Inside the June Issue:
 » Editor's Note

  1... They Say It's Your Birthday
  2... Testing Your Knowledge
  3... Tea News Bits
  4... The Minack Theatre
  5... Top Ten Britcom Characters: My Choices
  6... Long Live The Queen!
  7... Tea Advisor
  8... Mystery of the Month
  9... England's Calendar of Events: June
10... Tea Times Travel Tips
11... Glossary of Tea Terms
12... Rhubarb and Orange Crumble Cake
13... Afternoon Teaisms
14... Tea Reading Room

    Printer-friendly Version

Editor's Note

June is the month of the Queen's official birthday celebration! We're sure everyone will be sending their best regards to her. Don't miss reading about the list of events in honor of the celebration inside this edition of the Tea Times.

Do you think you can guess who Greg Parsons, writer for The Insider, voted as his top ten favorite Brit Com characters? To see if you are correct, read his article. We think you will be surprised by some of his choices.

After reading Jon Coe's article about the Minack Theatre, you might have a burning desire to go there yourself. It certainly looks and sounds like a fabulous place to visit. If you want to see real-time pictures from its webcams, go to www.minack.com/theatregoers/webcams.

Guess who's turning 64 this year? You'll probably want to break into song when you find out in our birthday section.

An asparagus fern with roots that look like Jesus? Read about this in the News Bits to decide for yourself.

Our recipe this month sounds just yummy – Rhubarb and Orange Crumble Cake. Take advantage of rhubarb while it's in season. We all like Rhubarb Pie but why not try something different?

And last but not least, read Judith Hays' final installment of her tea room experiences in England. It would be nice to have one of those scones right now, wouldn't it?

Sue G, Editor
Heather, Tea Lady
Mr. Sullivan, Web Master
Bobby Showe, ATT Reporter

1 

They Say It's Your Birthday!

Do you share a birthday with any of these people?

June 3, 1865 - King George V of England

June 7, 1940 - Sir Tom Jones, singer

June 13, 1943 - Malcolm McDowell , actor

June 18, 1942 - Sir Paul McCartney, "The Beatles"

2 

Testing Your Knowledge

Who Is This Famous Actor?

Let's see if you can figure out who this famous actor is. Read further through the newsletter to see if you are right!

This actor was born in York, North Yorkshire, England, UK. She attended Mount School in York and studied at the Central School of Speech and Drama. She's performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company, the National Theatre, and at Old Vic Theatre.

She has been awarded the Laurence Olivier Award five times and once for the Laurence Olivier Theatre Special Award. Her 1999 Oscar was awarded for an eight minute performance.

She admits to preferring stage first, television second and film in third place.

www.imdb.com

3 

Tea News Bits

MPT Presents FREE Concert Film Starring The Who

Don't miss special screenings featuring Townshend, Daltrey, Entwistle and special guests performing the classic rock opera "Quadrophenia."

Thursday, June 1 at 7:30 p.m.
Avalon Theatre
Easton, Maryland

Friday, June 9, 8:00 p.m.
University of Baltimore
New Student Center

To reserve your FREE tickets, contact thewho@mpt.org or 410-581-4265. Maximum four tickets per person.

Don't Miss Miss Marple!

Spinster sleuth Miss Marple returns with four new episodes beginning June 4. Mystery! airs on Sundays at 9:00 p.m.

Since it's June...

Here is an interesting version of how the wedding bouquet became a tradition.

In the 1500s, most people got married in June. This was because they took their yearly bath in May and still smelled pretty good by June.

However, by June they were starting to smell so brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odor. This became today's custom of carrying a bouquet when getting married. www.holidayinsights.com

The British Players present 42nd Old Time Music Hall

The British Players (formerly the British Embassy Players) will present their 42nd Old Time Music Hall at the "Kensington Palace of Variety," Kensington Town Hall, 3710 Mitchell Street, Kensington, MD. From June 20 to July 2, 2006. By the end of the nineteenth century, Music Hall was the prime means of entertainment and relaxation for Britain's working classes.

