Tuesday Cuppa Tea, 1930s Tea, Royal Albert History, Eccles Cakes

Hi and welcome to Tuesday Cuppa Tea! Well, the heat has passed for the moment and we are back to normal tems in the 60s and 70s with occasional rain...what a relief!  

I thought I'd have a simple tea in the sunroom today, with a sort of 1930s theme....and I am starting with a favorite tea quote....

I had found this lovely 1930s hand colored and enameled on grey transfer tea cup a few weeks ago...love at first sight! So planned this tea around it...

As usual, I am using my sunroom tea table and a family embroidered tea table cloth. The jar is an oh-so-1930s art deco ceramic flower vase with flower frog in the top, that I dearly love...from family as well, and made by New Hall Pottery. 

You will notice...no flowers! I have had emails asking why I don't add in flowers to my teas and the answer is...I am allergic to most of them, and can't have them in the house. I have one Hoya Carnos plant...with plenty of charcoal on the top of the soil because I am allergic to molds, and one African Violet. When we have been given flowers by friends, they immediately go to the neighbors and are hopefully stopped at the front door! But I do love flowers! Sigh...

Isn't this Royal Albert Crown China, England tea cup a beauty? If you have followed my blog, you know I have a soft spot for these hand colored on transfer beauties...each is different, because of the artist's input on the design. This has raised red enamel added to the design.  

Royal Albert Crown China dropped the Crown from the name in 1935, and there was supposedly a reason...rumour has it that there was a row over a china design with a royal personage that ended with their retaining the Royal because of royal patronage, but dropped the Crown from the name. Royal Albert was a trade name used by Thomas Wild & Sons, Co which started in 1896. They were acquired by the Pearson Group in the 1960s, Royal Doulton group in 1972, sliced and diced again in 1992 in to the WWRD...or Wedgwood, Waterford, Royal Doulton group LTD, and ceased manufacturing in the UK in 2002 and considered defunct by pottery enthusiasts. 

HOWEVER Royal Albert still manufacturers it's wares...with lesser quality, in Indonesia and Thailland . And, WWRD ltd...you remember... Wedgwood, Waterford, Royal Doulton group LTD...was acquired by Fiskars of Finland a bit earlier this month....the scissors makers? really? Fiskars is positioning itself to be a major table top designs firm to diversify from cutlery...hopefully they will bring manufacturing back to the UK or Finland perhaps...I am waiting to see what happens...

Back to my tea! I used a Wedgwood, England plate in the molded cream ware or Queens ware shape called Patrician in the Bognor pattern from the 194os. Wedgwood is now owned by Fiskars as part of the WWRD purchase mentioned above, but has still had some manufacturing done in the UK during the years, mostly presentation pieces and specialty items...and the new Wedgwood Museum and Visitor's Center in Barlaston...a district of Stoke-on-Trent opened last week.....for more on that, see the link below at the end of the post.

For tea it was filled with cookies!

I didn't have time this week to bake, but I decided to try the local Seattle Shortbread Company's cut gluten free cookies...

They are quite good, and I thought their flower, ladybug and butterfly designs very cute...and organic too!

Lastly...the tea! I always have this on hand...a favorite! Tazo Organic Darjeeling. Darjeeling is my favorite black tea, so It's always gotta be in the tea cupboard!  I thought you might be interested in these great traditional cookies called Eccles Cakes that I dearly love, and are difficult to find in the USA. I mail order some from England, and occasionally find them at a British food store.  They are named for Eccles near Manchester, and are sometimes locally called Squashed Fly cakes...teehee...and have been in English cookery books in one form or another since the 18th century...I think I have 6 versions in mine. But this recipe comes from ChristinaCucina blog, and for a visual tutorial, check the link at the end of the recipe. They are delicious!

Eccles Cakes

Ingredients

puff pastry or flaky pastry 

Filling

1 tbsp good quality butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup  currants
zest of an organic orange, which has been washed
1/8 tsp grated nutmeg
2 pinches of allspice

1 egg white, beaten
sugar, for sprinkling on top of cakes

Preheat oven to 400°F 

Place the butter in a small saucepan over low heat until just melted, then remove from heat and add the rest of the filling ingredients, stir to combine and set aside to cool. Roll out the dough to a rectangle measuring about 6″ x 15″ (16cm x 40cm), cut lengthwise in half, then cut into 10 equal sized pieces.

Place a spoonful of filling onto the center of each square, using all of it evenly between the 10 pieces, then wet the edges of one of the squares, using your finger. Now, hold the pastry in one hand and close the edges together to seal the filling inside, forming it into a round shape when finished. Place the pastry on a lined baking sheet, with the pinched side down and press down slightly.

Repeat with the remaining 9 pastries, then make three slits on top with a very sharp knife or razor blade, brush with the beaten egg white and sprinkle with sugar. 

Pop into the preheated oven, on a lower shelf for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, place the tray in the middle of the oven for a further 5 to 7 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from tray and place on cooling rack.

for a photo tutorial, go to: http://christinascucina.com/2015/03/rye-the-royal-oak-foundation-and-a-recipe-for-eccles-cakes.html

So there you have Tuesday Cuppa Tea for this week! For the BBC link to the opening of the Wedgwood Center click HERE

And it's Christmas In July for Antiques And Teacups in conjunction with Shabby Cottage Shops...click on the banner to see our CIJ section with 25% off until July 28th!

Oh! I forgot! I am announcing a giveaway next week...for my birthday month of August! Come visit and find out about it!

Below is the list of some of the blog parties I will be part of and there is the linky for your tea related posts...please remember that it is SSSLLLOOOOOOWWWW but if you are patient...it's there! And I love to read your comments, and can find you to visit!

Mosaic Monday with Judith
 Tea Time Tuesday with Sandi 

A Return to Loveliness
 Tea Cup Tuesday 
 Friends Sharing Tea
 Share Your Cup Thursday

Roses Of Inspiration

An InLinkz Link-up