WOW!!

When I left for London on Aug. 1, there were just a few helpful responses on this thread. Nothing about anyone having tea at Grannie's house. But look at it now!!!

Heh, heh. We leave London in two more days, and yes, we did have afternoon tea. At Richoux. The girls and i had afternoon tea, my son had cream tea, and my husband ordered an omlette. They like it. Thanks to everyone for steering us to a, erm, second-tier place where we paid a lot but not a whole lot.

Cindy -- rapidly losing perspective on what costs a ''whole lot'' after popping $50 for lunch and $100 for dinner for five consecutive days

fnarf999: about the hobnobs -- I know the milk chocolate ones are still available. But plain (dark) chocolate are the only ones worth eating. If they ever stop making plain chocolate digestives - I don't know what I'll do :(

Janis, run to the store as fast as you can and buy up all the packages you see. Is there anyplace in your home to put a big chest freezer?

I have a friend who filled her house to the rafters with cases of Coke when they introduced the disastrous "New Coke". She was still drinking it three years later!

Do these "teasmaids" have an alarm clock in them that starts brewing at a set time? Does it just boil, or does it somehow get the teabag in as well?

I was I guess a little relieved to discover that "Goblin" and "Swan" are brand names and not descriptions of what they look like. I had a terrible premonition of a gothic porcelain monstrosity of some kind.

hi, fnarf999,

the traditional teasmaid has two majot parts - a kettle one side and a jug/teapot the other. either by setting the alarm, or by pressing the "tea now" button, the device heats the water in the kettle to boiling point, at which point it transfers it into the teapot, in which you should have rem,emberd to put your tea-bags. It then awakens you with a nice hissing/gurgling noise, plus an alarm.

wait 5 minutes and pour!

if you google "swan teasmade" [note the spelling, you'll get the idea.] It looks as if they are available on e-bay if you are really interested.

"goblin" was a now defunct maker of such items, along with small vacuum cleaners - we used to have one of those as well!

Cindy - glad you enjoyed your tea. I have to say that for 5 people, $50 for lunch and $100 for dinner doesn't sound that bad. depends on what you were eating of course!

good luck with the rest of your trip.

regards, ann

Hob-Nobs are vile biscuits for common people. Having them with your tea marks you out as "below stairs" even quicker than putting five sugars in your tea.

Now, a plain chocolate digestive, that's a quality biscuit for quality people.

I have bought a teasmaid (note spelling) from Ebay - now i'm all antsy waiting for it to arrive. It cost £11.50 second hand.

Audere - preparing to say goodbye to early morning kettle boiling misery.

I've always quite fancied the idea; but been put off by thinking that the milk wouldn't be nice, after being out all night ? Or don't you have milk ?

The milk stays in the fridge. The teasmaid lives in the kitchen. Otherwise it wakes you up about 20 minutes earlier than you want with hissing and gurgling noises.

Er - so how is that any easier than going to the kitchen & using the kettle, then ?

Because it's already made - and made by a robot.

Although yopu have spotted the fundamental flaw in their sales appeal.

'Hob-Nobs are vile biscuits for common people.'

I like them.

So how does that equate with my posh pronuciation of 'scone' and grammar school education then?

Could I be a changeling - I know I got left outside Sainsbury's in my pram once ( oh, and it was the 60's, before anyone phones social services...)

(And weren't you supposed to be going to Broadmore today anyway?)

I suspect that you are in touch with your inner-chav.

Hob nobs are too sweet. That's why they are common.

I like Custard Creams too.

And those M&S Viennese thingies.

Should I be booking a personal shopping appointment at Burberry?

Burberry no, Primark yes.

Custard creams are alright at a pinch.

Ginger nuts are a mans biscuit.

I could eat chocolate Bourbons until I burst (I am not proud of this)

What IS the posh pronunciation of scone anyway?

I pronounce it so it rhymes with 'home', that way.

I used to think it was down to differing accents, and scone (rhyming with tong) sounded northern to me. But down here in Kent people seem to say it both ways..

>>I could eat chocolate Bourbons until I burst<<

You didn't have a cameo role in the Fast Show, by any chance?

I'm saying nothing about the ginger nuts.

