Tag Archives: scones

Tea & Tranquility

“When tea becomes ritual, it takes its place at the heart of our ability to see greatness in small things.”   ~  Muriel Barbery, The Elegance of the Hedgehog. It is almost Christmas and the streets and shopping malls of Makati … Continue reading

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Of Country Clubs and Cucumber Sandwiches

Hanbury Manor, Hertfordshire, once the home of English landed gentry, then a boarding school, it has entered the 21st century as a Marriott hotel and country club. Only a few miles north of Hertford, Hanbury Manor is a magnificent chapter … Continue reading

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A Not-So Gracious Tea

“Its orient tinge, like spring-time morn, Or baby-buttercups newly-born; Its balmy perfume, delicate pulp, One longs to swallow it all at a gulp, Sure man had ne’er such gifts or theme As your melt-in-mouthy Devonshire cream.” An eulogy on a … Continue reading

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Afternoon Tea with a Russian Flavour

I must confess, I had never heard of the Russian Tea Room until last December. My initial plan was to organize afternoon tea at the Plaza, but unfortunately for us, Eloise, the Plaza’s most significant resident, had got in first … Continue reading

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Tea with a Twist

The first bowl washed the cobwebs from my mind – the whole world seemed to sparkle A second cleansed my spirit like purifying showers of rain A third and I was one with the immortals. Chao Jen, The Way of … Continue reading

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