PEAR TREE LOG

pear tree log: I started this blog to keep my younger son, Jonny, in touch with life in Lincolnshire, while he spent a year working in China. That year turned into five! Now he is home and training to become a physics teacher. This is simply a patchwork quilt of some of the things I enjoy - life in rural Lincolnshire, our animals, friends, architecture, books, the gardens, and things of passing interest.



Wednesday 16 May 2012

My Mother & The Sisterhood of The Traveling Susan Apron

Anyone who regularly reads this blog will know that I am not a particularly good cook.  
So, when I learned that Meggie had chosen me to be the next recipient of the Traveling Susan Apron (a beautiful apron, made by Susan) I was delighted and excited...and then worried!

Would beans on toast count?
Would I burn the toast?

When the apron arrived, I knew exactly what I wanted to do -  Afternoon Tea -  just like the ones my mother used to make, when we had the vicar and his wife to tea.

My mother was a wonderful baker, and all round excellent cook.
To be true to my Mother's special tea I would have to bake the bread, make the cakes, the biscuits and the scones...

Menu

Egg and Cress Sandwiches
Ham Sandwiches
Cucumber Sandwiches
Cold Tea Loaf
Madeira Cake
Shortbread Fingers
Scones, Jam and Cream
Melting Moment Biscuits
Pots of Tea
I have my late mother's best china dinner/tea service, her old table cloths, cutlery, the old red velvet book which contains her handwritten  recipes.

The idea took over and it became like playing a grown up version of the dollies tea parties which I used to host as a little girl. 


I enjoyed having the chance to play with the nice china,  the pretty plates and serving dishes. 



I did the baking over two days, storing it in tins, hiding it from hungry nibblers. 
I found myself remembering so many things about my mother.   The real pleasure she got from entertaining people, feeding them, creating a nice and welcoming atmosphere.

She would have been as happy talking with the Queen,  the Vicar, or a road sweeper.

She used to make amazing roast dinners, using virtually every pot and pan in her kitchen to do it.  I don't eat meat these days - so I didn't feel the least bit tempted to recreate one of those meals!  Luckily for the dishwasher, and the dish washer...George.

My mother bought her best china when we lived in Hong Kong, so that makes it over 50 years old.  It is very delicate...and I tend to be something of 'a bull in a china shop'.

I am happy to report that it all survived intact, and is now back in the china cabinet, safe and sound.

I had to include this photograph - it shows Toby getting very excited, licking his lips in greedy anticipation.  (sorry about showing the utility room in the background)

Toby is a unusual dog - he is a real cake addict.  He was an abused and abandoned young dog,  I got him from a rescue centre,  when he was about 10 months old.   He is about 12 years old now.

Offer Toby an unexpected treat - say a piece of juicy sausage, or a piece of meat - and he will look at you horror-stricken and panicked.  However, if you offer him a piece of cake - any cake -  he will gobble it straight down and ask for more.

You can imagine how these baking and cake making sessions have made him feel........hungry!  So, he invited himself to tea, he said he would play the part of the vicar.

Nice try, Toby.  Now, get down!

I was told that the apron contained some magic - well, it did for me.
A few days ago it was the 17th anniversary of my mother's death.
Mum, this tea party was for you.
xxx

33 comments:

  1. Hello Elaine:
    This sounds and looks to have been an absolute delight. Melting Moments, now we have not encountered them for years. Delicious!

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    1. Hello Jane and Lance, In my memory, Melting Moments were absolutely delicious. I followed my mother's recipe to the letter, and although they were nice, they didn't taste the way they did when she made them. I obviously need to keep trying!

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  2. That all looks simply wonderful xx

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    1. Hello Mrs Thrifty, My husband is very nobly munching his way through the left-overs, as I type. He says it is a terrible job.

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  3. A wonderful post and a great tribute to your Mum.x

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    1. Hello Scarlet, Thank you! I got so much enjoyment from doing it.x

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  4. Your assertion of bad cookery is mere culinary modesty; I have been on the eating end of many a splendid meal and baked item at your hand (and for which I thank you)!

    I wonder if Mother's skill in the kitchen was as a result of working her way up through the ranks of her regiment? Didn't she start off as emergency cook in the officer's mess at Balaclava?

    It's nice to have survived the "Half inch of lard" era and come through to a time when salad no longer needs to be cooked, and when olive oil is no longer just a mis-spelled cartoon character.

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    1. Hello Owl, But I thought you enjoyed my baking; I always use lard... only teasing! I'm glad you approve, of course I should also have done tinned salmon and cucumber sandwiches, made meringues and who can forget her marvellous mousses.. I don't know how she used to do it; it took me two days.

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  5. What a lot of work you have done and it all look so nice. Sorry it's so far for I had be happy to have tea with you *smile*. Have a nice day.