"made by a robot" Ah, light dawns - a blokey gadget then :-)

RM67, I'm afraid grammar school just doesn't cut it with a Wkyehamist - they think Eton is common :-)

Of the various places I've had afternoon tea in London -- the Ritz was my least favorite. It is perfect if you want to be totally jammed in with hundreds of other tourists (many in large tour groups) snapping pictures of each other through the entire ordeal which is actually timed as to when you are expected to leave to vacate your table for the next ones. Sure it is an elegant setting, but to me it has no relation to a "real" English cultural experience!

There are many better options listed above. My favorite was always Brown's Hotel, but haven't been since their renovation, so I'm not sure if it as elegant and relaxed as it used to be.

You didn't have a cameo role in the Fast Show, by any chance>>>>

I was very very drunk.

And Caroline is right - Windsor Comp is common.

I think I'll pass, thanks.

So, audere, ginger nuts? What color is the hair on your head, then?

I'm afraid I'm a slow, recalcitrant riser, and a teasmaid would most likely be presenting me with lukewarm 20-minute tea instead of piping 5-minute tea. Not quite as nice (unless you need to remove some tar from your vehicle).

Hobnobs too sweet -- custard creams acceptable -- clearly I have much to learn about your biscuit ways.

I pronounce "scone" to rhyme with "own" but I'm fairly sure I'm wrong; is rhyming with "con" more posh?

My inner chav keeps telling me to buy a shiny Adidas track suit, but I keep telling him to pipe down.

Audere, you could explain the biscuit game...I once witnessed an Etonian and a Wykehamist arguing, each claiming that their school invented it.....

Scone rhymes with "on" otherwise it sounds nancy.

'Is rhyming [scone] with "con" more posh?'

I thought 'con' was the posh way too, but according to head prefect/captain of the lacrosse team, Audere, it's the other way round.

Scone rhymes with stone as far as I am concerned. "Sconn" is a northern monkeys thing i think.

Add to the mix the stone under the throne which is said the "Stone of Skoon."

The biscuit game is a myth as far as I am aware. Everyone claims it goes on elsewhere - we always thought that it was a Harrovian thing (and I wouldn't put anything past that lot). Mark Thatcher is a Harrovian.

I have no fair on my head - and what I have elsewhere is increasingly grey. I'm not sure what that means. I quite like malted milk too - and they've got a picture of cows on them.

The worst biscuit in the world? Garibaldis. Bloody awful.

> Mark Thatcher is a Harrovian.

Enough said.

Ironically, the closest thing to that sort of private school product in America is the current occupant of the White House, even though most of his few remaining fans regard him as a "rancher". Which is ludicrous.

The best biscuit, or "cookie" as they are called in the modern world, is Oreo's. Unbelievably great with coffee. Less so with tea, but still better than anything else.

Rancher or rancer?

:-)

The best biscuit, or "cookie" as they are called in the modern world, is Oreo's.

What? They are absolutely revolting IMHO.
I also love Garibaldis or squashed fly biscuits.
Dark chocolate suggestives are excellent and you can't beat a good fig roll.

...or a Marie biscuit.
Great for dipping into a cuppa.

And sometimes with butter sandwiched between two (but only as a kid in Irish boarding school. Now the thought's revolting.)

>>grammar school just doesn't cut it with a Wkyehamist - they think Eton is common<<

So do a lot of grammar school people.

Oh - for sure plain chocolate digestives are far, FAR superior to hobnobs of any sort. But here in N. Calif I take what I can get. I bring back 5 or 6 packets of digestives every trip to the UK - but most don't make it through the first week home. :)

NeoPatrick: &quot;<i>the Ritz ....... totally jammed in with hundreds of other tourists (many in large tour groups) snapping pictures of each other through the entire ordeal ....</i>&quot;

I've never seen anything like that at all. I've had tea in the Palm Court 10+ times over the years and never once seen a tour group. In fact the largest table I've ever seen was a group of 9 late 20's/early 30's English girls celebrating an engagement.

