea Room in Surrey that has a very special place in my heart with happy memories. 
TEA TIME!For this reading I recommend a black tea with strawberries from Fortnum&Mason. A pleasant strawberry flavored black tea (in honor of my beloved scones served with strawberry jam and clotted cream) |