    Hugs
    Elna

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    1. Hello Elna, What a shame, it would have been nice to share tea with you. Perhaps some other time!

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  6. I bet it didn't take much encouragement to get George out of the polytunnel with that spread.

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    1. Hello Gavin, You are absolutely right, he has probably gained a couple of pounds in the last few days. Where is Jonny when you need him!

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    2. Probably reading this while chewing on a Chinese meal, missing his Mum's hospitality, and getting envious if Toby gets so much as a nibble.

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  7. The apron does indeed have magical properties. I could feel your joy in your writing..what a lovely tribute to your Mother.
    It was Mother's Day here on Sunday!
    Please tell me the well mannered Toby was allowed a treat.
    Jane x

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    1. Hello Jane, I had a huge amount of fun, you are absolutely right. Toby is very well mannered - he was drooling but he didn't attempt to steal anything - he really enjoyed his slice of Madeira cake, although he would have been just as happy with any of the others.

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  8. This is all beautiful and your mother is smiling. What a feast. Hard to believe the vicar and his wife could leave any behind. But as long as it was for George and Toby, OK. Yes, the red apron outperformed itself.

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    1. Hello Joanne, Thank you, I really hope she is. It was so funny because I had planned to do something completely different...then I put the apron on! The leftovers are very popular.

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  9. Oh, Elaine...I had tears in my eyes by the time I finished reading your post. Words almost fail me!. What a wonderful tribute to your mother. The post is excellant....and the apron from my kitchen had it's "day" in your kitchen.

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    1. Hello Meggie, Thank you for the opportunity to wear your wonderful apron. I have had such a wonderful time. I did shed a tear or two, but I enjoyed my memories and I found comfort in the baking. It has been a magical experience.

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  10. Oh my dear Elaine, I could swoon at the lovely offerings of your "Tea"! I adore your pretty tea set and dishes. My mom died around the same time your mom did and I have treasured dishes in my china cabinet that belonged to her. I use them only for holidays. As I read through your menu, I kept thinking I would like the recipes. I know that converting British measures to American can be a problem but I'm most curious about Cold Tea Loaf and Melting Moments Biscuits. What a delightful post!

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    1. Hello Ms Sparrow, I will try to do the conversions for you and I'll create a 'tab' page for the biscuit recipe, and my mother's Cold Tea Loaf. The Loaf was her great 'standby' because it keeps so well. It was a real pleasure to put the tea together, a bit scary using the china, but the whole thing was a wonderful experience! I still miss her.

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  11. The magic of the travelling apron. Your memories brought tears to my eyes and fond memories of my own mother. (Although we never had tea, sharing coffee and pie ala mode was a special event.) I also have her china bought in Germany. What a nice introduction to a British tea custom.

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    1. Hello Janet, It does hold some magic, that is for sure. I am really pleased that my experience helped you to enjoy happy memories of your own mother. Food and memories are often so beautifully linked, forever. It is just as well we don't eat like that very often - I'd never get away from the stove!

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  12. Oh, the photos are wonderful. I wish I could have been there for your afternoon tea. What a tribute to the apron and to your mother! And you say you can't cook! The photo with Toby is hilarious.

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    1. Hello Mitch, You would have been very welcome indeed. I have been studying the photos of Dudo and Moose, I reckon I have their differences lodged in my brain now... They are an adorable pair.

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  13. I agree with Toby - it all looks delicious.

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    1. Hello Molly, George and Toby are still manfully munching! I must admit, it was nice to have all the cake tins fully stocked for once.

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  14. It looks like the apron has worked it's magic and you've cooked up a lovely spread.

    I love the last photo with Toby!

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    1. Hello LBM, There is definitely magic in that apron. Mind you, there is more than a little magic in the one you whipped up the other week. You have magic scissors!

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  15. What a lovely story of the afternoon tea and its significance for you. I like the photos with the glimpses of the apron (I presume that is you wearing it?) behind the food. Very magical.

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    1. Hello Evlyn, Thank you. I didn't realise quite how emotional an experience it was going to be; it has taken a couple of days for my emotions to settle down, but I am so glad I did it.

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  16. What a great tribute to your mom you did the apron very well. The cucumber and the egg and cress sandwiches bring back memories. I remember being in Victoria once and going to high tea, I think afternoon tea is just the thing to feel decadent in a friendly, homey sort of way, brings back a longing for those gentler days of long ago.

    Toby is just the icing on the cake (no pun intended, but wait maybe so) in that photo, love it.

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    1. Hello Linda, Thank you, I appreciate that. You are spot on, afternoon tea does make you feel like that! Toby is a darling, I know my mother would have loved him - and kept him well supplied with cake tidbits!

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