Book and Recipe Review
~ The Vintage Tea Party ~
by Angel Adoree
and
Green-Jasmine Tea Bubbles
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| My photo of Green~Jasmin Tea Bubbles |
Last Thursday the 8th of September I was delighted to receive two books from Octopus Publishing Group and the lovely Fiona C Smith, as some of you may remember from my initial post of last week; one of the books was the beautiful The Vintage Tea Party Book by Angel Adoree.
Well, over the weekend I have perused this beautiful book at my leisure, as well as trying my hand at one of the recipes…….and I have to say that this is quite simply one of the most beautiful books that I have seen recently. It is wonderful book on several counts ~ the illustrations lend an almost life~like vintage feel to the book and are fun ~ foxes dressed up in evening gowns mincing amongst crabs climbing cake stands to reach the Crab Choux, which is a recipe featured in the book!
The recipes are an exciting and eclectic mix and all look very tempting ~ traditional tea-time baking as well as decadent and more luxurious modern day treats mingle amongst each other with ease. The photos are glorious ~ quite simply delicious and beautifully styled with vintage settings and china.
And finally, the writing is fun, interesting and quirky with not a hint of “twee” or “cute” that some tea party books often have. I am hooked ~ and have this book marked on my Christmas List to give as gifts to several friends and members of my family.
Angel’s flamboyant character is evident on each page and that lends to a feeling of vibrancy and the desire to throw a tea party straight away! The book is not just about tea party recipes, it also has several tea~time related projects to embark on ~ how to dress and get those “Victory” rolls in your hair; how to make a “pinny” (apron) and also how to source your vintage china and “props” for a tea party. There is also a template for a proper invitation ~ vintage style of course.
There are some wonderful recipes in the book and the ones that leapt out immediately were The Coddled Eggs…………..
…………….the Green~Jasmin Tea Bubbles…….
……..The Engraved Earl Grey Truffle Hearts…….
…The Crab Choux………
along with Rose Petal sandwiches, Chocolate Figs, Plum and Honey Tea Bread, Candy Striped Meringues, Lemon Scones with Lavender Cream, Baked Brie in Puffed Pastry, Potato and Bacon Pancakes, Chocolate Prune Tea Cake, Whisky Marmalade, Athol Brose Morning Drink, Asparagus Egg Custards with Parmesan Wafers, Lollipop and Jam Sandwiches to name just a few!
Those of you who watch BBC’s ‘Dragons’ Den’ might be familiar with Angel, who came on the show last year to pitch her Vintage Patisserie. Angel’s personality shines through the pages and makes the whole vintage tea party idea seem fun and achievable at home. The book is split into sections to include recipes for Brunch, Afternoon and Evening Tea Parties, which are interspersed with tea~time projects as I mentioned before ~ there are even ideas on how to paint your own china and how to make your own flags!
What I also love about this book is the plethora of tea based cocktail recipes, some alcoholic and some not; I decided to indulge in an alco-frolic one this weekend for my first recipe review from the book! Before I share the recipe, review and my photos, here a few more photos from the book, just to give you a “feel” of it.
Earl Grey Cocktail
For my first recipe I decided to make one of Angel’s cocktails ~ Green~Jasmin Tea Bubbles. I used Vouvray as my choice of bubbles and also dusted off my late mother-in-law’s vintage roses china tea set. I used fresh raspberries from the garden and served the tea cocktail on a vintage tea tray for the ultimate vintage tea party feel. It was an easy recipe to make and the results were very grown up and refreshing…..a frivolous and fun beverage to indulge in on a lazy Sunday afternoon……delicate and refreshing in a giggly kind of way!
Here is the recipe and my photos of this fun tea-based cocktail.
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| My photo of Green~Jasmin Tea Bubbles |
Green-Jasmine Tea Bubbles
Recipe
Preparation: 5 minutes, plus steeping and cooling
Serves: 5 without alcohol and 10 with alcohol
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| My photo of Green~Jasmin Tea Bubbles |
Ingredients:
5 green-jasmine tea bags or 5 tbsp loose green-jasmine tea
200ml (7fl oz) just-boiled water
3 tbsp sugar, or to taste
500ml (18fl oz) cold water
handful of raspberries and blackberries (optional)
1 bottle good Champagne
Method:
5 green-jasmine tea bags or 5 tbsp loose green-jasmine tea
200ml (7fl oz) just-boiled water
3 tbsp sugar, or to taste
500ml (18fl oz) cold water
handful of raspberries and blackberries (optional)
1 bottle good Champagne
Method:
1. Steep the tea bags or loose tea in a measuring jug in the just-boiled water for 1 minute, adding the sugar and stirring until dissolved. Remove the tea bags, or strain to remove the loose tea, then add the cold water.