Go to www.britishplayers.org for more information, to purchase tickets or to obtain directions to Kensington. You can also call Jane Lee at 703-521-5764 or leave a message at 703-271-0172.

Divine vegetation as Jesus appears in plant

A gardener had a revelation when he dug up his asparagus plant and saw the face of Jesus.

Martin Gregory was enjoying his Sunday morning gardening when he noticed something quite different about one of his asparagus ferns he removed from a pot. As the 52-year-old laid the 30 inch plant on the grass the sun shone down on the roots and revealed the face of Jesus to him.

"I've heard about Mother Theresa's face being seen in a bagel but I thought this was much better." www.thisislocallondon.com

4 

The Minack Theatre

by Jon Coe

This is a must see as you travel through Cornwall.

When I was a teenager growing up in Cornwall, I was interested in the theatre. I started appearing in plays at school at the age of twelve. Many of the plays were Spanish tragedies but others were plays like Oliver Twist with a few comedies intermingled. When I was on stage I had the feeling that the whole world could cave in but everything else would stand still during these theatrical moments. I realized being on stage was excellent therapy for me.

My mother always had great plans for me to be a famous actor. My father, however, was more down to earth and imagined perfection for me to be an electrician or plumber.

As I got older, I fell into the landscape gardening adventure but I was still involved in the theatre. I appeared in a play in which I portrayed an eccentric English butler. This role got me a part with a semi-professional company who had rewritten the story of King Arthur with an approach to make it more rugged and realistic. They gave it a very Celtic feel, introducing spells written and spoken in the native Cornish tongue. After all, the remains of King Arthur's castle are located in North Cornwall in a little town called Tintagel.

I didn't realize what I was in for when I joined this troop of actors. They were all very good. One had been in a previously ongoing television production; others were well-seasoned Shakespearean actors. I was afraid and intimidated.

My part was as Sir Gareth, one of the Knights of the Round Table. Although I had only about ten lines, it was enough to make me feel that I had "made it " half way.

To my great surprise I learned that this production was to be staged at the famous Minack Theatre, located about thirty miles from my home. The theatre was located in a very rugged location which involved driving narrow country roads, surrounded by granite and prickly Gorse bushes and deserted tin mines from long ago.

The Birth of the Minack Theatre

The Minack Theatre evolved due to a local theatre group. In 1929 they performed A Midsummer Night's Dream in a meadow near a cottage owned by Miss Rowena Cade. Her cottage was located in a remote part Cornwall, between Penzance and Landsend. The following year they repeated their performance there.

After the second performance, Miss Cade offered her garden as the setting for their next production, The Tempest, as her cottage was by the sea and it offered such ambience. Miss Cade and her gardeners made a terrace with rough seating, hauling material from her cottage and up from the beach below via a winding path. They worked very hard in the years to come, creating an amphitheatre overlooking a very picturesque seascape of cliffs and ships that passed in the distance.

Miss Cade put her entire life into building the theatre. Each year, there would be added another set of seats made of stone from the surrounding landscape, until a beautiful amphitheatre emerged from the cliffs swirling in seagulls with dancing lights on the waves below.

In 1955 the first dressing rooms were built. In 1976, the theatre became registered as a charitable trust and is now run by a local management team.

I remember Miss Cade quite clearly although I only saw her once in 1981. She was old and wiry but still full of ambition. Sadly, Miss Cade passed away in 1983 at the age of 89.

My Performance

The play of King Arthur included very realistic costumes made of chain mail with heavy swords made from real metal. For the ladies, seamstresses had created elegant works.

I don't remember how many nights we rehearsed but each time the sun went down over the English Channel, an ominous feeling mixed with excitement settled over me. Amid the mist and the pounding of the sea below, the legend of King Arthur came to life and as the fantastic lighting system in the Minack Theatre came on, another atmosphere materialized.

Opening night arrived and it was up to the actors to deliver. Hundreds of people streamed in from the parking area, carrying blankets and refreshments. Because the acoustics were fantastic, it didn't matter if you sat at the stage or a hundred feet up the embankment, you could hear a pin drop from any location.

