Recently I was contacted by Rose Turner Jory, one of the lovely ladies I've gotten to know through the wonderful
Afternoon Tea Across America group on Facebook. She asked if I was still interested in back issues of Mary Mac's TeaTimes Newsletter, which I had mentioned in a blog post back in 2010. Indeed I was, and I quickly wrote back, wondering whether perhaps Rose had found a link to some issues online since folks are posting everything here these days. To my surprise and absolute delight, Rose herself had some of the actual newsletters and was offering to send them to me! And since I *love* to research anything and everything related to tea, can you even imagine how happy I was to receive these six issues in the mail?
I had only one issue of this newsletter before Rose sent me the mother lode of TeaTimes Newsletter back issues, so my research capabilities have increased tremendously! In this February/March 1993 issue, which charmingly featured pale blue interior pages, I read a piece on "Teapots of the Month," which included a tea-for-one set and a Pink Bow Novelty Children's Set. How interesting that 23 years later, both styles are still favored today!
I love how each issue featured a themed tea, and in the April/May 1993 issue, that was a Queen Victoria Tea. Inside are recipes for such royal treats as Chocolate Orange Cake and Trifle Fit for a Queen. An entire menu is suggested as well.
Even the old ads are fun to read! In this one, for "C's Fabric Design," the offer is for tea cozies and comes with the note that "we will reproduce your historic house as a cozy." Now how wonderful is that! As you can probably tell, I am having great fun going through these back issues Rose so generously shared with me, and I'll probably have more to say about them as I continue to pore over them in the days ahead!
What fun! The old ads are just as interesting as the articles, sometimes even more so. How lovely of Rose to send these newsletters to you.
ReplyDeleteI have a binder containing the full set of these newsletters and was sorry when Mary Mac stopped publishing them.
ReplyDeleteNow I am jealous! I would love getting my hands on these. I have heard so much about them over the years. Love the format too.
ReplyDeleteFabulous! Since that was mentioned, I have had it in the back of my mind to find mine, but I am afraid they are in a box somewhere...since the ast move 10 years ago! Shame on me!
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Enjoy reading these issues. I do hope you will share more as you read.
ReplyDeleteSo glad you are enjoying them. I wanted to give them a good home and knew you would appreciate them.
ReplyDeleteI think this is so neat, Angela, so happy they 'found' their way to you - you will give them a good home. Can't wait to read up on these treasured pages, Joanie
ReplyDeleteWhat a great gift! Happily, I have most of the collection, including two spiral books that feature 'The Early Years of Mary Mac's' and 'Mary Mac's TeaTimes Cookbook'. So sad when they ceased publication.
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