2. Taste the tea for strength, adding a touch more cold water if it’s too strong, then put it in the refrigerator to cool further for 30 minutes. (If you can’t wait, add a few ice cubes to speed up the cooling process.)
3. Serve in vintage teacups. For a bit of extra colour, put a couple of berries into each cup before pouring, if liked. For the alcoholic version, simply half-fill the cup with tea, then top up with an equal measure of bubbly.
(Recipe from: ‘The Vintage Tea Party’ by Angel Adoree, published by Mitchell Beazley)
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| My photo of Green~Jasmin Tea Bubbles |
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| My photo of Green~Jasmin Tea Bubbles |
Thanks Fiona once again for sending me this book, Lavender and Lovage gives The Vintage Tea Party Book a resounding 10 out of 10!
See you all tomorrow,
Karen
lovely book defintely a beautiful gift for a tea friend.
thanx for the recommendation and the pretty pictures.
What fun this book looks and I certainly will put this on my wish list. Always wanted to achieve a perfect victory roll. That tea recipe is a must to try . Thanks for this great post Karen.
My husband would love that cocktail. What a fun book 🙂
Hi Karen, so pleased to meet you, I am from Richards Bay, Natal, but have been in the UK for 7 years. Thank you for the kind words on my blog. I am following you now.
I love your post and your photography is great. What a delightful book – I may have to have one. The green tea bubbles looks good and I do remember Angel from Dragons Den. I often wonder if those people actually ever make it!
This book is so YOU if it makes sense…reading the review made me feel as if I was reading your own book. Any plans on that>
The tea looks like a lovely treat..
I can just imagine.. the calming effect..and yet festive:)
I think I would love that book..
I have a coddler..I wonder if you will make and share? I need a good way:)
I love the INVITE..I can see you using it at your B &B..It would be magical..
I have a French book La Cuisine Des Fées..It is magical also:)
It's refreshing and fun to have that spark in a book that makes you childlike..I think your book does that:)
Like mine.
Thank you~
I love this book and the tea,love this post, gloria
Ohhh my! what a beautiful, beautiful books! I just love books that you can utterly get lost in. Those illustrations are amazing, I love the one of the animals at the table! It reminds me of "The Fantastic Mr. Fox!"
The tea sounds very lovely, I bet there are so many good recipes in there 🙂
Well, I hope you are enjoying your new banner! Your painting is sailing its way home to you. Let me know when it arrives, I always fret about the originals like they're children who get might get lost going home 🙂 Im so glad it has such a wonderful home to come to!~
Happy cooking this week!~ H
Thanks for all your wonderful comments, I am behind today, but will try to reply later! One thing is for sure, this is a beautiful book and quite unique too.
Karen
I saw this book about a month ago and was so tempted to buy it, it is so lovely, but sadly I cannot as I am low on cash flow, so its on my wishlist or until I find a job. Loved the review by the way, as it confirms why I so want a copy of it.
Hiya Karen! I picked this book up in the library a few weeks back and devoured it in one sitting! It is simply the most astonishingly beautiful and gorgeous book. I'm so pleased to hear you enjoyed it and score it 10/10!
Hi Kate! Yes, I LOVED it and am still dipping into it, not just for recipes but for the tea time projects too!
Karen
Wow!!! What a beautiful book! I love all the gorgeous recipes and absolutely adore the illustrations and eclectic mix of vintage trinkets used! Thank you for bringing this book to our attention and providing a fantastic review. This book is definitely on my list of presents I would like!!! xxxx
I should get this book for my daughter, she loves vintage!
I got it for my daughter last Christmas! 🙂
Hi, I got this book for Christmas. I agree so beautiful. I am wondering if you have tried any food recipes. I tried the scone recipe and it was no good…not sure if it was just me. Wanted to see some other food reviews before I try another.
Hi Fiona, I have not made the scones, so cannot help you there, sorry!