Monday, August 29, 2011

Regency Tea for Friends of Jane Austen

Recently, we hosted a Jane Austen themed tea event in Sweet Remembrances.  In addition to the Internet resource, two wonderful books on the topic provided inspiration and recipe suggestions.  The Jane Austen Cookbook (Maggie Black & Deirdre Le Faye) includes a selection of recipes dating back to the late Georgian/Regency period, approx. 1750 - 1820.  The recipes featured would have been dishes that Jane Austen and her family, and the characters represented in her novels, would have enjoyed.  Each recipe appears as it would have been written during this era followed by an updated version for our modern kitchen.  There is also considerable back ground information pertaining to the social and domestic life in Jane Austen's time.  The recipes are divided into different categories, including family favourites, picnics, suppers, and entertaining friends.
The second cookbook, Tea with Jane Austen (Kim Wilson) also provided a wonderful selection of tea related recipes, quotes, history, and general information regarding the occurrence of tea time events in Jane Austen's novels.  A delightful sampling of the quotes that appear in the book were shared with our guests in the printed menu that day.

"No coffee, I thank you, for me ~never take coffee.~A little tea if you please, sir, by and bye, ~no hurry!  Oh! here it comes.  Every thing is so good!" ~Miss Bates in Emma.

3 comments:

Donna and Miss Spenser said...

How fun! I just watched the most recent edition of Sense and Sensibility this weekend with Miss Spenser...it was delightful...I cried...tears of joy of course after the LONG waiting those girls endured to at last find love!! Was a fun evening...enjoyed it with a cup of tea and European cookies!! ~Donna

Marilyn Miller said...

A very fun theme for tea. Would love to read your menu and see what you served.

Angela McRae said...

This would definitely have been MY kind of event!