Time for Tea: Tea and Conversation with Thirteen English Women

by Michele Rivers

Time for Tea offers a delightfully unique expression of why English society has so steadfastly preserved its teatime tradition. Thirteen English women, ranging in age from six to eighty, share their very candid and entertaining reflections on why the teatime ritual -- in all its incarnations -- is such an indelible fixture in their lives.

From Virginia, Lady Bath, to Winifred Westcott, a dairy farmer, from Anne Slade, a retired ballerina, to schoolgirl Hayley Richards, a farmer's daughter, we are treated to the surprisingly moving and engaging medley of these women's memories and dreams, as they discuss their own teatime traditions and their lives with us -- over a cup of tea.

The women also share their family teatime recipes for delicious cakes, scones, crumpets and jams, and suggest an appropriate tea to accompany them. Along the way, we explore the secrets of an English specialty tea shop, see the inside of a tea blender, learn how to brew a perfect pot of tea and how to make an authentic cream tea.

The women's stories are beautifully framed by spectacular photographs of the breathtaking English countryside, which perfectly complements the peace and serenity of a good English tea.

Genres: Nonfiction, Tea

128 pages, Hardcover

First published April 18, 1995

Reviews

[Cindy Rollins · Rating 4 out of 5]

I saw this in Amy's feed a week or so ago and looked it up on Amazon and it was just a few cents for a hardback so I figured why not.

Delightful!

This book is a conversation with 13 English women from different backgrounds about their tradition of teatime.
The book is 20 years old and I found myself wondering where the women were now. I was most happy to find that Penny Webber is still running Hindon Farm. Maybe I will get to visit it someday.

The most famous lady interviewed was Virginia, Lady Bath. She had quite a story which included a seriousness about tea but a lack of seriousness about husbands:O)

My outright favorite was Winnifred Westcott whose quaint life was instilled with joy. Plus she was 81 quite slender and ate loads of butter and cream daily.

As an added bonus there are the usual tea recipes such as crumpets which seem like a lot of work but they can hold a lot of butter and scones.

Also there are suggested teas. I had not really paid much attention to whether my tea was from China or India but being an anglophile I feel I need to prefer Indian tea now.

I also learned one new word: "Moreish" which was used twice by different women to mean something that is tempting.

One word of warning, since beginning this book a couple of days ago, I have had moreish amounts of tea and not a few "biscuits."

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tea lovers and Anglophiles, this book is for you! This is an old favorite, given to me by my mother in the late 1990s, before we even got into drinking tea. But I was hooked immediately by the stories of these very different women, of all ages, in Britain. The recipes are excellent, give some a try! As the pace of our lives increases each year, rituals like teatime that make us slow down are so important.

[Tanya Carper · Rating 4 out of 5]

This lovely book with glossy photos of English women at tea in the city, in the country and on the farm was given to me by a dear friend. "In a crisis we English often say, 'Come on, sit down and have a cup of tea and we'll talk about it.' I can't tell you how often in my life I've heard those words," said Rose Tanner. Real women talk about their tea time traditions and share recipes. We get to glimpse their lives lived full speed ahead, but with a break for tea.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adored this book. Lovely and inspiring life stories and recipes.

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Taking my pastor's recent sermon about the need for a day of rest to heart, I settled in on a Sunday afternoon with this delightful book, a blanket, and a pot of tea. Combining my love for tea with my love for England, this little volume is an absolute joy. Each of the 13 chapters is a little snippet into the life of an English woman, complete with her ideas on tea and even a favorite teatime recipe. The women are an assortment of ages and from a variety of locales around England, each one having her own unique perspective on life and tea. The photographs in the book are lovely, and I came away from my reading feeling like I had actually enjoyed a trip to England.

[Rachel Metz · Rating 5 out of 5]

A charming book, profiles/interviews of 13 British women and the role of tea in their life. Complete with recipes for tea-time treeats

[Larissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the way "Tea Time" was interpreted by 13 different British women who told what it meant to them.