1. What is a morning room?
A morning room is a sitting room used in the daylight hours used for relaxation and entertainment of guests. Take a virtual tour of an existing morning room. Keep on mind, this is from a palace and not a town home.
2. What furnishings would be considered luxurious and artistic?
Bamboo and wicker
was the material of preference in Edwardian times. This added to the already
delicate and breezy nature of the style. Other furniture was reproductions,
drawing influence from baroque, rococo and empire style. The wing chair is a
classic shape, and upholstery favored chintz and damask in pale colors. source
3 & 4. HIstory of afternoon tea and how it is to be arranged.
History of the Afternoon Tea Party
While drinking tea as a fashionable event is credited to Catharine of Braganza, the actual taking of tea in the afternoon developed into a new social event some time in the late 1830’s and early 1840’s. Jane Austen hints of afternoon tea as early as 1804 in an unfinished novel. It is said that the afternoon tea tradition was established by Anne, Duchess of Bedford. She requested that light sandwiches be brought to her in the late afternoon because she had a “sinking feeling” during that time because of the long gap between meals. She began to invite others to join her and thus became the tradition.
Various Tea Times
Cream Tea — A simple tea consisting of scones, clotted cream, marmalade or lemon curd and tea.
Low Tea/Afternoon Tea — An afternoon meal including sandwiches, scones, clotted cream, curd, 2-3 sweets and tea. Known as “low tea” because guests were seated in low armchairs with low side-tables on which to place their cups and saucers.
Elevensies — Morning coffee hour in England
Royale Tea — A social tea served with champagne at the beginning or sherry at the end of the tea.
High Tea — High tea co notates an idea of elegancy and regal-ness when in fact is was an evening meal most often enjoyed around 6 pm as laborers and miners returned home. High tea consists of meat and potatoes as well as other foods and tea. It was not exclusively a working class meal but was adopted by all social groups. Families with servants often took high tea on Sundays in order to allow the maids and butlers time to go to church and not worry about cooking an evening meal for the family.
Etiquette when attending a tea party
Greeting/handshake
After sitting down — put purse on lap or behind you against chair back
Napkin placement — unfold napkin on your lap, if you must leave temporarily place napkin on chair.
Sugar/lemon — sugar is placed in cup first, then thinly sliced lemon and never milk and lemon together. Milk goes in after tea — much debate over it, but according to Washington School of Protocol, milk goes in last. The habit of putting milk in tea came from the French. “To put milk in your tea before sugar is to cross the path of love, perhaps never to marry.” (Tea superstition)
The correct order when eating on a tea tray is to eat savories first, scones next and sweets last.
Scones — split horizontally with knife, curd and cream is placed on plate. Use the knife to put cream/curd on each bite. Eat with fingers neatly.
Proper placement of spoon — the spoon always goes behind cup, also don’t leave the spoon in the cup.
Proper holding of cup — do not put your pinky “up”, this is not correct. A guest should look into the teacup when drinking — never over it.
Since ancient Rome, a cultured person ate with 3 fingers, a commoner with five. Thus, the birth of the raised pinkie as a sign of elitism. This 3 fingers etiquette rule is still correct when picking up food with the fingers and handling various pieces of flatware. This pinky “up” descended from a misinterpretation of the 3 fingers vs 5 fingers dining etiquette in the 11th century.
Tea cups did not always have handles. Chinese tea bowls influenced the first European teacups. At first, the English made cups without handles in the traditional Chinese style. Not until the mid 1750’s was a handle added to prevent the ladies from burning their fingers. This improvement was copied from a posset cup, used for hot beverages-hot drink made of milk with wine, ale or spirits. The saucer was once a small dish for sauce. In Victorian days, tea drinkers poured their tea into saucers to cool before sipping, this was perfectly acceptable. This is what writers of the period mean by “a dish of tea.”
Originally tea was poured into small handle-less Chinese porcelain bowls that held about 2-3 tablespoons of tea. It is said that the idea of the saucer developed in the 17th century when the daughter of a Chinese military official found it difficult to handle the hot bowls of tea she brewed for him and asked a local potter to devise a little plate on which to place the bowl. (Taken from “A Social History of Tea” by Jane Pettigrew).
source
A Comparison of Low Tea, Cream Tea, and High Tea
Afternoon Tea
Afternoon Tea is traditionally served between four and five in the afternoon -- hence the name. Many people believe that this tradition was first started in 1841 by Anna Maria Stanhope, the seventh Duchess of Bedford. At that time, and in fact right up until the early decades of the 20th century, luncheon was served at twelve noon but dinner was not served until 8:00 or even 9:00 in the evening. The Duchess, so the story goes, complained of a 'sinking' feeling in the middle of the afternoon and asked for some tea and a few slices of bread and butter to be served to her in her private drawing room; the Blue Room at Woburn Abbey.