I'll never forget that opening night. One of the seamstresses had lost a needle and no one could find it. As I entered the stage to deliver my first line I found that needle - piercing into the back of my left foot. It had fallen into a crack of the stage floor and as I stepped down it came through the chain mail. It helped me say my lines louder, as I had been shown by some of the professionals. Without blinking an eye, as I said my lines, I balanced myself on my right foot and calmly removed it. I finished the scene and returned the needle to the dressing room. The adage of "once you are on stage, the whole world disappears for a time" certainly applied to this situation.

In Closing

The atmosphere of the Minack Theatre is very romantic and mysterious. The setting, in itself, is more than half the dream of any production company. The stage is always set and you need only a good script and good acting to carry it off.

The Minack Theatre is open for performances from June to September for a full summer season of sixteen plays produced by companies from all over the UK and visiting companies from the USA. Every ten years, an anniversary production of The Tempest is staged.

The theatre is open most of the year to visitors during the daylight hours. You can walk around and imagine scenes from your favorite Shakespearean plays or you can sit quietly and listen to the bell chiming on a nearby buoy that warns passing ships of the rocks below.

I feel lucky to have had the opportunity to take my eldest daughter there about seven years ago. I suggest you try to visit in June, July or August. Go during the day and buy a ticket for that evening's performance. During the day, travel around the coastline a bit, then come back to see the play, armed with sandwiches, some refreshments and a blanket in case there's a chill in the air after the sun sets.

I hope to see you there.

5 

Top Ten Britcom Characters

My Choices

British television viewers were polled a while back, and a ranking of the 100 greatest TV characters was compiled. At the top of their list was Homer Simpson (D'oh!) and it also included characters such as Mr. Spock, Emma Peel from The Avengers and Columbo. That got me to thinking about what would be my choices if the field were narrowed down to ten Britcom characters. After much deliberation I settled on my choices. This was not an easy task, mind you, but if a gun was pointed at my head and I was FORCED to choose, here's my ranking:

10

Father Dougal McGuire Show: Father Ted | Played by: Ardal O'Hanlon British comedy is full of some wonderful dim-witted innocents, but Father Dougal is the best of them. Dougal is an endearing chap but nevertheless a thorn in the side of Father Ted, who has to do things like explain to him the difference between the cows from a toy farm set and the cows far out in the field. "OK, one last time," Ted says picking up a toy cow. "These are small and the ones out there are far away. Small...far away." Dougal still has a hard time comprehending it. It's not easy to play dumb, but Ardal O'Hanlon made it work and shows the same easy charm in his current series, My Hero.

9

Alf Garnett Show: Till Death Us Do Part | Played by: Warren Mitchell Till Death Us Do Part was one of the most controversial sitcoms of its time. The reason was due to its larger-than-life lead character, Alf Garnett. Alf was a foul tempered, highly opinionated, right-wing bigot who, when not getting drunk, was getting into arguments about politics and everything else with his liberal lay-about of a son-in-law Mike. Warren Mitchell's brilliance as Alf was matched by that of Carroll O'Connor when this show transferred to America as All in the Family.

8

Arnold Rimmer Show: Red Dwarf | Played by: Chris Barrie Chris Barrie has played a few pompous gits in his time, but none better than Arnold Judas Rimmer. The difference between Rimmer and other characters Barrie has played is in the writing. Rob Grant and Doug Naylor gave Rimsey depth by wisely fleshing out his background, especially his complicated relationship with his parents. You still may not like him, but at least you understand him better. It'll be very interesting to see what happens to Rimmer when the RD movie is finally released.

7

Victor Meldrew Show: One Foot in the Grave | Played by: Richard Wilson Victor Meldrew might well have come off as just another grumpy old man, but in the skilled hands of writer David Renwick and actor Richard Wilson he is much more complex than your standard curmudgeon. Struggling to make his existence meaningful following a forced retirement, Victor simply cannot believe the inexplicable twists, turns and curveballs that life keeps throwing him. Unfortunately his long-suffering wife Margaret was left to deal with things when - in a sitcom rarity - Victor was killed off in the final episode. A brave end to a brave show.

6

Patsy Stone Show: Absolutely Fabulous | Played by: Joanna Lumley Joanna Lumley was never known for doing comedy (she'd appeared in a couple of episodes of Are You Being Served?) so she startled everyone with her scene-stealing tour-de-force as Patsy Stone in Absolutely Fabulous. Patsy is a child of the 60s who really has never moved on, still living a debauched life of sex, drugs, and rock and roll. Along with her partner-in-crime Edina (Eddy) Monsoon, Pats explores every trend - and every man - that comes along. Patsy's best bits include her run-ins with Eddy's prudish daughter Saffron.

5

Edmund Blackadder Show: Blackadder | Played by: Rowan Atkinson Had the BBC not given this show a second chance, the character of Edmund Blackadder wouldn't be on here. It was almost canceled following the first season but by the time it returned Edmund had turned into the sarcastic, barb-slinging Blackadder we know and love. Credit must go to writers Richard Curtis and Ben Elton, but there's no doubt that Atkinson was sheer perfection as he portrayed all the Blackadders throughout history. Some of the punch lines were very long and convoluted, but he handled them with enormous aplomb and never missed a beat.

4

Alan Partridge Show: I'm Alan Partridge | Played by: Steve Coogan The character of Alan Partridge started out small enough as an inept sports reporter on the brilliant spoof radio news show The Day Today. From there he blossomed into a deluded egomaniac with a spoof talk show called Knowing Me, Knowing You...With Alan Partridge and then I'm Alan Partridge showed him after his career had hit the skids. This character pretty much started what has been called "the comedy of embarrassment" - programs featuring characters that make you simultaneously laugh and cringe. Coogan has been often compared to Peter Sellers, and he lives up to that analogy here as he truly gets under the skin of this marvelous character.

3

Mr. Humphries Show: Are You Being Served? | Played by: John Inman Even the most hardened cynics cannot help but get a smile out of the antics of the flamboyant, loveable Wilberforce Clayborne Humphries on Are You Being Served? Mr. Humphries was the office politician often on the fence about one thing or another. He was the one everyone had a kind word for and very much the fun uncle in the Grace Brothers family. The "Is Mr. Humphries gay?" controversy followed the series throughout its run, but in the end it didn't matter. Funny is funny. Mr. Humphries was a great character, and John Inman deserved every bit of praise he got for this role.

2

Hyacinth Bucket Show: Keeping Up Appearances | Played by: Patricia Routledge She is the Queen of the snobs, the ultimate pedant when it comes to social etiquette and the woman you don't want living next door to you. She is Hyacinth Bucket and it's no wonder everyone scatters when they see her coming. It's also understandable why the mail carrier and milkman tread lightly as they approach her house. Hyacinth is quite a monster, and Patricia Routledge's masterful performance is the total comedy package of verbal and physical perfection. You don't get much better than this. Unless you're....

1

Basil Fawlty Show: Fawlty Towers | Played by: John Cleese To my mind there is no more memorable character in British comedy than Basil Fawlty. John Cleese spent twelve episodes as the henpecked, perennially flustered snob who's always concerned about bringing in a better class of clientele to his establishment and trying to keep disasters from spiraling out of control. He's never successful and was always caught out by his wife Sybil. There are so many classic bits it's tempting - but impossible - to name them all. However, who can forget how he turned something as simple as a fire drill into a chaotic mess? Or trying to keep Sybil from knowing that - against her wishes - he'd hired cheaper builders who made a mess of the job? This is not a man you'd want to know in real life, but I for one am sure glad I got to him on Fawlty Towers.

6 

Long Live The Queen!

80th Birthday

Although Queen Elizabeth was actually born on April 21, 1926, June 17, 2006 marks the official date of celebrating the Queen's 80th birthday. This tradition of having an official birthday began for practical, seasonal reasons.

Kind Edward VII, who was born November 9, was the first sovereign to begin this custom. Official celebrations held during the winter months frequently encountered inclement weather which spoiled the parades and other outdoor activities.

