English tea is more informal than formal. English tea is for
gossiping. I would suggest cream and unrefined sugar on the side.
Don't forget the finger food like scones or sandwiches. If possible
use a loose British tea blend made for morning or afternoon. You're
the host. They are the guests. You accomodate not capitulate.

Jim

Fran wrote:

I am planning a tea party for a group of my friends, several of whom
are from England. As such, I want to make sure that I do everything
correctly to meet their high standards, so I'm hoping someone here can
offer some help.

I know that the overwhelming majority of English people add milk their
tea. What type of milk should I offer? I usually use skim milk. Is
that acceptable or would that be akin to offering only low-calorie,
fat-free foods (which most people don't like)? Should I use whole milk
or compromise by using 1%% or 2%%? I thought of offering more than one
kind, but that seems like it might be going overboard and getting too
complicated.

Second question: should I offer lemon slices as an alternative to
milk? I'm not sure if adding lemon is an American thing that would
make my efforts to do an English tea look unauthentic. Someone told me
that in England that adding milk to tea is a "working class" thing that
most people do, but if you really want to be posh, then you should use
lemon. I have no idea if this is true or not. Does anyone know? I
really want to get this right.

Thanks in advance.

Fran1167269593.204475.203130@f1g2000cwa.googlegroups.com12/27/06
20:33claddagh1978@gmail.com

I've seen what the British call Russian tea

The actual tea as such is a minor part, and doesn't require as much
attention as if you're serving someone familiar with Chinese tea.
While the event of afternoon tea is something of an institution with
which most people will have some familiarity, the actual leaf you use
is a secondary concern. Remember that you're trying to appeal to a
broad range of tastes, so don't pick something too far from the
mainstream (such as lapsang souchong, Earl Grey, etc.). Darjeeling is
a classic for afternoon tea; or pick a robust, unchallenging blend.

Far more important is the attention that you pay to where you serve
tea, how you serve tea, and in what you serve tea. If you're billing
it as "afternoon tea", use your best china: a delicate, appealing pot,
pleasant cups, matching saucers, and matching plates if you can. At
the very least, don't use mugs / saucerless cups, or anything stained
or chipped, if you can avoid it. It's time to break out your "Sunday
best". There's no right answer, but the more effort you put in, the
more honour you're paying your guests, and the more touched they'll be.

Standard issue afternoon tea usually comes with some home-made (by
you!) scones, halved, and placed on a central plate. A small selection
of jams (not marmalade) in small pots (with small serving spoons...

Lemon seems quite unusual, at least in England. Most hotels only serve
milk. Perhaps have a few slices on hand, and ask if your guests would
like some, but otherwise don't bother would be my advice.

Fran gmail.com> wrote:

Why not use full-cream milk? It tastes better, and if you're only using
a tiny amount, it's not going to clog your arteries appreciably. I don't
really get the American fascination with taking all the good part of the
milk away and drinking the thin stuff that is left over.

I always wanted to like things English but never could reshape my soul for
them. But I admire the quality of the inner logic. Its like a scientific
theory that you admire for its elaborate and clever structure but just
cannot make yourself believe a word of it :)))))))))
With your permission I will repost and may be translate this piece into
Russian for my favorite Russian teatips.ru tea site, because I think you
managed to express the soul of the English afternoon tea here the very best
way possible.
That slightly dull, somewhat chalky, colorless, albeit elaborate and manly
style that I always compare with fine tall wrought-iron fences and gates of
the late 18-early 19 century palaces and it fits the subject perfectly. When
non-brits try to write this way it just feels too gay. ...

Scott -

I agree with you but there is a slight detail that you may have overlooked -
Lemon has an interesting ability to induce the "imaginary acididty" in the
mouths of people who rarely use it.
It was always a nightmare of opera singers that someone in the audience with
start eating a raw lemon while they sing and they would actually see it .
Just imagining that makes some people cringe.
I noticed that lemon, even just sitting on the table, has similar effect on
some of my english friends - just a sight of it.
Me - I love to bite into a whole one, without even slicing.

Sasha.

Thank you. You've been a great help.

HobbesOxon wrote: