Eleven lucky ladies gathered recently at the beautiful home of Cathi Soreng for an afternoon English tea party. Cathi and Virginia Felker hosted this wonderful event and selected the recipes prepared by the guests. One Downton Abbey and one English Tea Party cookbook supplied the unique and delicious recipes. The table was set with vintage dishes and tea cups, adorned with fresh flowers and located on Cathi's shady and spacious patio. The menu consisted of several types of tea sandwiches and other savory goodies , scones with clotted cream and fresh strawberry jam, a Madeira cake and lemon curd tarts with fresh raspberries. We sampled some Madeira and Marsala wine and several special blends of tea. Virginia provided us with some fascinating facts about the history of English tea gatherings, including that pinkies stay down when drinking from a tea cup. Everyone shared some of the noteworthy information about how their recipe was prepared and mostly we just enjoyed the company, food and beautiful setting. A huge thanks to Cathi and Virginia and all of the guest cooks. We will be exploring the cuisine of Korea in July.
