Tea Room Postcard #21 - Pier Hill Tea Room, Southend-on-Sea (U.K.)

Since I wrote about England all week, I thought it might be fun to share a vintage postcard from there as well. When I found this one online, I was intrigued because of the Pier Hill Tea Room shown slightly left of center. It sure looks like a busy, bustling place, a reminder that the seaside has been attracting visitors for a long, long time. Even though I've never been to Southend-on-Sea, I'd love to go one day. I first heard of Southend-on-Sea two years ago when I was at the beach antiquing and came across this teacup. So now, of course, I'm alert to things related to Southend-on-Sea.

Alas, the back contains no correspondence, but I still enjoyed reading the oh-so-British-sounding wording: "This space may be used for printed or written matter" and "Only the address to be written here." It's a funny thing how the words we use can give us away. I was in Harrod's buying books for a couple of friends on my last night in England, and when the nice young clerk asked if I had a book discount card, I replied, "I do not." He grinned and asked if I was possibly an American. "Yes," I said. "How did you know?" He said that even though the British people usually think of themselves as having the best manners, if he asks them if they have a discount card, they reply, "I don't." He said "I do not" is actually the more polite response, and it usually comes from Americans. Who knew? (Maybe he just made the whole thing up to flatter me, but it worked!)

Visiting a Royal Park — and a new tea discovery

Since so many of you love gardens as much as I do, I thought I'd share some photos from our last day in London and our visit to Regent's Park, one of the Royal Parks that is located in Central London. This park was amazing, and since we visited on a Monday that happened to be a Bank Holiday, lots of people were there enjoying the day off with their family. (I should mention that this spectacular place is also free to visit — and I definitely would have paid to see all this!)

The grounds are beautifully maintained, and I marveled at how "sculpted" some of the designs looked.

Bright, colorful flowers were very much in abundance!

I saw this beautiful chartreuse colored plant, which I found very unusual. Any of you gardeners out there happen to know what this is?

Here's a close-up of the bell-shaped blossoms.

Regent's Park wasn't even on my radar for this trip, but Alex read about it and thought I'd like the fact that Queen Mary's Gardens here have more than 30,000 roses of 400 varieties! Have mercy!

While I rambled around taking photos, he sat on a bench with an older woman who told him the roses would be at their peak about a week later. I saw plenty of pretty roses, but many of the bushes were just beginning to bloom. Oh, to have been there a week later!

I don't believe I saw this particular rose identified, but I did write down the names of many of the varieties I saw growing there. If you're like me, I'd love knowing I'm growing something that appears in a "Royal" garden. Some of the varieties include Double Delight, Royal Philharmonic, Cleopatra, Golden Wedding, Commonwealth Glory, Blessings, Tintinara, Savoy Hotel, Nostalgia, Sight Saver, Fulton Mackay, Elina, Just Joey (tea friend Marilyn grows these!), Thelma Barlow, Remember Me, Ingrid Bergman, Lovely Lady, Ice Cream, Keep Smiling, Belle Epoch, Royal Parks, Cornelia, Sweet Juliet, Port Sunlight, Lady Salisbury, Velvet Fragrance and The Herbalist. This should give me plenty to research before it's time to plant roses next spring!

Switching gears, I thought I'd bring things back to tea by mentioning that not all the bushes I saw grow roses. This "Redbush" tea from Tetley, a rooibos, was one of the teas available at breakfast at our hotel. Since I couldn't try them all before leaving, I might have tucked a few teabags in my suitcase to take home with me.

And thank goodness I did! Now some of you have probably experienced this sort of teabag before, but I have not. What an elaborate network of strings! And if you study the graphic along the bottom, you get a hint about the purpose of the strings.

You separate the tag along the perforation and pull out the strings a bit before placing the teabag into the teacup.

When you've let the tea steep as long as you like, you pull the strings apart and the teabag squeezes itself! Now isn't that clever? Leave it to the Brits. (And yes, the tea was quite good!)

Coming Monday: Remembering D-Day in Normandy

Shopping Fortnum & Mason — and a giveaway!

Today, friends, I must ask you to forgive the glare on a few photos, but it simply wasn't to be avoided. Still, I just know many of you would have oohed and aahed over these window displays at Fortnum and Mason just as I did — even if you can glimpse the street in the background!

I love the idea of using these large frames to showcase their offerings. See that pretty Herend coffeepot at lower left? It rotated!

And of course I liked the eau de nil frame showing some of their food hall offerings, such as cakes and jams.

