A Tavern Tea

We recently held a variation on afternoon tea which featured our interpretation of a Tavern Tea, The event was centered around a presentation by April Thomas. She discussed the life and recipes of Richard Briggs, The Tavern Cook. Briggs was a cook at the Globe Tavern on Fleet Street, London in the eighteenth century. Taverns were not just public drinking houses, but a destination where one would experience fine dining. We offered our guests a glass of Blackberry Mead Wine from Essiem's Apiary or a glass of Triple Mint Tea. The first course included Cotswold Potato Leek Soup garnished with bacon bits, sour cream, and freshly snipped chives.

The medley of hearty sandwiches included Turkey, Havarti Cheese and Bacon Jam on triangular potato bread, Green Tomato Relish with Garlic Cheese Rounds on crusty bread, Marinated Roast Beef on a miniature roll, Welsh Rarebit garnished with rosemary, and Chicken Pasties.

Our Traditional English Cream Scone was served with sweet cream and Cherry Apple Bourbon Butter alongside a slice of Lavender Lemon Drizzle Tea Cake and fresh orange slices.

The petite dessert trio included a Rhubarb Strawberry Trifle with Vanilla cream sauce, Eccles Cake (also called squashed fly cake because the raisins inside look like flies!) and Classic Raspberry Split Seconds from the English Kitchen.

Our hope was that our guests felt transported to an old English tavern.