Whether this is true or not, at some point this trend for eating in the afternoon became more widespread and popular and soon ladies across the land who were 'at home' would dress elaborately in their finest dresses and visit each other's houses to partake of afternoon tea.
In addition to the slices of bread and butter, one would offer thin cucumber sandwiches, or salmon sandwiches (with the crusts removed, naturally) as well as cakes, pastries, scones with cream, and of course a Victoria sponge cake. To be able to bake a light and moist Victoria sponge was the true test of one's cook.
The tea, India or China or in many houses, both, would be served in silver tea pots and poured into fine china cups. Etiquette books contained whole chapters on the etiquette of Afternoon Tea and the tea dress was created to be worn at such social gatherings. Afternoon Tea, was, it should be noted, a social occasion in which only the upper class participated.
That is, until 1864, when the Aerated Bread Company opened a tea shop for middle-class women. Soon Fortnum and Masons, The Ritz, and Brown's Hotel had all opened tea rooms, and it became quite fashionable for women to visit these tea rooms in the afternoon. These tea rooms were, by the way, the only place where a lady could meet her friends without a chaperone without damaging her reputation.
During the First World War, due to food rationing, ladies stopped taking afternoon tea 'at home,' and even when the war ended, the tradition was not taken up again. If one got peckish mid-afternoon, a cup of tea and a biscuit would suffice. If one wanted a full afternoon tea, one went out to a hotel. And it is only in hotels and tea rooms that one can enjoy a traditional afternoon tea today. The prices might seem a little steep, but remember, this style of afternoon tea was always intended for the upper classes and that is what the price reflects.
You still get choice of tea, and in some cases the tea list is a long as a wine list, but don't feel embarrassed if you don't know the difference; most Brits don't either!
However, this type of Afternoon Tea is very much for the upper classes and the tourists. In most British homes, afternoon tea consists of a cup of tea and a light snack, be that a biscuit, a piece of cake, hot buttered toast or crumpets.
Now, crumpets are hard to describe. They are round and about the same size as English muffin, but they are not English muffins. They are made of a soft, bread-like dough and are peppered all over the top-side with holes. These holes allow the butter to melt all the way through the crumpet, which tastes absolutely fantastic. A crumpet must be toasted to be eaten. Eating a raw crumpet is unheard of -- I guess it would taste like eating raw dough -- but a hot, buttered crumpet is a true delight and the perfect accompaniment to a cup of tea. [Editor's note: It tastes a bit like eating a raw English muffin, only heavier.]
Cream Tea
The cream tea is similar to the afternoon tea, but without the sandwiches and other cakes.
The most famous cream tea is the Devonshire Cream Tea. According to local legend, the Devonshire Cream Tea originates from Tavistock, or more precisely Tavistock Abbey. This Benedictine Abbey was plundered by Vikings in the 11th Century and then rebuilt. The monks fed the laborers who were rebuilding it with a calorie-rich food consisting of bread, clotted cream and strawberry preserve. Over time the bread became scones and thus the cream tea was born. However, the counties of Somerset, Cornwall and Sussex will contest this legend; they all offer cream teas too!
A cream tea consists of freshly baked fruit scones, some clotted cream, butter and strawberry jam served with a large pot of tea. The idea is you pour your tea -- no choice this time, just whatever is in the pot -- and then construct your scone to eat with your tea. Butter the scone, add some jam and then add some clotted cream to taste. It tastes delicious but can be a bit messy. [Editor's note: You do not, like this ignorant American tourist (and I know I'm not alone here), put the clotted cream in your tea.]
Cream Teas are advertised everywhere in summer, but at other times of year you will need to make enquiries at tea shops and hotels.
High Tea
Some hotels advertise that they serve "high tea" and then go on to describe a rich and sumptuous afternoon tea. Whilst high tea sounds very, very grand, it is in fact, a working class meal. High Tea is actually dinner.
When tea was first introduced into Britain it was an expensive luxury, but over time as prices fell it became a staple in the diet of the poor and tea accompanied every meal.
