Tea and Sympathy

by Anita Naughton

In 1990 Nicola Perry, former tea lady at the London Stock Exchange, started living her dream. She found a storefront and opened Tea & Sympathy, an authentic amalgamation of English tea shop, mum's kitchen, and working man's café right in the heart of New York. Anita Naughton was one of her first waitresses, and from day one she kept an anecdotal record of the place, encapsulating the charm, flavor, and enigmatic patrons that are the atmosphere of the restaurant.

Together they have created a colorful biography spanning the first decade of this landmark from the early days, when they kept their meager profits in a teapot, to nowadays, when they keep celebrities (British, American, or otherwise) waiting for a table along with everyone else. Complete with sixty recipes and photographs of food and popular visitors, this is a quintessential taste of England ready to take home.

Genres: Tea, Cookbooks, Nonfiction, Food

176 pages, Hardcover

First published October 28, 2002

Reviews

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

What can I say, this is one of my new favorite books. I'm on an English Afternoon Tea kick and I found this in the library amongst all the other tea books I picked up. I was a little skeptical at first because what I wanted out of my tea books were ideas on place settings and recipes and the history of English tea, etc. What I ended up getting was a pleasant surprise; wonderful stories from an English waitress working at an English Tea shop in New York City. I mean, sure, the title of the book is Tea & Sympathy: The Life of an English Tea Shop in New York, so I should have known. But I didn't expect to like it so much! It's a real quick read and maybe it would have lasted longer had I been able to put it down.

I loved reading about the regulars, the waitresses, how they got along with the cooks. Nicky's personality just jumped out of the pages. I felt like a fly on the wall of the tea shop. The mix of British humor with New York personalities was perfect.

The recipes sound absolutely scrumptious and I can't wait to try them. The stories are delightful and it makes me wish I was a regular at Tea & Sympathy. Heck, I wish I was in New York right now so I can make a visit. I'll be sure to stop in next time I'm in the city, luckily, I have family in New York.

So now the dilemma is, should I buy the book right now or should I wait until I visit New York to buy the book from Tea & Sympathy? Decisions, decisions.

[Stella · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not what I expected. Gossipy essays about waitressing at a tea shop, name dropping famous people who came there. Black and white photos of people...Not of the recipes.

[Erika · Rating 3 out of 5]

They have a monkey teapot. Seriously, it's an actual monkey teapot. That alone makes me want to visit this tea shop. Also it's a cute story told by a funny waitress who ingratiates the owner and staff so even if I hated tea (or English people) I would go if I was in New York.

[Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charming cookbook with humerous stories about a woman's experiance with a British tea shop in New York City.

[Donna Jo Atwood · Rating 2 out of 5]

Personal story of a waitress at the Tea & Sympathy. Filled with lots of name dropping, etc. Also, recipes.
Task 15.7

[Larissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVING THIS BOOK....cracked it at work when it arrived....fell instantly in love...will get back to Wilder, but this had to jump line!!! Excellent personal stories and excellent recipes!!!