Tea Time - Hot Cuppa!

We have been to London, but we missed out to having the grand tea at the Ritz.
I am glad to have a Book about Ritz  Afternoon Tea thanking my daughter Jane, it was her precious gift,  I have learnt a lot from it.
Tea at Home.
A Special occasion, morning or afternoon tea with my family at our home has always been a treat, full of love and plenty of dainty savouries and sweets

High Tea with Family at Home

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Here is tea at the Ritz, enjoy reading!

Tea at the Ritz
Tea at the Ritz is the last delicious morsel of Edwardian London.  The light is kind, the cakes are frivolous, and the tempo is calm, confident and leisurely.  Takers of tea perch on rose-coloured Lous XVI chairs at marble tables, sipping their steaming cup of Darjeeling or Earl Grey, while the belle epoque nymphs look on in Olympian disdain.
The Ritz's stage for afternoon tea is the Palm Court, separated from the ground floor's central gallery by Ionic columns.  There are no clocks, and although it is just possible to glimpse the flash of Piccadilly's taxis and buses if you look hard in the direction of the swing doors, a strange sense of taking a holiday from time heightens the pleasure of taking tea here.  People seem more beautiful than they do in real life, as this is the most flattering light in Europe, falling mild and clear from the Palm Court's frosted glass ceiling and pink-capped chandeliers.
Cesar Ritz always maintained that nothing put people more at heir ease in is hotels than the blandishment of tactful lighting. Is widow describes in her biography of her husband: 'For weeks Ritz was absorbed in lighting problems.  And for hours and hours at a time, I would sit while he and an electrician tried the effects of various coloured shades on my complexion!  A delicate apricot-pink was found to be the most becoming colour
Holding sway over this rose-tinted afternoon tea is the famous nymph of the Palm Court fountain, young tritons blowing conch shells above her, while at her feet a tribe of goddess flick their tails.  Anthony Powell described her in A Dance to the Music of time; ' Although stark naked, the nymph looked immensely respectable; less provocative, indeed, than some of the fully dressed young women seated below her.'
Lady Dianna Cooper remembers the Ritz as the first hotel where young women were allowed to go alone to tea.  Romantic novelist Barbara Cartland has described tea at the Ritz in the years after the First World War as 'a useful institution for the "also-ran" men: one could meet men, without chaperones, for lunch and tea, so you had lunch with men you were keen on, and ta with the rest.'
A few years ago, tea at the Riz reached such dizzy height of popularity that there would be crowds milling around on the Savonnerie carpet at the steps of the Palm Court, waiting for a table.  This could not be allowed, and now it is necessary to reserve tea at the Ritz.  Here is one of the few places outside the church or royal garden parties where a woman may wear a hat and feel entirely at ease.  In fact, those approaching the Palm Court clad in such garments as jeans, shorts or sneakers will be reluctantly but firmly turned away. Suitably dress  tea-bibbers, however, will be greeted by the Palm Court's
Master of Ceremonies, Michael Twomey, who has worked at the Riz for forty years now.  Tea at the Riz is not only sandwiches and cakes but an Occasion,' he says.  "Thank goodness there are still places like this for pure enjoyment, even in the modern world.'

Delicate and beautiful food served at the Ritz
Sandwiches, Scone, Cakes
Mille Feuilles, Puff Pastry, Chocolate Eclairs, Strawberry Tarts.

Lemper-Javanese glutenous rice rolls
filled with sweetmeat

Making time and spending time with family to have a cuppa and beautiful food is excellent and homely.  For a special occasion, is a time to enjoy delicious 'Lemper' - Javanese savoury, which is customarily served with tea, that is at our home.  Of course, you could prepare and serve the food as at the Ritz for your morning or afternoon tea.  The delicate, the beautiful food celebrates the Tea, the Perfect Fit.

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Tea for Two

Thinking of 'tea time' evokes pleasant memories of friendships steeping over a hot pot of tea.  With the image of a beautifully laid the table set with Grandmother's fine china and silver, we recall a more delicate time of civility, gentility, propriety - when life made perfect sense.

While not everyone observes a formal afternoon tea time, the tradition of breaking for a small repast of tea and cakes can benefit anyone.  The rush of the day's activity slows for a moment, shared conversation with friends turns out thoughts toward being instead of doing, and peace is reestablished in our lives.  It is a time to repair our frayed nerves and restore order to a fractured day.

