Yes there is one particular Tea Room in Brighton that was featured in the local news last night.

Apparently, they serve tea and cakes/scones and if the customers don't behave in a Victorianesque polite and well mannered way, they are told in no uncertain terms what they are doing wrong (elbows, sir! Use the tongs for sugar lumps, madam) and they have been escorted off the premises for not using the correct etiquette. Apparently.

Heres a link from the tea room appreciators, (of all people):

http://tearoomappreciators.com/archi...cosy-brighton/

Holy Moly! Whatever that caff is it most certainly isn't a transport caff!

Grab a look at the front page of the website:

http://www.theteacosy.co.uk/

And the tea room's etiquette:

http://www.theteacosy.co.uk/et.html

I think that this may in fact be the gayest place in Brighton - which is a HUGE achievement if true.

Waring old chap? As an ex Brighton chap did you ever get down to this place?

I like Garibaldis.

I also like 2 mariettas sandwiched together with butter. (I see Mattieu likes this too - must be ye olde oirish boarding scholl thang).

You can't beat a fig roll.

I like some "irish" biscuits as well - kimberly - particularly chocolate covered. (don't know if you get these in Blighty).

I never took to the Hob Nob - tastes like sawdust to me.

Id love to go to the Tea Cosy even if it was to see a few men behaving like Hinge & Bracket, would be worth the short journey LOL

I'm cracking up at the Tea Cosy. But actually the prices are not bad. It would be worthy of a visit, I think.

Although dunking biscuits and blaspheming the Queen are both prohibited.....that puts me off straight away.....

'The Julie Goodyear High Tea'

love it. must go there. Which is the whole point I suspect - they've got themselves a fantastic marketing angle.

The Julie Goodyear High Tea (cripes!):

The Julie Goodyear High Tea (7 individual courses)

A glass of freshly squeezed orange juice, followed by:

A cold lemon, chive and cucumber mini prawn salad.

Hot baby star split jacket potatoes topped with pesto-roasted vegetables with a Mediterranean dressing.

Individual oven baked streaming Cod en papier parcels with parsley butter sauce.
A delicious Creamy Mushroom Tart packed full with Portobello and chestnut mushrooms in a creamy sauce enriched with Pan fried onions and Brandy, and mini fruit kebabs with a fromage frais dip.

Ffollowed by a traditional Cream Tea with fruit scones, homemade jam and fresh cream.

£12 per head, minimum 2 persons ordering required. Includes a pot of traditional English Lyons Tea, with unlimited refills.

Here in France we have pear jaffa cakes as well as raspberry ones. The raspberry also comes with white chocolate on them (nice but a bit sickly after about 20 of them.)

"Waring old chap? As an ex Brighton chap did you ever get down to this place?"

Nope, but it is in Kemptown aka Camptown, which is the gay quarter.

I noticed a shop there called Bona Foods which raised a smile, as it did with my friend Julian and his friend Sandy.

Long (but funny for the Brits I hope) story about my dad on a day-trip to Brighton.

My mum and sister went off shopping, leaving my dad hanging out near the beach. Also leaving mum's bright pink beach bag with him.

Now, bless him, my dad wears at all times shirt and tie, proper jacket, and in the summer, a natty little 'Bavarian-style' straw hat thing. He was nearly 80 at the time and has slightly mad wavy gray hair.

Crossing the main beach road at the Kemptown end dressed with a distinct resemblence to Quentin Crisp and carrying a large bright pink bag, a couple of tourists stopped him and said "you look as if you are 'of the area' - could you give us directions to ...."

So now, 'of the area' is our family slang for gay.

waring: <It isn't code, its how we speak, and if you don't understand, ask and no-one will mock you.>

Oh yes you would! But it would probably be funny.

AEF, electric kettles are a bit more expensive over here. Just bought a new one for $50 USD and it wasn't a fancy one.

Nona, I'm not British, but that's still a very funny story!

A pony for a kettle? You wuz robbed.

haha I like it Nona. :-)

Mrs. Fnarf insisted on the copper electric kettle to match the copper on the wall (even though it doesn't), so we paid US 40 for it. Prior to that we had a horrible plastic one that burned your hand when you tried to pick it up and made the water taste of plastic.

The Tea Cosy looks like fun. I love the drag queens and the way they're shutting for a two-week vacation "as a mark of respect to commemorate the 10 year anniversary of the Death of Princess Diana". And "the un-savoury [sic] habit of dunking biscuits is strictly prohibited and will result in you being ask to leave the tea rooms".

Nona....funny "of the area" story!!
Thanks!
Shadow

Re: Miss Prism's observation: "Yes, every crisis from birth to death is greeted by 'I'll put the kettle on'".

One of my brothers was doing a sabbatical professor gig in the UK. (Wait, in UK English, does "gig" have the same connotation as to "gig" a frog? Or is it only American English that has that connotation? Here I am, attempting to be hip, and I've gotten myself in a helpless muddle already. I'm trying to say he had a job as a visiting professor - I think that isn't the right word either for you UK types. Anyway, he was driving himself, wife, and two daughters when their car was hit by a bus (bus driver's fault).

Fortunately no one was seriously hurt, but a number of residents came rushing out of their houses, and, to a person, offered him, his wife, and the kids ... a cup of tea.

(He loves to tell that story and always does a great job of conveying the real sympathy and concern that was demonstrated in those simple gestures.)

When I were a lass, the standard treatment for shock was strong sweet tea.