Hello and welcome to Tuesday Cuppa Tea for Mother's Day here in the US.
Mother's Day is not only for celebrating Mothers, but to celebrate anyone who was and is a nuturing prescence in our lives. In my life until 1980 when I lost her to Leukemia, it was my aunt who was a comfort, confidant and friend. Musch more so than more than my mother who was a troubled and difficult woman. So a broader application has always been my definition.
My tea time this week was done on a cloudy day...the sunroom was the lightest room, and right between the windows on my tray on my antique trunk...
Can you tell I love blue??? And blue and white is always my favorite. I set my white tray with one of the several Victorian hand made tray cloths I collected in England...I just love the workmanship, that few do today...
I am using a Shelley China, England 1930s teacup trio in the Phlox pattern...
I love the hand colored on grey transferware pattern, the deco ring handle and the square plate...and of course, blue and white!
The teacup has a design registry date for 1936-1937...that's what is meant by Rd. No. Not a pattern number but a number assigned when the pattern was registered that indicates a date. The nmbering started in 1884.
My teapot is an Ellgreave by Woods & Sons, England from the 1950s and a nice size. Love the blue and white! But you knew that, didn't you? Lol!
My cream and sugar are another of my favorite hand colored on transfer patterns from the 1930s... this time from Royal Albert, England in their older Crwon China days.
The pattern is called Wild Rose. I love the enamel accents and the mottled blue handle...
I have used a pair of 1920s English Apostle sugar tongs for my Demerara sugar cubes...
And my tea today is Harney & Sons Vanilla Comorro which is a decaf vanilla flavored black tea I have taken to drinking in the evening...delicious...but a boring, drab tin...
I found this cute little tea book at the back of my bookcase...and it was blue! So I put it on my tray...I picked it up in the UK a few years ago from somewhere, I don't remember where. The title is Time For Tea, a Helen Exley Giftbook...
The sweet little book includes tea artwork, poetry and tea sayings. This page is:
Battenburg Cake was created in 1884 to celebrate the marriage of Princess Victoria, one of Queen Victoria’s granddaughters to Prince Louis of Battenberg and represents the four Battenberg princes. The name refers to the town of Battenberg, Hesse in central Germany and is the seat of the aristocratic family known in Britain as Mountbatten. In the United States, there is a related confection called a checkerboard cake, although I have only ever had the English version, so I don't know the difference if there is any.
Tea Time magazine's Battenburg Cake recipe HERE
They also have one for a Chocolate and Vanilla Battenburg Cake recipe HERE
So thanks for joining me for my Mather's Day Tuesday Cuppa Tea. Have a wonderful week, enjoy time and tea with a friend and Happy Mothers Day to every mother or those who nuture among my dear blogging froiends...which I suspect covers you all!
Mother's Day is not only for celebrating Mothers, but to celebrate anyone who was and is a nuturing prescence in our lives. In my life until 1980 when I lost her to Leukemia, it was my aunt who was a comfort, confidant and friend. Musch more so than more than my mother who was a troubled and difficult woman. So a broader application has always been my definition.
My tea time this week was done on a cloudy day...the sunroom was the lightest room, and right between the windows on my tray on my antique trunk...
I am using a Shelley China, England 1930s teacup trio in the Phlox pattern...
I love the hand colored on grey transferware pattern, the deco ring handle and the square plate...and of course, blue and white!
The teacup has a design registry date for 1936-1937...that's what is meant by Rd. No. Not a pattern number but a number assigned when the pattern was registered that indicates a date. The nmbering started in 1884.
My teapot is an Ellgreave by Woods & Sons, England from the 1950s and a nice size. Love the blue and white! But you knew that, didn't you? Lol!
My cream and sugar are another of my favorite hand colored on transfer patterns from the 1930s... this time from Royal Albert, England in their older Crwon China days.
The pattern is called Wild Rose. I love the enamel accents and the mottled blue handle...
And my tea today is Harney & Sons Vanilla Comorro which is a decaf vanilla flavored black tea I have taken to drinking in the evening...delicious...but a boring, drab tin...
I found this cute little tea book at the back of my bookcase...and it was blue! So I put it on my tray...I picked it up in the UK a few years ago from somewhere, I don't remember where. The title is Time For Tea, a Helen Exley Giftbook...
The Tea Hour
As an institution the tea hour is kindly,
as an incident it is stimulating. It conveys
at one end the same sense of tradition
and a sense of intimacy.
Agnes Keppler (1855-1950)
from "To Think Of Tea"
and then...we have Battenburg cakes for tea!
I dearly love Battenburg cakes...I guess ecause of the marzipan outer layer. My grandmother used to make them, but I am not patient enough, but...there is...Mr. Kipling!!!
One a year or so if I haven't found one at a tearoom, I buy a package of Mr. Kipling Battenburg cakes. They have apricot jam between the cake sections and are covered in sugared marzipan. The following photo is from Tea Time magazine that they just posted...perfect timing...and I have included the link to their recipe in case you are feeling adventurous...
Battenburg Cake was created in 1884 to celebrate the marriage of Princess Victoria, one of Queen Victoria’s granddaughters to Prince Louis of Battenberg and represents the four Battenberg princes. The name refers to the town of Battenberg, Hesse in central Germany and is the seat of the aristocratic family known in Britain as Mountbatten. In the United States, there is a related confection called a checkerboard cake, although I have only ever had the English version, so I don't know the difference if there is any.
Tea Time magazine's Battenburg Cake recipe HERE
They also have one for a Chocolate and Vanilla Battenburg Cake recipe HERE
I am joining:
I'm happy to hear that you had a dear Aunt in your life that you loved, Ruth. I still have my own dear mother, and for that I am grateful. I do love your mix and match of your pretty teacup, sugar and creamer and your teapot all on your antique trunk. The battenburg cakes look so pretty and yummy. I do love your beautiful cloths on your tray, too. Thanks for hosting and a Happy Mother's Day to you!
ReplyDeleteBlue and white combos are my favourite.
ReplyDeleteBattenberg's. I love them but they are hard to find in Canada. I must admit, I've never seen a chocolate version of one. And in all honesty never want to! Battenbergs are pink and yellow and yummy!
I'm in complete agreement with your broader definition of motherhood, Ruth! I'm also a fan of the blue and whites so I enjoyed seeing your pretty teawares. I actually brought out a blue and white tea set to display for the month of May...I'll have to share it in a future post! Thank you for hosting and have a wonderful week!
ReplyDeleteI admired your tea tray on FB and really do love all the blue and white. Battenburg cake is not one I've had before but will have to see if there is a packaged one I can purchase. Perhaps the small British tea room I frequent?
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for hosting!Love all your pieces, especially the pretty teapot.Hugs,Maristella.
ReplyDeleteThat cake looks wonderful. I have recipes - but never have tried it. The Crown China marking is certainly a favorite of mine. You are sharing all lovely pieces!
ReplyDeleteThis post is one I plan to pin to my board on blog posts I like to revisit again and again. There is so much information here that I don't want to forget and not be able to find again. Thank you very much for sharing this post today. I needed all the "lovely".
ReplyDeleteRuth, what a beautiful post! This makes me want to play with my teacups and teapots! This Harney tea is my go-to decaf for an evening cuppa.
ReplyDeleteJust lovely, Ruth! I, too, love blue and white. A love I inherited from my mother and aunts. I also had an aunt I was very close to, my mother's next in age sister.
ReplyDeletegreat content! happy mothers day I found your blog on google and loved reading it greatly. It is a great post indeed. Much obliged to you and good. keep it up..
ReplyDelete