I was pleasantly surprised when I asked an employee about their photo policy and she happily informed me that yes, photos were permitted, they just didn't like for photographs of single products to be taken up close. No problem! Here are some of the floral teawares they had. At back are lots of blue and red transferware, which made me think of my friend Phyllis.

Now I do wish I had a closeup of one of these teacups, because they're not exactly what you might think. A designer named Richard Brendon has brilliantly found a way to rescue orphaned saucers with his "Reflect" wares. He searches them out and pairs them with platinum and gold teacups which "reflect" the pattern of each saucer. You can go here to read more about what he's doing.

Brendon is also the designer behind this "Patternity" design of teawares, which I also think is quite clever. I like these because they're in that eau de nil color I so love, and I also think the contemporary design may attract a whole new type of tea(ware) lover. I can just see a young man or woman who's not particularly enchanted with grandma's fusty old pink teacups going for these, can't you? (And actually, I think they're quite cool myself!)

If china's not your thing, well, a) you're probably at the wrong blog and b) check out the silver at Fortnum and Mason! Lots of eye candy here for certain.

Meanwhile, downstairs from the teawares there are lots of teas to choose from. I love that these loose leaf teas are displayed in glass teapots! And do you see that sculpture at right, of two teapots pouring tea into a teacup?

I decided to "bring it home with me" in the form of a tote bag, and it's perhaps my favorite tote bag ever! On a side note, they didn't have this design of bag upstairs with the teawares, and when I asked about it, a saleswoman said she believed some of these designs were down below and insisted on going downstairs to check for me herself. That kind of service is pretty unheard of these days, isn't it?

Since it was my birthday that day, I decided I needed this lovely tin of Celebration Blend Tea. It's a blend of strong Assam and jasmine teas, which I thought sounded intriguing. When I got home and tried it, I found this combination works well and I really love this new tea!

Since I was looking for "unbreakable" souvenirs which would travel well, I was delighted to find this pretty tea towel. I'm thinking of getting it framed to hang in my dining room!

Last but not least, I was delighted to find copies of the book "Fortnum & Mason: The First Three Hundred Years." It's packed with great historic photos, including some of royalty, and discusses the history of the firm, including the Royal Warrants they hold as grocery and provisions suppliers to Queen Elizabeth and the Prince of Wales. I hope you can see why I adore this lovely store. (I told my husband I want my ashes scattered here, and I'm only partly joking!) To thank you for humoring me by reading all these overly-long blog posts, I have a copy of this book and a small tin of Fortnum and Mason's Afternoon Blend tea to give away to one lucky winner! Just leave a comment to this post between now and 7 a.m. EST May 27 and you'll be entered to win. (U.S. and Canada only, please.) Good luck!

Birthday tea at Fortnum and Mason

For my birthday this year I wanted to be in London having tea, and to me there was only one place to have that tea, the legendary Fortnum and Mason department store. When I first visited London 10 years ago, this was by far my favorite store and my favorite place to have afternoon tea. When we arrived, I was surprised to find the building is undergoing some renovations, and what a clever way to disguise the exterior. Charming!

Alex and I arrived a few minutes early for our noon reservation. I was happy to begin taking in the elegant surroundings. The entry to the Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon, where we would have tea, features live piano music and those beautiful "eau de nil" colored tins of tea. The French term literally means "water of the Nile," and that exquisite shade of blue-green is perhaps my favorite color in the world. It features prominently at Fortnum and Mason, which is no doubt another reason I love this store so well! Some of you may recall that the Queen herself made an official visit to Fortnum and Mason back in 2012 when the restaurant was renamed the Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon, and The Daily Mail covered it here. (The Queen wore an eau de nil suit and hat which were simply beautiful. Cake lovers, scroll down to see the cake Fortnum and Mason made in honor of the royal visit.)

When we sat down at our table, I paused to take in the new furnishings since I was last there, and of course the pretty eau de nil teawares.

We just happened to be seated next to this picture of Audrey Hepburn, which was fitting since Audrey and I share the May 4 birthday. She would have turned 85 the day I turned 50, and this year Google honored her on that day with a "Google Doodle," as I recall.

I love the elegant teawares here. You'll note that atop the teapot is a leaf-shaped piece of paper which bears the name of the Queen Anne blend of tea I ordered. A clever way to distinguish the various pots of tea!

For once, I didn't mind seeing a few bits of leaf in my teacup, as I knew it meant the good people of Fortnum and Mason had properly brewed the tea with some of their fine tea leaves!

When the tiered server came, I admired all the pretty offerings.

There was also a second tiered server for the preserves, lemon curd and clotted cream.

