A Royal Wedding Party!

Since 1860 and Queen Victoria, afternoon tea parties have been hosted at Buckingham Palace serving thousands of guests each time.  It is customary for men to wear morning dress, suit, uniform, or National dress, while ladies wear afternoon dress, accented by a hat and gloves or National dress.  The gates open at 3pm, the Royal family enters the garden at 4pm, and the event concludes at 6pm.As much of the world gathers to watch the latest royal nuptials between Will and Kate, why not emulate your own British festivities at home?  Host a tea!Every tea needs a biscuit.  You can surely buy crumpets or English muffins, but you might want to try these whole wheat biscuits courtesy of The Kind Diet.  Whether you make your own, or pick some up at the grocer, be sure to serve them  with non-dairy margarine, lemon curd and preserves.2 c whole wheat pastry flour1 TBSP baking powder½ tsp fine sea salt½ c safflower oilApproximately ½ c plain non-dairy milk (more or less as needed)Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.  Slowly pour in the oil, mixing with a fork until the mixture is combined.  It will be quite crumbly.  Add the milk a little at a time, stirring with a fork.  You want to use just enough milk to bring the mixture together.Gather the dough into a ball, and place it on a lightly floured surface.  Knead the dough about 25 times, then smooth the dough into a ball and pat it into a ½”-thick round disk.  Use a 2 ½” biscuit cutter or the rim of a glass or jar to cut out biscuits, gathering the scraps and rerolling them to make a few additional biscuits.  Place the biscuits on an ungreased baking sheet.  If you like the sides crispier, place them about 1” apart.  For softer sides, have the biscuits touching.Bake on the center rack for 10 to 12 minutes or until the bottoms are golden.  Serve hot or warm.Next, we know how watercress features prominently in English fare so, though no quite traditional, try making this colorful and flavorful Watercress, Beet and Heirloom Tomato Salad (also courtesy of The Kind Diet.)2 medium beets1 bunch watercress, tough stems removed1 tomato, preferable heirloom, cut into bite-size pieces1 TBSP olive oilJuice of 1 lemonFine sea saltFreshly ground black pepperPreheat oven to 425 degrees.  Wrap the beets in oil, and roast for 40 to 60 minutes or until you can pierce them easily with a skewer.  Allow the beets to cool a bit, then slip off the skins and slice the beets into quarters from root to stem.  Combine the beets, watercress and tomato in a salad bowl.  Mix the olive oil and lemon juice together, and pour over the salad; mix well.  Add a couple pinches of salt and a little pepper to taste.  Toss again, and serve.Of course, you MUST have finger sandwiches.  Slice up 1 package of firm tofu and then mash with the back of a fork.  Add a ½ c of vegan grape seed oil mayonnaise or a similar product, 1 TBSP chopped dill (dried is fine), 1 TBSP Dijon mustard and salt and pepper to taste.  Select a good quality white bread from the bakery, sliced into 20 pieces (or 10 that you then halve depending on the size of the loaf), and remove all of the crust.  Spread the tofu “egg salad” mixture onto half of the slices and top with the other half, then cutting them into smaller sizes if you prefer.For cucumber tea sandwiches, peel and thinly slice half of a seedless cucumber, and lay on paper towel to remove any excess moisture.  Then mix 1/2 cup non-dairy margarine and 1/2 cup coarsely-chopped watercress leaves and spread the mixture evenly on 16 slices of crust-cut-off quality white bread.
Lay cucumber slices onto the buttered side of eight (8) slices of bread. Sprinkle the cucumbers with salt and then cover with the remaining slices of bread, butter side down.  You may then make the sandwiches smaller, cutting them into classic triangles of course.Strawberries and cream are a must at Wimbledon but why not compliment your tea witht this vegan twist?  Buy some big, luscious strawberries, rinse them in cold water and pat them dry, yet leave on the stems.  Carefully arrange them on a handsome platter.  In a beautiful bowl, crystal or silver (or stainless steel for a similar look) spoon in a generous amount of Tofutti brand sour cream.  In a separate bowl, pour some granulated brown sugar.  Place a teaspoon or demitasse spoon in the sugar bowl.  As your guests gather, recommend that they swirl a strawberry in the tofutti and then top that with a sprinkle of brown sugar.  Gorgeous, zesty, classy and delish.Obviously, you need tea at a tea ~ perhaps an English Breakfast?  But Gin & Tonic is a classic British cocktail and, after all, this is a celebration!  The classic gin and tonic is 2 parts gin to 4 parts tonic water, over ice and garnished with lime wedges.  For color, make this British version of a Tequila Sunrise ~ 1.5 parts gin, 4 parts orange juice (freshly squeezed preferred), a splash of grenadine and 2 cherries, all over ice.Bottoms up, cheerio!  And best of luck to the Royal couple!