Dear friends,
I hope you all had a wonderful week and are looking for relaxation this weekend. Spring is here and it’s a time of rebirth and renewal, giving us a feeling of optimism and excitement. This is my first ‘Chit Chat’ with all of you and I have some wonderful ideas and information to share. So let’s take a break, grab your coffee or cup of tea and let’s talk. A nice break during the week is to sit with friends and acquaintances and have a good cup of tea or coffee. According to the Brits, a good cup of tea solves everything! When you are upset – let’s put the kettle on and have tea. Working out our problems – Tea . A serious discussion – Tea. Feeling ill – Tea. A good old chin wag – Tea. Just because – Tea! Check below for a funny but true story… The Wild Irish Rose!
Some say it tastes better in a porcelain cup or a mug so you can dunk your biscuits (cookies). I will have a whole page devoted to the British tea traditions and how to host them.
If you belong to a Book Club and it is your turn to host, a few special touches will add to your evening of discussion. Here are a couple of ideas, including a Tea Cozy to keep your teapot warm! I will always recommend wonderful and flavorful tea’s from Taylors of Harrogate, which is in the town of Harrogate in Yorkshire, just a few miles away from my hometown. It is a wonderfully crafted tea, and the company was founded in 1886.
TREAT FOR TEA: share with your guests… the cake stand used in this photo belonged to my Great Grandmother Clara and was a given as a wedding gift on April 7th, 1890.
VICTORIA SPONGE CAKE
Ingredients
- 4 Eggs
- 8oz or 225g sugar
- 8oz or 225g baking flour or self rising flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 8oz or 225g softened Irish butter
- 1 cup Strawberry or Raspberry Jam
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 x ” cake pans
- (FOR CHOCOLATE CAKE – ADD 2/3 CUP COCOA POWDER)
- Parchment Paper
Finishing Touch
- 1 tablespoon powdered sugar for dusting
Method
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees or Gas Mark 4. Line 8in cake tins with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix together the eggs and sugar until it forms a paste, then add flour and baking powder. You can use a mixer but don’t over mix. The finished mixture should fall off a spoon easily.
- Divide the mixture evenly between the tins, smoothing out the surface of the cakes with a spatula.
- Bake on the middle shelf for 25 minutes, they are done when they are golden brown. You can stick a toothpick in the middle to make sure. If it comes out clean, they are done, they should be springy to the touch.
- Set aside to cool and after 5 minutes, run a knife or palette around the inside of the tins and gently turn over the tins. The cake should come out easily, then leave the cakes to cool on a cooling rack.
- When completely cooled, place one cake upside down onto a plate and spread it with the jam. Then spread the whipped cream on top of the jam.
- Top with the second cake, top-side up. Sprinkle over the powdered sugar.
The Wild Irish Rose!
This story is true and was told to me by my mother
My mother’s Aunt Ivy was a lady who prided herself on keeping a beautiful home and garden. Her make-up and hair were flawless. When she hosted a dinner, everything from the table setting to the food was perfection, she was a very classy lady. She was an amazing baker and would make the most beautiful cakes and desserts. Aunt Ivy had the biggest heart and was very kind and empathetic to others. She lived in a semi-detached house on a very nice street, where the gardens were always trimmed perfectly and flowers bloomed with every season. Aunt Ivy was married for a short time and never had any children. Her husband revealed his true colors and was certainly not a gentleman. Although he was married, he left Ivy for a much younger woman. In a word, he was a cad! They remained estranged for almost 40 years. Ivy worked as a secretary for many years, and everything she had, including a car, was purchased by her.
So back to the very nice street where Ivy lived. One of the neighbors moved away and the house was purchased by a woman who, as it turned out, was quite a character. She was a very tall Irish woman with fiery red hair and her name was Mari, also known as Ginger Mari. Ginger Mari liked a tipple or two or three… the neighbors were soon enlightened to the fact that the ‘big Irish woman’ after a few tipples, would play the accordion and sing, not only would she sing in the local pubs but in the street as well. She also smoked a pipe. Eventually Ginger Mari was banned from the pubs for fighting with a man, who she punched in the nose and broke it. Oh…the scandal!
After a bout of accordion playing and singing one night, Mari fell outside Ivy’s house. Ivy being the kind person she was took pity on Mari and took her into her house, accordion and all. This started up an unusual friendship and they would have tea together quite often, without the accordion of course. Mari was a widow and had no children and like Ivy, was a good cook and baker. The friendship lasted for a few years until our dear Aunt Ivy became ill and died quite suddenly. Mari was devasted and regressed to her old ways of tippling too much thus playing the accordion and singing in the street. As the funeral cars arrived at Ivy’s house, Mari was making such a scene that our relatives bundled her into the limousine so she could attend the funeral. The day after the funeral her husband, no, not ex-husband, because they had never divorced, showed up at the house and moved in, claiming the house, the car and all Ivy’s worldly possessions, which he was entitled to do. Ginger Mari was infuriated at the gall of this man to do this and couldn’t bare it. One night after quite a few tipples, Ginger Mari marched down the street and to the house and not only did she hurl insults at the husband and his wife but proceeded to hurl bricks at the windows, breaking all of them. Finished with her task and with deep satisfaction, she headed home, singing Irish songs at the top of her lungs. She was subsequently arrested and had an overnight stay in the clink. However, she exclaimed that she was missing her underwear and when asked where it was, she told everyone with pride, “Oh to be sure, me knickers went through the windows with the bricks”!