Prior to the industrial revolution, when most people worked in agriculture, the workers would come home at lunch time and eat their main meal then. After the industrial revolution, the working classes could not come home at lunch time and so the main meal of the day took place in the late afternoon, or early evening -- the same time as the afternoon tea of the rich. This meal became known as teatime. It was a High Tea if it contained hot and filling foods and just Tea if it comprised mainly of breads and cold cuts. A High Tea consisted of whatever was available -- bacon, eggs, meats, stew -- there were no hard and fast social rules for this meal except that it would always be accompanied by copious amounts of tea.
Even today the working classes -- especially in the north -- have their main meal at teatime. When I was growing up the three meals of the day were known as breakfast, dinner and tea -- a throwback to the pre-industrial meal times -- and tea was always served at 5pm.
In the south, however, and amongst the middle classes across the land, these same meals are breakfast, lunch and dinner, with dinner being served at around 7pm. Teatime does exist as a meal for the children and is served at 5pm. (Yet another example of the famous British North - South divide I suppose.) Having said that, you just try and get a meal in a restaurant at 5pm -- it's almost impossible! Restaurants serve dinner, not tea! And they only serve dinner at dinner time!
Source
Afternoon Tea Menu
What types of sandwiches are served with Afternoon Tea?
The classic selection of sandwiches served with Afternoon Tea includes:
cucumber;
egg mayonnaise with cress;
smoked salmon with cream cheese;
Coronation chicken;
Ham and mustard.
What types of tea are served?
The range of teas on offer can vary from half a dozen to over a hundred, including some very rare and obscure ones. Some of the common teas on offer will include the following:
Assam
A strong full-bodied tea from India, which has a distinctive, 'malty' flavour.
Darjeeling
An aromatic and astringent tea from India, with a hint of almonds and wildflowers.
Earl Grey
A blend of black teas scented with oil of bergamot named after Charles, 2nd Earl Grey, who was Prime Minister from 1830 to 1834.
Lapsang Souchong
A Chinese tea fired over smoking pine needles, which produces a striking smoky odour and flavour.
Source
5.) Music that Algernon might be playing on the piano:
In Russia, a group of composers emerged that was dubbed "The Mighty Five" by music critics of the day because of their attempts to endow Russia with music of a national flavor. Of these five, the most influential were undoubtedly Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908) and Modest Mussorgsky. link
3 & 4. HIstory of afternoon tea and how it is to be arranged.
History of the Afternoon Tea Party
While drinking tea as a fashionable event is credited to Catharine of Braganza, the actual taking of tea in the afternoon developed into a new social event some time in the late 1830’s and early 1840’s. Jane Austen hints of afternoon tea as early as 1804 in an unfinished novel. It is said that the afternoon tea tradition was established by Anne, Duchess of Bedford. She requested that light sandwiches be brought to her in the late afternoon because she had a “sinking feeling” during that time because of the long gap between meals. She began to invite others to join her and thus became the tradition.
Various Tea Times
Cream Tea — A simple tea consisting of scones, clotted cream, marmalade or lemon curd and tea.
Low Tea/Afternoon Tea — An afternoon meal including sandwiches, scones, clotted cream, curd, 2-3 sweets and tea. Known as “low tea” because guests were seated in low armchairs with low side-tables on which to place their cups and saucers.
Elevensies — Morning coffee hour in England
Royale Tea — A social tea served with champagne at the beginning or sherry at the end of the tea.
High Tea — High tea co notates an idea of elegancy and regal-ness when in fact is was an evening meal most often enjoyed around 6 pm as laborers and miners returned home. High tea consists of meat and potatoes as well as other foods and tea. It was not exclusively a working class meal but was adopted by all social groups. Families with servants often took high tea on Sundays in order to allow the maids and butlers time to go to church and not worry about cooking an evening meal for the family.
Etiquette when attending a tea party
Greeting/handshake
After sitting down — put purse on lap or behind you against chair back
Napkin placement — unfold napkin on your lap, if you must leave temporarily place napkin on chair.
Sugar/lemon — sugar is placed in cup first, then thinly sliced lemon and never milk and lemon together. Milk goes in after tea — much debate over it, but according to Washington School of Protocol, milk goes in last. The habit of putting milk in tea came from the French. “To put milk in your tea before sugar is to cross the path of love, perhaps never to marry.” (Tea superstition)
The correct order when eating on a tea tray is to eat savories first, scones next and sweets last.