Subsequent Monarchs had birthdays which fell at convenient times of the year so their celebrations could be held on their actual birthdays. King George VI, The Queen's father, had a mid-December birthday so he revived the practice by "moving" his birthday to June. This officially established the tradition of an "official" birthday.

On The Queen's actual birthday, she celebrates with family and friends at Windsor Castle. The official celebration always consists of the Trooping of the Color ceremony and a fly-by over Buckingham Palace.

Several other events will take place this year to honor the occasion.

A special Royal Collection exhibit will travel to three different locations during this year of The Queen's 80th birthday. The collection will include photos of The Queen's public and family life over the past 80 years, dresses, and jewelry. The Royal Collection's finest drawings of Leonardo da Vinci will travel to galleries and museums across the United Kingdom.

All information gathered from www.royal.gov.uk

7 

Tea Advisor

Popular Teas and Tea Blends

With more than three thousand varieties of tea and countless combinations, your choice is staggering. Until recently, buying rare or single-garden teas was difficult, because most never reached your local marketplace. Times have changed, however, and so have the number of ways you and the tea merchant can search out and purchase fine tea. Even if you aren't dialed into e-commerce, the global community, or the Internet, they are bringing the world of tea to your doorstep.

The New Tea Book | By Sara Perry

Lu Yu, Chinese Tea Authorities

The greatest of all the Chinese authorities on tea was Lu Yu. He was born sometime in the second quarter of the eighth century and died in 804. His book, The Classic of Tea, became the most important manual for tea drinkers in Tang China, and has remained so ever since. The book gives advice on the tools needed to harvest and process tea, the equipment needed to brew tea, and a list of the tea-producing districts graded by quality. The most striking features of the book, however, are the poetic and reverential descriptions of tea making and drinking. For Lu Yu tea was much more than a beverage.

When the water is boiling it must look like the fishes' eyes and give off but the hint of a sound. When at the edges it chatters like a bubbling spring and looks like innumerable pearls strung together, it has reached the second stage. When it leaps like majestic breakers and resounds like a swelling wave it is at its peak. Any more and the water will be over boiled and should not be used.

Tea | By Roy Moxham

8 

Mystery of the Month

What Is Your Guess? Mystery Trivia

Case One

Some years ago, a man left his job to travel around the world with a famous group. The group evaluated the man's credentials and told him he could not join it. The man was elated.

The Mystery
What is the group's name and in what year did the man try to join?

Clues

• The year is in the 20th century.
• The man is an American in his early 20s.
• The group is planning a trip to Southeast Asia.
• The year is one of great turmoil and the group is a source of major controversy.
• The year is in the 1960s.
• Uncle Sam made the man attempt to join.

Case Two

Wilma is working diligently in a lab when she gets a tremendous urge for a cigarette. There aren't any "No Smoking" signs posted, and the chemicals she is working with pose no real fire hazard. As soon as Wilma strikes a match, her boss fires her for destroying his work.

The Mystery
In what kind of lab did Wilma work and what is her ex-boss's profession?

Clues

• Wilma is completing a specialized task.
• Wilma sometimes wears gloves.
• The destroyed work cannot be replaced.
• Wilma's lab deals more with paper samples than blood samples.
• Much of the work in the lab takes place in dim light.
• Wilma's former boss is involved in the arts and has a trained eye.

Check July 2006 Edition for Answers

Answers to May Mysteries:

Case One: Iraq and Kuwait were hit hardest by Operation Desert Storm in 1991.
Case Two: Butch works for a library; people are taking books.

30 Second Mysteries, © University Games

9 

England's Calendar of Events | June

Round the Island Race
June 3, 2006

The original idea for the Island Sailing Club's Round the Island Race came from member Major Cyril Windeler. In 1930 he suggested a handicap race around the Isle of Wight which could cater to smaller boats - those in the category 5 to 25 tons. He may, at that time, have been enjoying a quiet joke at the expense of the Royal Yacht Squadron, who had stated that their members must own a yacht of minimum of 30 tons!

