Victorian Tea Party

This evening I hosted a Victorian inspired tea in my apartment to coincide with our book club's discussion of 'Travels in West Africa' by Mary Nerietta Kingsley. Kingsley traveled to Africa in the early 1890s and wrote about her time there. When I was asked to host I knew that I would have to do something special. Since tea was an important custom during the Victorian era, I thought that a tea party would be fitting. Our apartment buildng is an 1890s mansion, so our study of this book was even more fascinating. And, to top it all off, it wouldn't have been right to leave my 1888 dress hanging in the closet when this was a perfect occasion to wear it.



Our tea was at 7:30 in the evening, so I lit the candles in our fireplace and had a few other candles scattered about the room for an intimate and cozy setting.

Scones and preserves.

I used some of the vintage glass items that I've been collecting, combined with some newer pieces for an elaborate table display. The teacups and matching teapot were a wedding gift from a dear friend who has inspired me with her lovely tradition of drinking tea each night with her husband before bed.

Menu:

Irish Scones with English Clotted Cream and Raspberry and Peach Preserves

Red Grapes

Pepperidge Farm Cookies (Yum!)

Cucumber Sandwiches from this recipe

Peppermint Tea

Buckingham Palace Tea

Many thanks to Margaret of Margaret's Fine Imports who helped me select the delightful teas and treats for the party!