On Saturday, I decided to visit some of the antique stores and thrift shops of nearby Fayetteville. At one of them, Kelly & Company Antiques, I'd had my eye on this cute little set of four miniature yellow ruffled glass teacups and saucers for a while. They weren't terribly expensive, just $40 for the set of four, and yet not very practical, as I could think of only one set of teatime dishes I could use them with. That limited yellow palette was a concern. Still, I thought I might go splurge on them, and when I went upstairs to the booth where they were, I was delighted to see almost everything there was 50 percent off. Except … those yellow glass teacups and saucers were nowhere to be found! Isn't that the way? I, of all people, know that antique stores have mostly one-of-a-kind items, so why didn't I go ahead and get them earlier? I mean, really, how often do you come across ruffled and tinted glass teacups? (Hint: Part two of this tale will be discussed on Friday.) Still, since I so enjoy browsing antique malls for unusual objects, I left with a fun consolation prize: a vintage tin and a mystery. Ever heard of the Southern Biscuit Company of Richmond, Virginia, and their Tea Rings? I had not.
Tea Rings were, apparently, "a dainty, crisp, spiced cookie—delicious with desserts, iced tea or ginger ale."
And they were made in the company's "modern, light, sanitary plant," so that sure sounds like a plus!
The ingredients were simple enough—flour, sugar, shortening, frozen whole eggs, spice, salt, and leavening. I decided to get the tin and go home and search the internet for a recipe to recreate Tea Rings. But to my surprise, I didn't find a recipe for them! Now wouldn't you think that if a recipe were popular enough that a company decided to sell it, that recipe would have been made, or recreated, many times before? The only Tea Ring I found on Pinterest that wasn't a pastry was a cookie made by another company. No recipe. I find this extremely puzzling, so now I'll be searching vintage sites online in search of a Tea Ring cookie recipe. The cookie looks like a simple cutout sugar cookie, and that coloring on top makes me think that perhaps it's the spice. If any of you have ever heard of Tea Ring cookies, please share!
And FFV, if you wondered about the initials in that first photo, stands for Famous Foods of Virginia. The Southern Biscuit Company building is now the home of some loft apartments, shown here. And do read the article if you'd like to know which famous cookies were also made there!
I'm sorry you missed out on the ruffled glass set but what an interesting tin you found! Good luck in tracking down a recipe. If anyone can find it, you can! - Joy
ReplyDeleteI have never heard of those Tea Ring Cookies, or the Southern Biscuit Company, but they sure had some cute tins! I will be on the lookout for them. Before I retired, I spent many years of my life working in northern Virginia, and I still live just across the river from that state and visit there often. In regard to the initials FFV, that usually stands for First Families of Virginia, and refers to the socially prominent families in that state's history, such as the Lees, Carters, Randolphs, Harrisons, Madisons, etc. I'm sure the owners of the Southern Biscuit Company were aware of that meaning of FFV, and that's why they had it on their tins. I'm glad that the apartment complex that now occupies the old building acknowledges its past and is called the Cookie Factory Lofts.
ReplyDeleteThe "modern, light, sanitary plant" message made me smile. I wonder if this had anything to do with The Southern Biscuit Flour company? If you find the recipe, please share.
ReplyDeleteThis was so interesting! Susan in NC
ReplyDeleteI love this tin. Lucky find! Marilyn M.
ReplyDeletePlease let us know if you find the recipe. I am looking too —- so far no luck.
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