A Memorable Brief Encounter at the Tea Room

 

Brief Encounter - Afternoon Tea at the refreshment Room

A terribly British and the most romantic film I have ever seen

From the moment of kindness when the unsuspecting Laura Jesson (the quite perfect Celia Johnson) has a speck of coal removed from her eye by the charming and very capable Dr Alex Havey (Trevor Howard), to the last scene, where their final precious moments are interrupted by an acquaintance of Laura’s. It is an accidental love, and all the more tragic for that – neither was seeking it in their married situations.

We never see but have to imagine the delicate Madeline, Alex’s wife. We do meet Fred though, Laura’s solid and understanding husband. In the opening scene of the film, Laura is speaking to us, as she starts to tell us the story from her arm chair by the fire with Fred, an insight into her life with him. He loves her – and she him, but not in the way that we come to see she has loved Dr Harvey.

Noel Coward’s film is an emotional journey

It is of innocent kindness, unconscious love, passion, and then guilt, with a dreadful, painful separation that neither will probably ever totally recover from. On the train journey to return home, Laura imagines the life that could have been with Alex, had they met earlier without their current commitments - the image fades as she arrives nearer home, and in the most depressing scene of the film, you witness her utter desperation and sorrow.

The Brief Encounter Afternoon Tea is a tea for a rainy day

With Rachmaninov’s Piano concerto No 2 the perfect music which plays throughout this amazing film. Include time for a viewing of the film in your afternoon tea. China is vintage, old fashioned and plain white, do include sugar in the spoon as there was in the film. For an authentic touch, add Bath Buns to your menu – although they never eat them while they sit at their tea table. Fare is simple and very traditional to echo the time when the film is set in 1945 when there would have been rationing from the war still.

Brief Encounter Afternoon Tea

Egg mayonnaise sandwiches on white bread

Victoria Sponge with strawberry jam

Bath Buns with lashing of butter

Brief Encounter afternoon tea - Victoria sponge - BBC recipe

A strong Leaf Tea –  like Henritta Lovells Royal Air Force tea

Old fashioned Afternoon Tea Henrietta Lovell’s Royal Air Force Tea -

Rare Tea

Filmed in 1945 at Camforth Station, the tea rooms have now been restored. Tea with Mary Kate hopes your brief encounter at your Afternoon Tea is a memorable one.

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Top Tips on How to Create the Very Best Royal Wedding Day Celebration – Mary Kate’s Afternoon Tea Idea’s for a Splendid British Tea time Treat

Royal Wedding Afternoon Tea Party Celebration fit for a Queen!

It is official – Tea with Mary Kate is now very excited about the marriage of Prince William to Catherine Middleton. Quite honestly, how can anyone not be?!

To create the very best Wedding Day Party, Tea with Mary Kate has sought out a few quintessionally British favourite essentials – things that will guarantee any event is transported into a rather splendid Royal Wedding Celebration:

Union Jack Bunting – A sight to behold on Regent Street

There is nothing like bunting to signal party. Already in Regent Street, the Union Jack bunting is fluttering resplendent in the breeze as the spring blossom drifts like confetti from trees, all in splendid anticipation of the Royal Wedding. Not that the weather will need to be perfect – the only way that the British will be deterred from being outdoors on such an occasion will be a force 10 gale!

Royal wedding Bunting Regent Street - Mirror Newspaper

Tea and Royal Wedding Inspired Biscuits

Biscuiteers ask a very simple question – why send flowers when you can send biscuits instead? To celebrate the wedding of the decade, rather marvelously, they have created a limited-edition tin fit for a future king. It’s a veritable fanfare of regal-inspired treats: bejewelled crowns (his and hers), the royal glass coach, Union Flags, exquisite sparkly heels, a beautiful designer wedding dress, the world famous engagement ring and even a fabulous three tiered commemorative wedding cake!

Well, I could not agree more, with this gorgeous selection of Royal Wedding inspired treats, all that is needed is a rather nice cup of tea.

Biscuiteers Royal wedding biscuits - A real tea time treat

A Gorgeous Cup of Tea in a Vintage Tea Cup

With Prince William’s current role in the RAF, I am transported back to the recent London Blitz remembrance, a time of bravery and nostalgia. Henrietta Lovells Royal air force tea is just the right tea for the occasion. It is a gorgeous, distinctive, uniquely British blend of Indian Darjeeling and Malawi tea with an old fashioned full bodied leaf taste that is just perfect for creating a flavour to remember the Royal Wedding day celebrations.

Even better, tea from these 2 boutique estates is created using sustainable practices, and is hand crafted and not industrially processed. The tea even smells distinctively old fashioned in a wonderfully nostalgic way that instantly transported me back to my grandmother’s kitchen. I could not resist the Rare Tea company’s striking packaging with the distinctive RAF logo.

Henrietta Lovell's Royal Airforce tea - Perfect for Royal Wedding Afternoon tea celebrations

Royal Wedding Afternoon Tea – Picnic in the Park

As Afternoon Tea is such a wonderfully British treat, Tea with Mary Kate’s idea’s to inspire a Royal Wedding Afternoon Tea is just the perfect way to celebrate. I have created an afternoon tea around the old fashioned custom of ”something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue”, a splendid tradition to bring together the brides past and her future.

Burleigh china for Prince William & Kate Middleton's Royal Wedding Afternoon Tea party

Emma Bridgewater butter dishes and tea pots emblazoned with the union Jack are just the perfect crockery for a Royal Wedding day Tea. Better still though, I adore the specially commissioned William and Kate Royal Wedding tea pot with images of Westminster Abbey, just perfect for brewing a lovely cup of tea.

Tea time treat for William & Kate - Emma Bridgewater Royal Wedding Tea Pot

Create a Traditional Royal Wedding Picnic

Hampers filled to bursting with treats. Some of my favorites include trifles in vintage blue, white & gold cups with custard, strawberries and fresh cream, freshly baked scones, with homemade plum jam.

Scones fit for a Queen! Royal Tea time treat to celebrate Kate & Williams Wedding Day

What are your favourite things for how will you be celebrating the Royal Wedding Day?

There is an intrinsic ceremony to taking time for tea, and tea is such a quintessentially British ceremony, it is at the very heart of how to create the very best Royal Wedding day celebration. Tea creates such a nurturing, intimate environment, and we all need to belong, to connect, to be interested in each other. Afternoon Tea feels like a real treat, and evokes another era when interactions were precious. My wish for this post it that it reminds us that this is still so. Tea with Mary Kate wishes you a wonderful Royal Wedding Day however you celebrate it.

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