The first race took place in 1931 with 25 entries and it was indeed one of the smaller boats which won. The successful skipper, Peter Brett, competed in a 22 foot Cornish fishing boat "Merry Conceit". He had bought it, in partnership with his friend Henry Trefusis, from the builders in Looe, for the sum of £45 ($84.66).

The top trophy then, as now, was the Gold Roman Bowl. The original had been seen on display in a goldsmiths near the site of a Roman wharf in London. It had been dredged up from the River Thames. Major Windeler so loved the design he ordered a replica to be made by Bruce Benzie, the Cowes jewellers.

http://www.roundtheisland.org.uk

F-1 British Grand Prix
June 11, 2006

No other event matches the intensity and atmosphere of the Formula 1™ Foster's British Grand Prix, and there's only one way to experience it... LIVE!

Silverstone is the home of the Foster's British Grand Prix, the UK's only round of the FIA Formula 1™ World Championship. The historic circuit had the honour of staging the first-ever British Grand Prix back in 1950 and to this day remains home to this country's most spectacular annual motor sport showpiece.

As one of the fastest and most challenging circuits on the GP calendar, Silverstone never fails to deliver one of the year's most exciting F1™ showdowns.

June Dates of Note

June 2 - Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II (1953)

June 3 - The Rolling Stones begin their first tour of the United States (1964)

June 7 - The United Colonies make a name change and become the United States.

June 10 - First Oxford v Cambridge boat race. Oxford won. (1829)

June 15 - King John signed the Magna Carta. (1215)

June 15 - Children's Day - Britain

June 17 - Queen's Official Birthday Celebration

June 18 - Battle of Waterloo. The Duke of Wellington beat Napoleon, in Belgium (1815)

June 19 - Police force formed by Robert Peel in London. (1829)

June 20 - Feast of St. Alban, the first British martyr.

June 24 - Midsummer Day/Feast of St. John the Baptist. The feast of St. John the Baptist is unusual in the Christian calendar as it commemorates his birth and not his martyrdom/death.

June 24 - Henry VII is crowned the Kind of England (1509)

June 29 - Shakespeare's Globe Theatre burns down. (1613)

www.woodlands-juniot.kent.sch.uk

ANSWER!
Who Is This Famous Actor from Page 2?: Judi Dench!

10 

Tea Times Travel Tips

June Weather

The average temperature in London in June is 61 degrees Fahrenheit with an average rainfall of 1.8 inches. England for Dummies | By Donald Olson

London, A City of Contrasts

The Top Ten Sights

Broadstairs

11 

Glossary of Tea Terms

Keep reading future editions of the Tea Times to learn about more tea terms!

C Caffeine - The stimulating constituent in tea. Bitter in taste but cannot be detected at the normal drinking strength. Ceylons - The old name for Sri Lankan teas. Both black and green teas are made in Sri Lanka, but the blacks predominate. They are known by the name of the district, and are further identified by garden marks. Character - When tasting teas, a desirable liquor quality that permits identification of country of origin and district within that country. Choppy - A term used to describe leaf chopped after processing in the breaker or cutter rather than in the roller. Often used in regard to a broken pekoe made by cutting a pekoe or orange pekoe. Chunky - Term usually applied to broken types that are too large in size. (See "Bold.") Clean - A term used to describe leaf free from fiber, dust and stalk, and which denotes an evenly sorted grade containing no other grades. May also apply to a liquor of a plain tea, which has no particular unpleasant taste qualities. Colour - Colour of liquor, which varies from country to country and district to district. Colourey is used to denote a strong orange red colour as a good Kenya or Assam. Congou - A general term used to describe all China blacks, irrespective of district.

