Tea-time Memoirs

I remember my earliest and fondest memories of having tea were with my dear Granny. 

 The table was always laid with fine china, even though tea was served on the kitchen table.  There was always an air of ceremony at tea time. 

  

To start with, there were toasted Hot Cross buns with lashings of creamy Anchor butter.  These were always followed by cake and Granny always had a selection of two to choose from each week, usually out of the tins would come either; Coffee & Walnut, Victoria Sponge, Orange & Lemon, Chocolate or a Fruit cake.  These were beautifully baked for her weekly by her kitchen help, Mrs Weight.  After the buns and cake, there was the added opportunity to delve into the buscuit tin, where one could choose from either a Rich Tea, Plain Digestive or a Chocolate Digestive buscuit.  It was at this point that the little dog at my Granny's feet would be treated to half a digestive biscuit, each day, without fail, just half a digestive biscuit.  All Granny's dogs lived for that daily morsel and waited quietly & patiently by her feet each day for it at tea time.

Despite the array of food on offer, funnily enough there was never a choice of tea.  In Granny's opinion, the only tea that one could possibly want to drink and be served at tea time at was Earl Grey.  This was always loose leaf tea, stewed in the tea pot and offered to you as either "strong, middeling or weak". 

To this day, I can't contemplate getting through the afternoon without a cup of Earl Grey, even though I no longer have the enourmous amount of food that used to once go with it. 

 Okay, maybe I'll have a biccy then, but just one!

A.I.E. Horn 1907 - 2003