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Last week, I wrote about British participation in elite auto-racing, particularly as covered by the Netflix series, Formula 1: Drive to Survive.
When I researched Bettys Tea Room of Harrogate, a setting in The Rose Code by Kate Quinn, I discovered that they are currently offering Takeaway Afternoon Tea. Since my birthday was this week, I did a bit of research to see if anyone is doing that in St. Louis.
The London Tea Room on Morganford, south of Tower Grove Park, provides Afternoon Tea @ Home.
I discovered this over the weekend and had to wait until Monday to order. Mother's Day is a popular time for Afternoon Tea, so they quit taking orders for a few days after reaching capacity. Fortunately, my birthday was on Wednesday this year, so they had plenty of time to recover.
My sandwiches, scones, and tiny cakes came packaged in white boxes....
....instead of on the traditional three-tiered tray.
I missed the pretty tea cups, the elegant surroundings, and the attentive but barely visible service of Afternoon Tea. On the other hand, I discovered several advantages to Afternoon Tea @ Home.
Afternoon Tea in the Morning. Most Afternoon Tea seatings are between 2pm and 4pm. Unlike the English, I can't drink tea all day. If I want to fall asleep at night, I drink my last cup of tea before noon. Of course, one could select an herbal tea, but that doesn't seem quite the same. We had my little birthday tea party at 11:30am so I could sample the black tea. I was delighted by how much the London Tea Room house blend of tea tasted just like what I remembered from drinking tea in England.
Afternoon Tea for Lunch. When I eat between 2pm and 4pm, it's an afternoon snack. The traditional Afternoon Tea is way too much food for a snack. By eating it at 11:30, it replaced lunch.
Afternoon Tea for Two and then some. The traditionally-served Afternoon Tea always seems just a little too much food to us. Tea for Two means we're leaving some behind, but splitting Tea for One doesn't seem like quite enough food. By serving Afternoon Tea at home, we were able to save an entire selection of desserts for another time.
What do you love about Afternoon Tea?
About Joy Weese Moll
a librarian writing about books
