Innehållsförteckning för Tea Pleasures 2025 från Victoria

Dear Friends The issue that you hold in your hands was originally published early in my tenure with the magazine. Revisiting this favorite Victoria Classics edition, thoughts drift to the cherubic little girls who donned floral crowns for their first official tea party on page 29. With its alfresco setting, fanciful decorations, and pint-sized guests, this event was a joyful undertaking for our editorial team. “Like the ephemeral flutter of butterfly wings,” I wrote at the time, “the tender bloom of childhood must be treasured in its season.” A decade later, these wee ones are now teenagers, and I wonder how many of them continue to enjoy teatime. Even if some have stashed their fairy wands—perhaps also preferring more casual get-togethers in this stage of life—I have no doubt that…

Like a classic strand of pearls accessorizing the perfect dress, lustrous accoutrements offer a crowning touch to the tea table. Amidst snow-white fields of embroidered linen topped with gleaming silver trays, lush bouquets, and fine china, these lovely yet practical accents add radiant charm. Every gracious tea service requires a few implements to help the hostess entertain with ease. For brewing, a teakettle is ideal for heating the water. In Victorian times, the kettle was transported to the drawing room. Today, it usually remains hidden from view. Modern varieties can be programmed to reach a specific temperature—a plus for preparing different blends—but traditional vessels boil efficiently. Although early teapots were made of silver, many tea devotees believe the beverage tastes better when poured from a porcelain model. Filled with loose…

“As rosemary is to the spirit, so lavender is to the soul.”—ANONYMOUS…

“But Friendship is the breathing rose, with sweets in every fold.”—OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES SR.…

Cumin Cream-Cheese Crudités Makes 24 crudités 12 baby carrots½ cup cream cheese1 teaspoon cumin¼ cup chopped chives1 teaspoon lemon juice⅛ teaspoon salt¼ cup pine nuts, toasted 1. In a large saucepan, cover carrots with water, and bring to a boil; cook for 3 minutes. Drain, and place carrots on a baking sheet to dry and cool. Slice cooled carrots in half lengthwise. 2. In a medium bowl, and using an electric mixer at medium speed, blend cream cheese, cumin, chives, lemon juice, and salt. 3. Place cream-cheese mixture in a pastry bag, and pipe down centers of sliced carrots. Sprinkle each carrot with toasted pine nuts, and serve. Summery Shrimp Salad Makes 8 servings 1 pound medium shrimp, cooked and roughly chopped¾ cup finely diced mango¾ cup fresh corn kernels…

1. Fill a kettle with fresh, filtered cold water. 2. Warm the teapot with hot tap water. 3. Heat the water in the kettle according to tea type: • For black, heat to a rolling boil (212°).• For green, heat to less than a boil (approximately 170°).• For oolong, heat to less than a boil (190°–205°).• For white, heat to much less than a boil (approximately 160°). 4. Discard the warming water in the teapot. 5. Place 1 teaspoon of dry tea leaves per cup of water in a tea sack or an infuser basket. Place the sack or infuser in the teapot. 6. Pour heated water over the leaves in the pot. 7. The brew time varies by type: • For black, steep 3–5 minutes, or to taste.• For…

Eyes dance when a tiered stand laden with delectable tea fare appears. Often ornamented with ribbons, doilies, and blossoms, each level of the shapely serving piece displays a different course. Mouthwatering savories beckon—ribbons of cucumber topping white bread coated with velvety herb butter, mounds of chicken salad cresting in delicate phyllo cups, and creamy egg salad thickly spread on pumpernickel and garnished with a sprinkling of fresh thyme. Cinnamon fills the air, the pungent aroma a clue to the flavor of fresh-baked scones nestled beside a handful of glistening strawberries and grapes. The top tier displays luscious nibbles of rich chocolate-orange truffles, zesty lemon-poppy-seed cake, and palate-cleansing lavender cookies that promise a sweet culmination to the afternoon’s festivities. According to author and former tearoom proprietress Jane Pettigrew, the tiered server…

“There’s rosemary and rue. these keep seeming and savor all the winter long. grace and remembrance be to you.”—WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE…

“Tea would arrive, the cakes squatting on cushions of cream, toast in a metling shawl of butter, cups agleam and a faint wisp of steam rising from the teapot shawl.”—GERALD DURRELL…

