Thanks to my friend
Frivolitea I learned about "A Full Cup" by Michael D'Antonio, a new book about Sir Thomas Lipton's life and his quest for the America's Cup. Frankly, the sailing stuff doesn't much interest me, and I expected I would probably read only half the book at best, but I happily devoured this marvelous story and hope some of you will read it as well. I knew Lipton was a tea merchant, and I'd read he was a whiz at marketing, but that was about it. After reading this book, I now know he was perhaps the world's greatest example of a self-made man, a brilliant businessman, a generous-hearted soul who was kind to the poor, and in the world of sport, an incredibly gracious loser.
Young "Tommy" Lipton was raised in the slums of Glasgow, and at 18 he set off for America to seek his fortune. Arriving in New York Harbor in 1866, Lipton was one of many immigrants needing a job and ultimately ended up heading south to work as a farm laborer in Virginia, then on a rice plantation in South Carolina, then with a streetcar company in New Orleans. He decided to give New York one more try, and this time he found a job at A.T. Stewart's department store, a job at which Lipton not only excelled but also learned the skills that would set the course for the rest of his life. After saving some money, he took his new retail skills and headed home to Glasgow, where his parents ran a tiny grocery. In a sign of things to come, he bought gifts for his mother that he knew would impress the folks back home, a rocking chair and a barrel of flour, and had them placed on the roof of his horse-drawn cab as he approached home. The crowd that followed did not fail to notice that little Tommy Lipton had grown up, and now "Thomas J. Lipton" was back and ready to rumble. When he couldn't — at first — talk his too-humble parents into expanding their business, he figured out how to work the grocery trade on his own. Soon his father relented and gave his blessing for Lipton to open another store. Lipton had learned the value of buying in large quantities in order to offer lower prices, and in 1871 he opened Lipton's Market.
Lipton's marketing genius was shrewd enough that D'Antonio titled one chapter of his book "P.T. Lipton," and it appears to be an apt name. Horse-drawn vans traveled through town with the Lipton name painted on the sides in large letters. A new store opened. Lipton was selling so much pork he opened his own slaughterhouse to solve the supply problem. Brilliant at the art of getting free publicity, Lipton would send hams to the rich and powerful and then publicize their thank-you letters, such as one he received from the mother of Eugénie, last empress of France. By 1880, Lipton had 20 shops in Glasgow and was ready to move into England.
The best chapter in the book for tea lovers is no doubt "Tea Tom," in which D'Antonio tells how Lipton, originally ambivalent about the tea trade (imagine!), began to gather information about the tea business and realized the profits that could be made. I greatly enjoyed learning about Lipton's research into creating a quality brew: "In Lipton's tea, drinkers got a high proportion of orange pekoe — OP for short — that had been handled with the kind of care a good winemaker applies to fine grapes. In the days before machinery took over much of the work, pickers plucked the leaves with the pads of their fingers, avoiding the creases and cuts that their nails might make." Soon tea money was coming into his stores (which now numbered 300), and in 1890 Lipton sailed for Ceylon to shop for tea estates, which resulted, as we know today, in great success.
Lipton was apparently quite the celebrity back in the day, and I constantly marveled at the famous names in his circle of friends and acquaintances: President Rutherford B. Hayes, Prince Edward (whose mother, Queen Victoria, had knighted Lipton), Princess Alexandra, William K. Vanderbilt, J.P. Morgan, President Theodore Roosevelt, Louis B. Mayer. At times, it seemed that Lipton was like Forrest Gump and simply turned up everywhere!
Of course I haven't even touched on the quest for the America's Cup, which any of you interested in sailing will no doubt be thrilled to read about. Even in that portion of the book, this admitted landlubber found treasures like this: "Three-o'clock tea on Lipton's yacht, which sometimes involved a hundred invitees, was a lavish event, worthy of Miss Cranston. Each guest's cup was delivered on an individual silver tray that also carried a slice of lemon, two lumps of sugar and a dragon's-head milk pitcher. Broiled fowl and pastries would be accompanied by champagne, and each guest received a small present at the end of the meal."
"A Full Cup" was much, much more fascinating reading than I had dared hope, and I am delighted to recommend it to my fellow tea lovers!
My sweet friend and co-worker Elizabeth is getting married in less than two weeks, so to honor her the ladies of the newsroom (and a few alumni) gathered at my house on Saturday morning for a Bridal Tea in her honor, since the bride is indeed a fan of teatime!
Here she is looking over the tea table.
Our mini-scones were two flavors, Cranberry with Vanilla Icing and then Chocolate Chip. My friend Holly, who came early and saved the day by helping with food prep, made clotted cream to go with our scones. Her recipe: 1 cup heavy whipping cream, 3 ounces cream cheese, 1 tablespoon sugar, a pinch of salt. Yum!
Our savories included heart shaped Cucumber Sandwiches and ...
Salmon and Dill Cream Cheese Tarts. The recipe is from caterer, friend and fellow blogger Teresa of Southern Touch Catering and appeared in Newnan-Coweta Magazine last year. It couldn't have been any easier to make, and although I'd never piped a savory filling before, this was easy as pie. Or tart.
We also had Egg Olive Salad Sandwiches and Waldorf Chicken Salad on Mini Croissants.
Holly made these beautiful, old-fashioned Teacakes in heart shapes just for the tea. And she shared the recipe with me!
We also had Lemon Madeleines (proudly served in the vintage glass compote I bought for 25 cents at a church yard sale a few weeks ago).
And also these White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Balls. These were featured in an early issue of Tea Time Magazine and are sooooo delicious! And I'm afraid I got busy and failed to photograph the corner of the table featuring Holly's Sausage Balls (one of the bride's favorite savories), and also the Teapot and Teacup Design Shortbread and Chocolate Cherry Brownies. But that was the menu, and everyone really seemed to enjoy it!
This was our "tea station" where we served Emperor's Bride Tea (the favorite of many of us) and a caffeine-free Hot Apple Cider Tea, which was also a hit.
I decided to serve this tea "buffet style" since there were eight of us, too many to crowd around my small dining room table, and so it just made sense to use these tea-and-toast sets. These white ones in a moss rose design seemed perfect for a bridal tea.
Our friend Megan brought her daughter Neely, who will be a flower girl very soon. Isn't she adorable? Megan didn't tell Neely she was going to a tea party until the morning of the tea, and she said that as soon as she did Neely immediately turned off Sesame Street and was ready to go! I love that!
Many of you know I work at a magazine that is owned by our local daily newspaper. Well, our magazine's art director loaned me this "Wedding Cake" she once made to appear in a wedding-themed issue of the magazine. Isn't it amazing!
Here you can really tell that it's made from pages of the magazine and newspaper, and since Elizabeth writes for both that seemed like such an appropriate decoration!
And I forgot to get a picture of Liz opening it, but I thought you might like to see her gift from me, a filet crocheted piece bearing her new name. I love making these for special friends, and I was so happy she liked it. And now I can't wait for the wedding!