Coarse - Tea liquor with certain undesirable characteristics resulting from coarse plucked leaf or irregular firing. Coppery - Bright infusion the colour of a "new penny," from good quality, well manufactured black tea. Creaming Down - A milky film rising to the surface of the tasting cup as the liquor cools, accompanied by the thickening of the liquor in certain high grade teas; believed to be caused by precipitation of the polyphenols and caffeine. Creepy - The principle term used to describe tea which is crimped in appearance, usually a BOP grade. CTC - A cutting process (cut, tear, curl), used to make small leaf grades required for teabags. Produces coloury fast liquoring teas. Curly - Used when describing whole leaf grades such as orange pekoe as opposed to wiry. Did you miss A-B? Check it out in last month's edition. www.nbtea.co.uk

12 

Rhubarb and Orange Crumble Cake

Rhubarb Is In Season

The Queen is celebrating her official birthday on June 17 and Father's Day is June 18. Why not take advantage of using rhubarb while it is in season to bake a cake and celebrate both?

Chopped hazelnuts and shredded coconut can be added to the crumble mixture, if desired.

Cake
• 3 cups chopped rhubarb (about 5 stalks)
• 1 ½ cups (12 oz) granulated sugar
• 1 cup (8 fl oz) water
• ¾ cup (3 ½ oz) unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ cup (4 oz) butter at room temperature
• 2 eggs
• Finely grated zest of 1 orange

Crumble
• ¾ cup (3 ½ oz) unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3 tablespoons cold butter
• Powdered sugar for dusting

Preheat the over to 400 degrees. Butter an 8-inch square pan.

In a medium saucepan, combine the rhubarb, 1 cup ( 8 oz) of the sugar, and the water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium low, cover, and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain.

In a medium bowl, combine the remaining ½ cup (4 oz) sugar, the flour, and baking powder. Add the butter, eggs, and orange zest and beat until smooth. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Spoon the drained rhubarb mixture evenly over the batter.

To make the crumble:

In a medium blow, combine the flour, sugar, and cinnamon. Using a pastry cutter, 2 knives, or your fingers, cut or rub the butter in until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over the rhubarb.

Bake the cake in the center of the preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until firm to the touch and golden brown. Let cool slightly. Dust with powdered sugar, cut into 2-inch squares, and serve warm.

Makes sixteen 2-inch squares.

Afternoon Tea Serenade | By Sharon O'Connor

13 

Afternoon Teaisms

Rhymes and Wits

Notes from a Small Island

Oliver Wendell Holmes

14 

Tea Reading Room

From Our Readers

This is the third and final installment of Judith Hays' 2000 trip to England with her husband to follow the footsteps of four of A.S. Byatt's characters (Randolph Henry Ash, Christabel la Motte, Maud Bailey, Roland Mitchel) from her book "Possession: A Romance." We hope you enjoyed being along for the trip.

Whitby

Judith Hays and her husband Frank in York

June 19, 2000

Lunch at the Harbour Inn Tea Room - Whitby

For lunch, we once again agreed to have "tea" - so we chose the Harbour Inn Tea room, overlooking the busy and colorful harbour. Frank and I decided to order one "full" afternoon tea, and share it, since it included more than enough goodies for both of us: finger sandwiches (butter, cucumber, and tuna), raisin and sultana scones, jam, clotted cream, and an apple tart. It was served with a pot of tea, but we also ordered two bottles of spring water, as the temps were in the 80s that day. "Tea" was excellent, as usual, and the view of the harbour was wonderful. As we ate our tea, we shared with one another that we could easily see ourselves retiring in England - as we would never get bored of exploring not only the villages, moors, and coastlines - but also the tea shops!

June 20, 2000

Lunch at a Tea Room in Pickering

After spending four hours in search of the Roman Road (and getting lost several times) we ended up in Pickering, without having ever found the Roman Road. We decided to take a little break before resuming our search. Since we were both still stuffed from our full English breakfast, we decided to simply have a pot of tea and scones - as for us the "simple" scones are a little feast in themselves. I had mine with jam, and Frank had his with jam and clotted cream. They were, as always, melt-in-your-mouth delicious!

P.S. Our trip to Yorkshire in search of the ghosts of Byatt's four characters was not only completely successful (we ended up with three huge photo albums of glorious snapshots of the moors, coastlines, and villages of Yorkshire), but we also totally fell in love with British "afternoon tea."

© 2012 Maryland Public Television

Support MPT | Pledge/Renew | Shop MPT | Program Schedule
About MPT | Contact Us | Privacy Policy