Scones — split horizontally with knife, curd and cream is placed on plate. Use the knife to put cream/curd on each bite. Eat with fingers neatly.
Proper placement of spoon — the spoon always goes behind cup, also don’t leave the spoon in the cup.
Proper holding of cup — do not put your pinky “up”, this is not correct. A guest should look into the teacup when drinking — never over it.
Since ancient Rome, a cultured person ate with 3 fingers, a commoner with five. Thus, the birth of the raised pinkie as a sign of elitism. This 3 fingers etiquette rule is still correct when picking up food with the fingers and handling various pieces of flatware. This pinky “up” descended from a misinterpretation of the 3 fingers vs 5 fingers dining etiquette in the 11th century.
Tea cups did not always have handles. Chinese tea bowls influenced the first European teacups. At first, the English made cups without handles in the traditional Chinese style. Not until the mid 1750’s was a handle added to prevent the ladies from burning their fingers. This improvement was copied from a posset cup, used for hot beverages-hot drink made of milk with wine, ale or spirits. The saucer was once a small dish for sauce. In Victorian days, tea drinkers poured their tea into saucers to cool before sipping, this was perfectly acceptable. This is what writers of the period mean by “a dish of tea.”
Originally tea was poured into small handle-less Chinese porcelain bowls that held about 2-3 tablespoons of tea. It is said that the idea of the saucer developed in the 17th century when the daughter of a Chinese military official found it difficult to handle the hot bowls of tea she brewed for him and asked a local potter to devise a little plate on which to place the bowl. (Taken from “A Social History of Tea” by Jane Pettigrew).
source
A Comparison of Low Tea, Cream Tea, and High Tea
Afternoon Tea
Afternoon Tea is traditionally served between four and five in the afternoon -- hence the name. Many people believe that this tradition was first started in 1841 by Anna Maria Stanhope, the seventh Duchess of Bedford. At that time, and in fact right up until the early decades of the 20th century, luncheon was served at twelve noon but dinner was not served until 8:00 or even 9:00 in the evening. The Duchess, so the story goes, complained of a 'sinking' feeling in the middle of the afternoon and asked for some tea and a few slices of bread and butter to be served to her in her private drawing room; the Blue Room at Woburn Abbey.
Whether this is true or not, at some point this trend for eating in the afternoon became more widespread and popular and soon ladies across the land who were 'at home' would dress elaborately in their finest dresses and visit each other's houses to partake of afternoon tea.
In addition to the slices of bread and butter, one would offer thin cucumber sandwiches, or salmon sandwiches (with the crusts removed, naturally) as well as cakes, pastries, scones with cream, and of course a Victoria sponge cake. To be able to bake a light and moist Victoria sponge was the true test of one's cook.
The tea, India or China or in many houses, both, would be served in silver tea pots and poured into fine china cups. Etiquette books contained whole chapters on the etiquette of Afternoon Tea and the tea dress was created to be worn at such social gatherings. Afternoon Tea, was, it should be noted, a social occasion in which only the upper class participated.
That is, until 1864, when the Aerated Bread Company opened a tea shop for middle-class women. Soon Fortnum and Masons, The Ritz, and Brown's Hotel had all opened tea rooms, and it became quite fashionable for women to visit these tea rooms in the afternoon. These tea rooms were, by the way, the only place where a lady could meet her friends without a chaperone without damaging her reputation.
During the First World War, due to food rationing, ladies stopped taking afternoon tea 'at home,' and even when the war ended, the tradition was not taken up again. If one got peckish mid-afternoon, a cup of tea and a biscuit would suffice. If one wanted a full afternoon tea, one went out to a hotel. And it is only in hotels and tea rooms that one can enjoy a traditional afternoon tea today. The prices might seem a little steep, but remember, this style of afternoon tea was always intended for the upper classes and that is what the price reflects.
You still get choice of tea, and in some cases the tea list is a long as a wine list, but don't feel embarrassed if you don't know the difference; most Brits don't either!
However, this type of Afternoon Tea is very much for the upper classes and the tourists. In most British homes, afternoon tea consists of a cup of tea and a light snack, be that a biscuit, a piece of cake, hot buttered toast or crumpets.
Now, crumpets are hard to describe. They are round and about the same size as English muffin, but they are not English muffins. They are made of a soft, bread-like dough and are peppered all over the top-side with holes. These holes allow the butter to melt all the way through the crumpet, which tastes absolutely fantastic. A crumpet must be toasted to be eaten. Eating a raw crumpet is unheard of -- I guess it would taste like eating raw dough -- but a hot, buttered crumpet is a true delight and the perfect accompaniment to a cup of tea. [Editor's note: It tastes a bit like eating a raw English muffin, only heavier.]