Most of the room is usually tables of 2's, 3' and 4's quietly enjoying a set tea - no bus ladies to be seen . . . .

hi, audere,

welcome to the world of goblin. to enjoy the authentic teasmaid/made experience to the full, you should also purchase a small vacuum flask in which to keep the milk fresh overnight. then you don't need to stir from your bedroom to enjoy that morning cuppa.

regards, ann

you can't beat a good fig roll.&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;

When I were a lad, fig rolls were called &quot;christian biscuits&quot; as the only time we got given them was when the sky-pilot came to talk to us about God. Which was rather too often for my liking.

As such I have a pavlovian aversion to fig rolls.

You can't beat a Rich Tea biscuit for dunking, although you have to be quick about it.

I can't believe I threw my teasmaid away a few years ago ....
and it did live by the bed. in winter the milk was ok and in summer I used to nick some of those little UHT milk pots from the local MacDs.

I don't think you can understand the British affinity for tea as an outsider. Mr N has lived here for 10 years and still doesn't get it, although he drinks loads of tea himself. He doesn't appreciate its magical powers and entirely fails to rush up to me with a nice cup of tea when I'm wet/tired/upset/emotional/poorly.

'You can't beat a Rich Tea biscuit for dunking'

Isn't it about time there was some sort of dunkability index on the packets?

Gingernuts are lovely but would only rate about a 2. Custard creams would be a 3-4. Vile Garibaldis etc would be right up at 10.

Are you beginning to see a pattern? High dunkability = low palatability.

I'm thinking Jaffa cakes might be one of those things you have to grow up with to appreciate. More about nostalgia than taste. Love Gingernuts &amp; Hobnobs.

I can't imagine the Ritz jammed with large tour groups. The idea is ridiculous but I too think there are better options regardless of price for tea.

Yes, every crisis from birth to death is greeted by &quot;I'll put the kettle on&quot;

BTW, when I was in the US, I managed to find an electric kettle and a proper brown betty tea-pot.
When we left, the kettle was passed on to an eager Canadian.

My Dad used to make Gunfire tea - ie tea as the army makes. This is staggeringly strong and thickened by condensed milk (battlefields being somewhat difficult place to get milk on) and &quot;enhanced&quot; with rum stolen from the navy.

It's much nicer than it sounds.

Any transport cafe will serve tea and scones for about 2 quid. Plus you will see real Brits... Or is that not pretencious enough for you!!Get a grip people,some of you complain about expensive flights and hotels and then fork out 30-40 pounds on what you call hight tea!!Sheesh!!

lol, yes that is so right! 'Ill put the kettle on' makes a Brit feel immediately relaxed. Its a very therapeutic phrase :-)
(PS, well said, Barbarajo... I really dont understand this obsession with tea jeeves and wooster style, ie. a relic of a ritual done by few posh nobs from the distant past?)

Any transport cafe will serve tea and scones for about 2 quid.&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;

Have transport caffs had a makeover or something? Have they come out? Transport caffs sell bacon butties, mugs of tea and fried egg sarnies (brown sauce optional). They don't sell scones! (Well they probably do in brighton, but not in general)

Yes, the idea of large tour groups for tea at the Ritz IS ridiculous, but it is also TRUE. It's been a few years, but we arrived at our scheduled time and left when we saw mobs of a huge tour group waiting. They were being seated in groups of 6 or so -- there were probably about 50 of them in all. I was once called a &quot;racist&quot; here for bringing this up, when I mentioned they were Japanese because of the camera incident. If you've ever been around a large Japanese tour group all with cameras in a &quot;special&quot; place, then you know what I mean about all the flashes going off. Nothing against the Japanese, but to think that Japanese tourists don't take an amazing amount of pictures suggests a person has never been near a large Japanese tour group. The camera flashes at tea in the Ritz that day were overwhelming. Each person had to take a picture of the room, several pictures of different groups of friends, pictures of the tea service, pictures of the plates of goodies. . .

I'm sorry. I did not mean to imply that this happens at the Ritz every day -- but it was my one and only experience of &quot;almost&quot; doing tea at the Ritz. We returned instead to tea at the tiny lounge at the Duke's Hotel where we were treated like royalty in a setting of calm and elegance. I think it cost a little more than the Ritz did then, but was so worth it.