Spending a few moments in the afternoon with the Lord can begin with reviewing the day's even so far.  Get any negatives out of the way first, such a hasty affront to a coworker or a missed opportunity for doing good.  Pray for forgiveness and the chance to make restitution.  Then express gratitude to God for the prayers he has answered and for His help.

Any time, any day, is a good time for praise, thanksgiving, and forgiveness - but especially so when the heat of the day still lingers, and our souls are weary.

Tea time with God, to refresh yourself in the Lord before you enter the final hours of your day. (From the book on Tea Time With God, Christian Art Gift)

Pink Butter Cake

It is a beautiful reading, I thought, and it is so appropriate to be sharing with you all.  To have a hot tea to refresh our body and our soul, to celebrate the day with friends and family to praise and to forgive.

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Tea and Sports.

Steep Perks: Why Drinking Tea Is Good for Your Health

Tea can help your heart, boost your brainpower, keep your metabolism humming, and more. Our guide to the super sip covers it all, including how to brew a cup that's fit for a queen.

Fresh Herbal Tea is my drink while playing sports, I am not sure how good it is, but indeed it helps me from thirst.


The New Sports Drink

After plain old H2O, tea is the most popular drink on the planet. And some researchers say it's even healthier. "Tea packs more of a punch than water," says Carrie Ruxton, PhD, a dietitian and tea expert in the United Kingdom. "In addition to providing hydration, it's rich in health-promoting substances." The science is staggering: Studies suggest that one cup of tea may contain up to five times more antioxidants than any fruit or vegetable. These disease-fighting compounds may help prevent certain cancers, keep your heart healthy, burn fat and ward off weight gain, sharpen your mind, and improve your body beat the effects of ageing and stress. The facts are in: It's teatime!

Gimme a Tea!

Tea does a body good. "It's also calorie-free if you don't add milk or a sweetener like sugar or honey," says Diane L. McKay, PhD, an assistant professor of nutrition at the Tufts University Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy in Boston. Check out the myriad benefits of that mug:

Your brain: A cuppa doesn't just make you more productive at the office (one study showed that tea drinkers have improved accuracy and attention when switching between tasks). It may also ward off Parkinson's disease and slow the progression of Alzheimer's.

Your bones: Studies indicate that phytochemicals in tea, such as flavonoids, may protect against bone loss: Regular tea drinkers have higher bone density than non-tea drinkers.

Your heart: A study of more than 40,000 adults found that women who drank five or more cups of green tea a day had a 31 per cent lower risk of death from heart disease than those who downed less than one. Other research linked black tea to lower LDL cholesterol.

Your skin: EGCG, the primary polyphenol in green tea, has anti-cancer properties that may prevent the development of skin tumours. In an animal study, green-tea extracts reduced the severity of exposure to UV radiation.

Did you know? Green tea contains metabolism-revving caffeine plus the potent antioxidant EGCG, which activates the sympathetic nervous system to encourage fat burning. In one study, exercisers blasted more fat during a half-hour workout when they consumed tea beforehand. Also, there is evidence that tea may decrease fat absorption and contribute to weight loss. "Tea is a safe, effective way to increase calorie burn and the release of fat from your fat stores," says Paul Arciero, PhD, the director of the Human Nutrition and Metabolism Laboratory at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York. Try one or two cups of green, black, or oolong tea — iced, if you prefer — 30 minutes before you sweat.

Drink to Your Health

How much tea should you sip? One to three cups a day provides plenty of health benefits.

1 cup = 5 per cent higher mean bone mineral density and 46 per cent lower risk of high blood pressure.

2 cups = 26 per cent lower risk of the mental decline that accompanies ageing, and 35 per cent lower risk of squamous cell carcinoma, a common skin cancer.

3 cups = 11 per cent lower risk of heart attack, and 37 per cent lower risk of breast cancer

By Melissa Walker
Health Magazine

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This is what I learned.

Tea
Good for our heart, our brain and metabolism, it keeps them to function well and healthy.
It is antioxidant and black tea is excellent to lower LDL cholesterol. And it is reducing mental decline and also anti-ageing.
It is excellent for weight loss, and tea is safe drinking, no-calorie, and we could take a few cups a day.

Having hot cuppa tea drinks daily, especially knowing the positive outcome is very encouraging.  I do the right thing for taking tea.

Home Baked Biscuits
To complement Tea Drink

Taking tea with buttery biscuits may not be a good idea, but at home, we do it occasionally.



 I hope you like the post, enjoy the reading and learn the benefit of having Tea Drink daily.
Susy