Cream Tea
The cream tea is similar to the afternoon tea, but without the sandwiches and other cakes.
The most famous cream tea is the Devonshire Cream Tea. According to local legend, the Devonshire Cream Tea originates from Tavistock, or more precisely Tavistock Abbey. This Benedictine Abbey was plundered by Vikings in the 11th Century and then rebuilt. The monks fed the laborers who were rebuilding it with a calorie-rich food consisting of bread, clotted cream and strawberry preserve. Over time the bread became scones and thus the cream tea was born. However, the counties of Somerset, Cornwall and Sussex will contest this legend; they all offer cream teas too!
A cream tea consists of freshly baked fruit scones, some clotted cream, butter and strawberry jam served with a large pot of tea. The idea is you pour your tea -- no choice this time, just whatever is in the pot -- and then construct your scone to eat with your tea. Butter the scone, add some jam and then add some clotted cream to taste. It tastes delicious but can be a bit messy. [Editor's note: You do not, like this ignorant American tourist (and I know I'm not alone here), put the clotted cream in your tea.]
Cream Teas are advertised everywhere in summer, but at other times of year you will need to make enquiries at tea shops and hotels.
High Tea
Some hotels advertise that they serve "high tea" and then go on to describe a rich and sumptuous afternoon tea. Whilst high tea sounds very, very grand, it is in fact, a working class meal. High Tea is actually dinner.
When tea was first introduced into Britain it was an expensive luxury, but over time as prices fell it became a staple in the diet of the poor and tea accompanied every meal.
Prior to the industrial revolution, when most people worked in agriculture, the workers would come home at lunch time and eat their main meal then. After the industrial revolution, the working classes could not come home at lunch time and so the main meal of the day took place in the late afternoon, or early evening -- the same time as the afternoon tea of the rich. This meal became known as teatime. It was a High Tea if it contained hot and filling foods and just Tea if it comprised mainly of breads and cold cuts. A High Tea consisted of whatever was available -- bacon, eggs, meats, stew -- there were no hard and fast social rules for this meal except that it would always be accompanied by copious amounts of tea.
Even today the working classes -- especially in the north -- have their main meal at teatime. When I was growing up the three meals of the day were known as breakfast, dinner and tea -- a throwback to the pre-industrial meal times -- and tea was always served at 5pm.
In the south, however, and amongst the middle classes across the land, these same meals are breakfast, lunch and dinner, with dinner being served at around 7pm. Teatime does exist as a meal for the children and is served at 5pm. (Yet another example of the famous British North - South divide I suppose.) Having said that, you just try and get a meal in a restaurant at 5pm -- it's almost impossible! Restaurants serve dinner, not tea! And they only serve dinner at dinner time!
Source
Afternoon Tea Menu
What types of sandwiches are served with Afternoon Tea?
The classic selection of sandwiches served with Afternoon Tea includes:
cucumber;
egg mayonnaise with cress;
smoked salmon with cream cheese;
Coronation chicken;
Ham and mustard.
What types of tea are served?
The range of teas on offer can vary from half a dozen to over a hundred, including some very rare and obscure ones. Some of the common teas on offer will include the following:
Assam
A strong full-bodied tea from India, which has a distinctive, 'malty' flavour.
Darjeeling
An aromatic and astringent tea from India, with a hint of almonds and wildflowers.
Earl Grey
A blend of black teas scented with oil of bergamot named after Charles, 2nd Earl Grey, who was Prime Minister from 1830 to 1834.
Lapsang Souchong
A Chinese tea fired over smoking pine needles, which produces a striking smoky odour and flavour.
Source
5.) Music that Algernon might be playing on the piano:
In Russia, a group of composers emerged that was dubbed "The Mighty Five" by music critics of the day because of their attempts to endow Russia with music of a national flavor. Of these five, the most influential were undoubtedly Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908) and Modest Mussorgsky. link
Nicolas Medtner wrote a wide range of piano music, from his 1895 Adagio funèbre, with the directioncacofoniale, through a series of genre pieces, to his later Sonata-Idylle. link
A founding member of "The Mighty Five" lends a hand...to Chopin. link
Leonid Osipovich Utyosov is a legendary artist in Soviet culture. link
Russian composers. link
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