Sweet William Cakes Makes 24 cakes 1 package (18.25-ounce) white cake mix1⅓ cups whole milk2 tablespoons vegetable oil3 large eggs2 teaspoons clear almond extract¼ cup minced Sweet William flower petals (washed and patted dry)1 recipe Italian-Meringue Buttercream Frosting (recipe follows)1 recipe Pink Sugar (recipe follows)Candied Sweet Williams (recipe follows) 1. Preheat oven to 350˚. 2. Line 24 muffin cups with foil liners; set pans aside. 3. In a large mixing bowl, combine cake mix, milk, oil, eggs, and almond extract. 4. Using an electric mixer at low speed, mix for 30 seconds, scraping down sides with a rubber spatula. Increase mixer speed to medium, and beat for 2 minutes, scraping down sides again, if necessary. 5. Fold in flower petals. 6. Spoon batter into muffin cups, filling about two-thirds full,…

Throughout the centuries, tea manufacturing has created four main families of tea enjoyed around the world. All categories are derived from either the Camellia sinensis or the Camellia assamica plant. It is the processing of the fresh leaves that determines the tea family: white, green, oolong, or black. Herbals, tisanes, and infusions are produced from leaves, roots, bark, seeds, or flowers of other plants. These lack many of the unique characteristics of true teas, however, and generally contain no caffeine. WHITE is the most delicate of the tea families. Careful attention must be given to water temperature and steeping time. These teas are naturally lightly oxidized, yielding flavors that are soft and smooth, with a hint of peach pit and the lingering sweetness of honey. First produced in eleventh-century China,…

The unadulterated cup of tea certainly has its supporters. In a 1946 edition of London’s Evening Standard newspaper, author George Orwell wrote an impassioned treatise on proper consumption. “I know very well that I am in a minority here,” he admitted. “But still, how can you call yourself a true tealover if you destroy the flavour of your tea by putting sugar in it? It would be equally reasonable to put in pepper or salt.” Nevertheless, many appreciate accentuating the flavors of their favorite blends. It is customary for servers to supply these upon request, but the practice of placing small pitchers of milk, plates of sliced lemon, and bowls of sugar or jars of honey on the table has become more acceptable in recent years. Tea expert Bruce Richardson…

“Keep a green bough in your heart and the singing bird will come.”—CHINESE PROVERB…

Toasted-Pecan Scones Makes 18 scones 2½ cups all-purpose flour½ cup sugar¼ cup firmly packed brown sugar2 teaspoons baking powder½ cup butter, softened1 cup toasted chopped pecans1 cup heavy cream1 large egg3 tablespoons cinnamon sugar 1. Preheat oven to 350˚. 2. Lightly grease a baking sheet. 3. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, brown sugar, and baking powder. Using a pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Stir in pecans. 4. In a small bowl, combine cream and egg; add to dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened. 5. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to a ½-inch thickness. Using a 2-inch round cutter, cut scones, and place on baking sheet. Sprinkle evenly with cinnamon sugar. 6. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until lightly browned. Almond-Chocolate-Chip…

CREDITS CONTRIBUTING WRITERS KIMBER MITCHELL: pages 21–28, 35–42, 51–58, 61–82 BRUCE RICHARDSON: pages 11–12 CONTRIBUTING STYLISTS ANNA GILMORE: page 16 MARY LEIGH GWALTNEY: page 15 LINDSAY KEITH KESSLER: pages 85–86, 91, and 94 YUKIE MCLEAN: pages 9–14, 17–58, and 61–82 ROSE NGUYEN: page 89 ADRIENNE ALLDREDGE WILLIAMS: pages 59–60 ASHLEY WYATT: page 91 CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER KIMBERLY FINKEL DAVIS: pages 87, 90, and 92 CONTRIBUTING RECIPEDEVELOPMENT AND FOOD STYLING CHANTEL LAMBETH: pages 87–88, 92, and 95 RECIPE INDEX SCONES Almond-Chocolate-Chip Scones 86 Almond Devonshire Cream 86 Tangerine Curd 86 Toasted-Pecan Scones 86 SAVORIES Almond Butter 92 Almond-Butter Tea Sandwiches with Shaved Chicken and Peach Chutney 91 Asian Cashew Chicken Salad in Wonton Cups 90 Cumin Cream-Cheese Crudités 88 Individual Thyme Boules 89 Mediterranean Stuffed Tomatoes 88 Miniature Hot Browns 91 Mini…