Can I tell you how excited I was when I received an email from J suggesting a Downton Abbey marathon, as she had just received the new season in its entirety from Amazon.com? And of course I was even more excited when asked if I could assist in some food prep and the accompanying tea selection!
We knew people would be coming and going throughout the day and night, depending on their level of commitment to the show as well as availability (oh, that old thing), so we decided to start with an afternoon tea service, and other snacks and dishes could be added throughout the day.
There were egg salad sandwiches, cucumber dill sandwiches, roast beef and horseradish sadwiches, melon wrapped in prosciutto, a cheese platter, pastries stuffed with cream and strawberries...
And scones, scones, scones, with homemade Devonshire cream, and more sweet amuse-bouches than you could ever dream of!
And then, of course, there was tea. Decisions, decisions. Since there well over 100 choices currently residing in my tea collection, narrowing down to just 4 choices was excruciating. In the end, we had:
Brioche, by American Tea Room - Nuanced and reminiscent of hot cinnamon buns, almond croissants, fine black tea and warm brioche with a touch of marmalade.
Toasted Walnut, by DavidsTea - Comforting, lightly bitter taste of toasted walnuts is sweetened and deepened with dried pineapple, coconut, almond and organic green tea.
Paris Singapore, by Urban Tea Merchant - Green tea enhanced with fragrant cherry blossoms and red fruits. (some say it smells like marzipan. I think it smells a bit like red licorice. Yum.)
Natural Leaf Tea (Black Tea), by Best International Tea - English Breakfast tea with full- bodied, yet elegant flavor. (Perfect for dressing up with milk and sugar! - cubed, not loose.)
Though I was only able to stay for the opening episode, I was informed that Brioche made the biggest splash and had to be brewed a few more times to keep up with demand. High praise!
Thank you, J, for hosting a lovely viewing party, and for the amazing food!
We knew people would be coming and going throughout the day and night, depending on their level of commitment to the show as well as availability (oh, that old thing), so we decided to start with an afternoon tea service, and other snacks and dishes could be added throughout the day.
There were egg salad sandwiches, cucumber dill sandwiches, roast beef and horseradish sadwiches, melon wrapped in prosciutto, a cheese platter, pastries stuffed with cream and strawberries...
And scones, scones, scones, with homemade Devonshire cream, and more sweet amuse-bouches than you could ever dream of!
And then, of course, there was tea. Decisions, decisions. Since there well over 100 choices currently residing in my tea collection, narrowing down to just 4 choices was excruciating. In the end, we had:
Brioche, by American Tea Room - Nuanced and reminiscent of hot cinnamon buns, almond croissants, fine black tea and warm brioche with a touch of marmalade.
Toasted Walnut, by DavidsTea - Comforting, lightly bitter taste of toasted walnuts is sweetened and deepened with dried pineapple, coconut, almond and organic green tea.
Paris Singapore, by Urban Tea Merchant - Green tea enhanced with fragrant cherry blossoms and red fruits. (some say it smells like marzipan. I think it smells a bit like red licorice. Yum.)
Natural Leaf Tea (Black Tea), by Best International Tea - English Breakfast tea with full- bodied, yet elegant flavor. (Perfect for dressing up with milk and sugar! - cubed, not loose.)
Even Edie enjoyed a cup, even if she brought her iPad along to watch something else!
Though I was only able to stay for the opening episode, I was informed that Brioche made the biggest splash and had to be brewed a few more times to keep up with demand. High praise!
Thank you, J, for hosting a lovely viewing party, and for the amazing food!
Wow! That looks gorgeous! What a great idea, to have a Downton viewing party with proper tea- I might have to steal it. :-)
ReplyDeletePlease do! And enjoy!
DeleteThat looks amazing! I'm a big fan of having proper afternoon tea. Also my flatmate's been trying to get me to watch Downtown Abbey for a while, maybe I should finally give in! :)
ReplyDeleteI didn't "discover" it until halfway through Season 2. My friend loaned me the DVD's so I could get caught up. Was hooked by the 2nd episode of Season 1. A Girl And A Guide sums the craze up beautifully! http://agirlandaguide.wordpress.com/2013/02/26/downton-die-hards-have-their-reasons/
DeleteJen, that's lovely! I have a group of four who get together every three months to watch English films or series. Sometimes we do afternoon tea - did one for Cranford and for Larkrise to Candleford. Unfortunately, we weren't able to watch season 3 of Downton together, so no Downton Abbey Tea.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds so lovely! What a fabulous idea! I'd love to share one of your tea moments here! Would you be willing to share some photos and a little narrative? A favorite recipe? Please let me know: jen.piccotti@gmail.com
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