Can you believe it’s that time of year already? Yes, National Tea Day is coming up this Saturday and as, for me at least, it’s one of the most important days of the year, I collated a tea quotes video for your enjoyment.
More tea-related treats coming up this week, but for now, grab yourself a cup of your favourite brew and indulge in some tea wisdom. Enjoy!
Wednesday Thinking The Mid-week EditorialAfternoon Tea Week | ChampagneTwist.com
Hello,
When we think of Afternoon Tea, our minds often turn to the lovely cakes, pastries and of course tea. However, we rarely think about where the tea actually comes from, how it’s manufactured and the people who produce it.
Following are a number of YouTube videos which examines the tea industry. As I come across more videos, I will add them below. If you have any recommendations for this list, comment below.
Enjoy!
The History of Tea – TED Talks
Assam’s modern slaves : The real price of a cup of Tetley Tea
With just 2 ingredients, you can make these extra special meringues, which can be used for a wide number of puddings, desserts, tea time treats, or enjoyed on their own.
The distinctive colour and flavour of the meringues comes from the golden caster sugar used in this recipe.
The following recipe is enough for 1 large meringue nest which could be shared between 5-6 people as a pavlova, or about 6 mini sized individual nests. You could also create 2-3 medium sized meringues with this recipe.
Golden Meringues – recipe
by Champagne Twist
Ingredients:
3 large egg whites
150g golden caster sugar
Method:
Preheat the oven to gas mark 1.
Line 2 baking sheets with greaseproof paper, and set aside.
Separate the egg whites, and keep the egg yolks for another recipe.
With an electric mixer, using the balloon whisk attachment, whisk the egg whites until firm.
Slowly add the sugar 1 tablespoon at a time, until the meringue is stiff and shiny.
Dab a little bit of the meringue on the underside of the greaseproof paper and stick on to the baking sheets. This will prevent the greaseproof paper from slipping.
For a large meringue, use all the mixture to create 1 nest.. For medium sized meringues use 3 heaped tablespoons of the mixture for each meringue. There should be enough for about 2 or 3 nests. For smaller meringues use 2 heaped tablespoons. If you’re making medium or small meringue, make sure they are equally spaced apart. You can use the back of the spoons to help shape the meringues. Alternatively, you can pipe the meringues for a more uniform or decorative look.
Place the baking sheets on the top and middle shelves of the oven, and bake for 45-60 minutes. Half way through baking, swap the trays around to ensure even baking.
When finished, remove from the oven and set aside. The meringues should be allowed to completely cool on the baking sheets.
You can freeze the meringues until ready for use. The meringue can be used in a number of different recipes, such as Berry Meringue Nests.
For a quick and simple dessert or afternoon tea treat, here’s a recipe for those moments when you need something decadent, but lack time.
Cheat’s Berry Meringue Nests – recipe
by Champagne Twist
Ingredients:
Ready made meringues
Mixed berries, I used
Strawberries
Raspberries
Blueberries
Blackberries
Yogurt such as Thick Greek, Greek style, lemon, plain or vanilla
Sprig of mint, for decoration (optional)
Icing sugar, for decoration (optional)
Method:
Using one meringue person, fill the city of each meringue nest wth 1 tablespoon of your chosen yogurt.
Top off each nest with a mix of berries. You can, for instance, cut 1 large. strawberry into quarters and add 1 piece to each nest. Add a couple each of the remaining fruit to each nest to finish.
Decorate the nests with a sprig of mint and dust with icing sugar if using.
With only requiring a few pieces of fruit and a little yogurt, you can create impressive looking and tasting meringue nests, within a relatedly small budget. You can try any combination of fruit and sauces. How about caramel sauce, chocolate sauce and chopped banana.
I hope you like this recipe, if you do, please leave a comment below. If you have any ideas on how to use meringues, again please leave a comment below.
Homemade butter, like most homemade food, is simply better than any you can purchase in a store. For a start, it has a fresher, cleaner flavour, and you can control what goes in your butter.
It is so fun and easy to make, you only require a few tools and as an added bonus, there is minimum waste because the by product is buttermilk, so why not have a go?
