The Afternoon Tea Book

Portrays an enchanting history of the "taking of tea" in the English tradition and is very informational on tea overall. The recipes are absolutely wonderful, even for preparing traditional English fare that isn't readily offered in most US tea shops. Very fun!

As far as I'm concerned, this book is the definitive book on tea, its history, and authentic tea-time recipes. Many of the recipes may not seem appealing to our American palates, but they are nonetheless authentically British. The author shares a wealthy of knowledge on the history of tea, tea customs and maners, as well as a robust section of recipes. If you're interested in having an "authentic" tea, you can't possibly go wrong in purchasing this book!

The author is a British chef who was the culinary advisor to the PBS Masterpiece Theater series "Upstairs, Downstairs" and "The Duchess of Duke Street." The first 80 pages contain information about tea -- its history, how to make it, how to serve it, the names and uses of every type of implement, and so on. The subsequent 174 pages consist of recipes, and are followed by 15 pages of index. The entire book is sprinkled with amusing anecdotes, some from his childhood.I found the book fascinating, but I don't know that I'll ever try any of the recipes. These are authentic British recipes (this man has cookbooks dating from the 1700's, and he quotes from them!). The recipes have all been updated for the modern American kitchen and are easy to follow, but I'm not sure how many will appeal to American tastes. I know I'll never convince my family and friends to eat sandwiches containing minced tongue! I couldn't wait to check out the recipes on potted meat because I'd read about it so many times in novels, but discovered it's boiled, shredded meat turned into a paste via melted butter! And there are 8 different potted meat recipes!If you are interested in history, authenticity, and details, this is the book for you. If, on the other hand, you just want to have a lovely party with foods that more Americans are familiar with, try "Tea with Friends" by Elizabeth Knight (for how to give a tea party), and "The Book of Afternoon Tea" by Lesley Mackley or "Totally Teatime Cookbook" by Helene Siegel (for recipes).

For anyone wanting to sample the luxury of tea in the afternoon this book is perfect. A wealth of information and receipes. Do try the crab sandwichs.

Michael Smith did an absolute wonderful job in writing this book. I could not put it down. I actualy read it from cover to cover. I am looking forward to reading the other books that he has written!