Enjoy a Practically Perfect Tea with Mary Poppins

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Get ready to unpack your carpet bag because we are planning a visit with Mary Poppins!

When we read Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers with our book club we had a lot of fun discussing how Mary, everyone’s favorite nanny, could turn any ordinary event into an extraordinary adventure.  Who wouldn’t want to jump into the middle of a picture, carry on a conversation with a Starling or celebrate their birthday at the zoo (at night, during a full moon with the animals acting as hosts)?

One of our favorite chapters in the book introduced us to Mary’s Uncle Albert and his rather silly Birthday Tea.  Although we couldn’t figure out how to actually float near the ceiling with Laughing Gas, we did our best to create our own magical moments with a “Practically Perfect Tea.”

We began by inviting our friends to our Practically Perfect Proper English Tea.  When our guests accepted our invitation we encouraged them to dress in their finest clothes to help make the event extra special.  We set our table with fine china and prepared traditional tea treats such as Scones, Lemon Curd and Berries with Clotted Cream.  We had several varieties of tea for everyone to choose from and we served milk and sugar cubes on the side.

We started our event by sharing a little history of the English Tea.  Did you know:

• Tea was not a common drink in Britain until the 1600’s
• Due to steep taxes on imported goods, tea was a drink enjoyed mostly by the wealthy through the 1700’s
• The tradition of formal afternoon tea was started by Anna Maria, the wife of the seventh Duke of Bedford in the mid-1800s

We also reviewed a few tips on proper Tea etiquette:

• Never leave your tea spoon in your tea cup
• When not in use, place your tea spoon on the right side of the tea saucer
• Never loop your fingers through the handle of your tea cup

Our Afternoon Tea was a success as everyone laughed and learned together, and shared many delicious treats.

Why not plan a special tea as the setting for your family and friends to discuss the many adventures of Mary Poppins?  For a list of all of these interesting tips, recipes and more, you can download my free “Practically Perfect in Every Way” Proper English Tea Guide. Enjoy!