Oh, these sandwiches! Now first of all, isn't that a unique and tidy way to display the different flavors? From front to back are Cucumber with Cream Cheese, Rare Breed Hen Egg with  Mustard Cress, Rare Roast Beef with Gherkin & Caper Dressing, Smoked Salmon with Lemon Dill Butter, and Coronation Chicken. I enjoyed them all, but the Coronation Chicken was my favorite. Interestingly, the servers make a point of telling you that you may enjoy repeats of anything you like. Alex and I were quite full after eating all five of the tea sandwiches, but the young couple next to us ordered new plates of sandwiches two more times— that was 15 tea sandwiches each! (And no, they weren't obese. I can't imagine where they put them.)

We enjoyed both fruit and plain scones, and they were light and delicious, especially with that yummy clotted cream.

I should have written down what the sweets were, as now that I'm back home my memory is not the best! Clockwise from top right are a chocolate petit four with gold leaf, a rose-flavored eclair (we both liked it!), a cream cheese and chocolate tart (I believe), a mousse type dessert and a macaron. Oh, were they ever good!

And I am unbelievably sorry to have to report that despite the lovely looking delicacies we were encouraged to try from the cake carriage, both husband and I were so full we couldn't eat another bite. You cannot imagine how I mourned this fact, but I didn't want to make myself sick, after all. (Now, of course, I'm home where the most exotic sweet currently in the house is a Chips Ahoy cookie, and I'd kill for a piece of one of these cakes!) As we left to enjoy a bit of shopping in the store, we were presented with two small tins of Fortnum and Mason Afternoon Tea to take along. It was a lovely end to a particularly lovely birthday tea!

Tomorrow: Shopping at F&M — and a small giveaway!

Tea at the Crooked House of Windsor

When I was in Kentucky with tea friends in March and they heard I was planning to go to Windsor, they suggested I visit the Crooked House of Windsor Tea Room while I was there. It was a terrific suggestion! Why is the Crooked House crooked? Well, according to its website, "In 1592, when Queen Elizabeth I was still on the throne, the original Crooked House of Windsor, known historically as Market Cross House, was built. In 1687, the council ordered this first Market Cross House to be demolished in order to build the neighbouring Guildhall. An acrimonious land dispute ensued. The council was ordered to rebuild Market Cross House and to make the Guildhall its present size. Market Cross House acquired its famous tilt due to the use of unseasoned green oak."

After the morning's train ride from London and several hours of touring Windsor Castle, we were famished! Alex ordered a sandwich plate and I ordered the Queen Elizabeth Afternoon Tea, knowing full well I would need to share, and I did. There was loads of food to eat!

I got to select two different types of tea sandwiches, so I selected the ham and smoked salmon ones.

When we got to the scones, Alex asked me why they had butter with them. Ahh, the joys of introducing someone to the pleasures of real clotted cream! The scones were delicious and had the texture of good biscuits back home in the South.

There was also a tasty raisin-filled cake, a pretty pink macaron, a raspberry tart, and a variety of cookies. Even sharing, we weren't able to finish it all and took most of the sweets and enormous grapes back to our hotel with us.

I drank their house blend of tea, which was a nice brisk black tea.

Here I am enjoying afternoon tea in Windsor.

Outside, as I was snapping photos of the exterior of the tea room, I couldn't help admiring these circular flower boxes near the road.

Primroses are not a flower I see very often in Georgia, and aren't they gorgeous!

Before we left, I checked out the shopping opportunities up and down the street and was delighted to see a T.K. Maxx, the English cousin of our T.J. Maxx stores. I had to stop by, and I was actually rather pleased to find the merchandise was pretty much like what I see at home! Oh, they had a few more china mugs and things than we normally see in the U.S., but I did not see one pattern I have not seen before. Good. I was worried we were missing out on something over there!

Fortunately for me, my husband has learned to recognize names like Cath Kidston, one of my favorite English designers, and he spotted this store in Windsor. Oh, how I longed to bring home some of those pretty teawares! But I was trying to stick to my self-imposed "one teacup per country" rule, and the Windsor Castle teacup had already claimed this spot for England. So I got this unbreakable teacup at Cath Kidston instead.

There were lots of terrific sights to see around Windsor, including this "phone box" artist Timmy Mallett had cleverly painted to look as if the Duchess of Cambridge were inside placing a call. I'm sorry to say I did not spot any actual royals while I was in Windsor, and when I read the papers I knew why Prince William, at least, wasn't around. He was in my neck of the woods, in Memphis, Tennessee, attending a friend's wedding the very weekend I was at Windsor!

Tomorrow: Birthday tea at Fortnum & Mason