Fit to a tea

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This article was published 17/01/2024 (1011 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

LIMERICK, Ireland — No pinkies were harmed in the taking of afternoon tea.

It’s a culinary event that’s either casual or formal, depending on venue, but either way, it’s considered rude and elitist to poke out your pinkie whilst taking a sip.

What is good form, however, is setting aside a fair amount of time. This isn’t espresso in Italy, where you buy, gulp and go. Afternoon tea is a relaxed social event that takes time, if for nothing else to sample the many delicacies served.

Kara Huxley, waitress for the Castletroy Park Hotel on the outskirts of this western Ireland city, says it takes at least an hour, if not more, to fully enjoy the experience.

“Afternoon tea is not something to be rushed,” she says in a thick accent that barely acknowledges the ‘h’ in the ‘th’ combination.

Huxley has spent the last five years as a server specializing in afternoon tea, and the hotel made her available for an interview and provided a sampling of the day’s offerings. The tea was actually late morning, to accommodate Huxley’s expected busy time shortly after lunch.

Of course, the central ingredient to an afternoon tea is tea, and making it right requires some attention to detail. First, start with fresh, cold water. Then bring it to a hard, rolling boil before taking it off the heat and letting it cool for two minutes, Huxley says.

While it’s boiling, heat your tea pot and cups so they preserve the temperature of the tea when served.

When the boiled water has cooled slightly, she’ll pour it over the leaves or tea bag and let it steep for as much as three minutes.

The choice of tea is important: Irish afternoon tea is the blend of choice for this event.

“It’s a smoother, golden blend that goes really well with the pastries,” she says.

The day’s offerings are detailed on a menu placed on the table. At the Castletroy, on the day of our visit in July, afternoon tea was a fixed €29.95 (CDN$44) per person, or €36.95 (CDN$54) with a glass of prosecco.

Today, the starter is a palate cleanser of pina colada sorbet. On the top of the tiered serving arrangement (see photo) are a lemon blueberry dome with almond biscuit, earl grey mousse strawberry puff, mango and milk chocolate gateaux and a mini apple tart. On the middle tier are a fresh scone, chai tea cake and whipped cream and fruit compote. The bottom tier is savoury: smoked salmon blini with cream cheese, chicken and spring onion mayo on a mini brioche bun, honey glazed Limerick ham with red onion relish on brown soda bread and a turkey, brie and cranberry croissant.

The offerings are doubled when the tray is filled for two people.

The day’s selections are chosen in the morning when the chef and pastry chef start their preparations and rotate regularly, Huxley says.

A week later, my wife and I were in Belfast, at the Europa Hotel. This hotel, during the worst of The Troubles, became the world’s most bombed hotel, typically car bombs parked outside. It served as a media centre for journalists covering the clashes between Crown loyalists and independence fighters. Today, as then, it’s one of Belfast’s top hotels.

It also offers afternoon tea, which we ordered.

For this service, food items came similarly on a three-tiered serving: the middle tier was savoury, with finger sandwiches of egg salad, chicken and mayo, smoked salmon and cured ham and mustard. Scones and tea cake were on the bottom tier and lemon tarts, macarons and chocolate mousse on the top tier.

The history of afternoon tea, or tea as a meal in general, dates back centuries. Wikipedia describes afternoon tea as “a light meal typically eaten between 3:30 and 5 p.m.” Wikipedia also credits the seventh Duchess of Bedford, Anna Maria Russell, one of Queen Victoria’s ladies-in-waiting, as the inventor.

It began, largely, because the traditions at the time were to eat supper later, often as a light meal, so to tide tea-goers over until then. Luncheons were the big meal of the day, so tea would often be served at 5 p.m.

Today, tea is served typically between noon and 4 p.m.

kelly.taylor@freepress.mb.ca