Afternoon Tea Class

Today my mom, her good friend Bert, and I drove to Wellsburg to teach a class on how to host a formal afternoon tea. It all started back in the spring when Mom and Bert stopped by The Brick Bungalow gift shop. Bert started bragging to EG, the store's owner, about the amazing baby shower tea we threw for my sister-in-law.

EG asked Mom if we would be willing to teach a class on how to host an afternoon tea, and of course she said yes. It was decided we'd teach the class on Columbus Day.

My mom's a fabulous teacher, and she taught the Wellsburg ladies the fine art of napkin folding.

It was such fun to watch Mom walk the ladies through the Lady Windermere's Fan, the Arum Lilly with Two Napkins, the Rose, and my personal favorite, the Bird of Paradise (shown here).

I spent about an hour talking about everything else related to tea: what makes formal afternoon tea special (real china, homemade food made with love, no coffee and no alcohol); the difference between high tea and afternoon tea (there's more protein in a high tea menu, and it's served more toward evening); a little tea history (tea bricks were used as currency in 15th century China); and what to serve (finger sandwiches and pastries). I demonstrated how to make cucumber sandwiches with cream cheese, red pepper and chives. I also taught the secret of making tea for a crowd by steeping 2/3 cup of loose tea leaves in 4 cups of boiling water for 5 minutes. This concentrate will keep for 2-3 hours and does not need to be kept warm. When you're ready to serve tea, combine 1/2 cup + 2 Tbs. concentrate with 5 cups boiling water into a 6-cup carafe and stir well. Transfer to a warmed tea pot and serve guests. This allows you to spend more time with your guests during tea, and less time waiting for the tea to steep.

As we enjoyed tea and good conversation with the ladies of Wellsburg, I realized how much I enjoy team teaching with Mom, and if we lived closer, we'd probably take this show on the road more often.