Butter and Buttermilk – recipe by ChampagneTwist.com
Tools required:
Kitchen grade muslin cloth
Large sieve
Large bowl
Medium bowl
Wooden spoon
Electric hand or stand mixer (you can use a hand whisk if you prefer)
Pour the cream into a large bowl of a food mixer and whisk on medium speed for about 4 minutes until thickened.
Increase the mixer speed to high and continue to whist until the cream separates into curds (solids) and whey (liquid). This will take about 5 more minutes.
Place a sieve, lined with muslin over a large bowl.
Pour the contents of the food mixer bowl into the lined sieve.
After about 1 minute, gather up the corners of the muslin over the curds and twist so that you can squeeze out as much of the whey as possible.
Set the whey aside – this is now otherwise known as buttermilk.
In medium bowl half filled with chilled water, add the solids and stir fairly vigorously with a wooden spoon. This action ‘washes’ the curds in order to help remove as much of the remaining whey/buttermilk as possible.
Place the curds back into the muslin, gathering up the corners and then squeeze as much whey out as possible. You now have butter.
Shape and wrap the butter in greaseproof paper and store and use as you would shop purchased butter. I ended up with over a pound of butter and 2 cups of buttermilk, which can be used in all sorts of recipes, including scones, bread and soups.
You can flavour your butter with salt, herbs, pepper, spices, even alcohol to make say brandy butter. Making your own butter can open up a wide range of culinary avenues. All you need to do is experiment and have fun.
Hello everyone, and a very warm welcome to new readers. This is Afternoon Week on Champagne Twist
Afternoon Tea Week | ChampagneTwist.com
This week is a very special week for me, as over the next 7 days we get to celebrate my favourite meal. Imagine an entire week dedicated to all things Afternoon Tea.
There are special events up and down the country, including discounted afternoon teas at some very nice establishments, so be sure to check them out. For more information, please click the link – AfternoonTea.co.uk.
But stick around here, and you will be awarded with the following treats:
Afternoon Tea Week 2017
on
ChampagneTwist.com
Afternoon Tea Week – Day 1
Monday 14th August – Start of Afternoon Tea Week
General introduction and what you can look forward to this week on ChampagneTwist.com
The return of Wednesday Thinking, where I showcase thought provoking articles from social media, focusing on a recent and relevant topic. The aim is to help raise awareness and contribute to positive and proactive discussion and conversation. 3 guesses what this week’s topic will be.
Afternoon Tea Week – Day 4
Thursday 17th August – Cakes and Bakes
More brand new recipes in celebration of all things Afternoon Tea, with a slant towards vegetarian, vegan and plant based diets.
Afternoon Tea Week – Day 5
Friday 18th August – Views and Reviews
A look back at some of the best (and worse!) afternoon tea treats, plus a general history of Afternoon Tea.
Afternoon Tea Week – Day 6
Saturday 19th August – Crafts and DIY
All sorts of craft makes relating to my favourite hot drink.
All this a more on ChampagneTwist.com. Please subscribe so that you don’t miss out. Thanks for reading, I hope you will enjoy the next few fun packed, tea filled days.
Well it’s been a busy time here at Champer’s HQ, so it was nice to take some time out and visit the William Morris Gallery. To make the visit extra special, we though we would treat ourselves to an Afternoon Tea at the on-site Tea Room.
So it was with great disappointment that at 3.50pm, the billed Afternoon Tea, which many fans of this meal know is traditionally served at 4pm, was no longer available. The only viable option left for us, was a pot of tea and a slice of Victoria sponge.
The cake, as Victoria sponges go, was nice – the sponge was moist, with a good flavour. There was a fairly generous layer of buttercream, and a rather less generous layer of raspberry jam. It was nice, but not anything special, and I think a little over priced. The tea on the other hand was a complete let down. Having asked for English Breakfast, I received what I can only describe as a mint flavoured black tea, a rather unusual, but not successful blend.
The tea pot didn’t match the rest of the crockery – not that I usually mind, but when 1 or 2 things go wrong, other otherwise minor issues tend to show up on my radar. A pity, because the meal experience slightly tarnished a lovely trip to the gallery.
We plan to revisit the William Morris Gallery later in the year, as it’s such a wonderful, inspirational venue – a post is to follow soon. However, I’m reluctant to revisit the Tea Room, and will seriously consider taking my own afternoon tea to enjoy in the nearby park.