Friday, June 24, 2011

The Queen's Tea

We held our annual Queen's Tea earlier this month to celebrate the birthday of Queen Elizabeth. Although the Queen's birthday is actually on April 21st, the 'official' birthday is celebrated on a weekend in June as the weather is more desirable and the celebration may include a garden party at the Palace. Therefore, we celebrate in June also. Our festivities began with a glass of Oolong Champagne and a celebratory toast, Long Live the Queen!For starters, we served a mixed salad with French Dressing said to be the Queen's favorite according to Darren McGrady, personal chef to Lady Diana, in his book Eating Royally. Following the salad, we presented the sandwich plate which featured a Herbed Party Triangle, Buckingham Palace Rose Garden Sandwiches, Green Onion with Boursin cheese biscuits, Peach & Brie Crostini, Chicken Salad in Tomato Rosemary Muffins, and a Bacon & Egg Salad Sandwich.Fresh-from-the-oven scones included Kensington Palace Scones and Lemon Currant English Cream Scones accompanied with True Devon Cream, Mock Clotted Cream, Lemon Curd and Raspberry Preserves plus a Strawberry with Mascarpone Cheese. The desserts included a petite Chocolate Biscuit Cake (recipe from Eating Royally), Strawberry with Almond Cream Puff Pastry, and a miniature Earl Grey Tea Cake. Following the tea service, we shared what might typically be found in the Queen's purse, things such as pictures of her children, a collection of good luck charms, chocolate drops for her corgi's, and a crossword puzzle or two. This website, Lisa's History Room includes a detailed look into the contents of the Queen's purse.

3 comments:

Bernideen said...

Gosh I wish I could come - this looks so delicious!

Marilyn Miller said...

The food looks wonderful. I love the touch of sharing what might be in the Queen's purse. I have always wondered.

Angela McRae said...

Another fun teatime! If I were rich and could afford my own jet ... well let's just say I'd rarely miss a tea with you!