English Tea on Canada Day

It's a destination spot for serious tea goers, so when my good friend, Kitty Cairns invited me to tea at Niagara's most elaborate and elegant tea room, I looked forward to nothing else for days. Kitty absolutely loves a good afternoon tea. She prides herself in being an expert on the subject, having had afternoon tea at the Ritz Hotel in London, the Empress in Victoria, the Windsor Arms in Toronto and the Chateau Laurier in Ottawa.

This afternoon, it was to be at the Prince of Wales Hotel in Niagara-on-the-Lake. The table was dressed with fine white linens and pink and green floral English bone china. We ordered the Royal Tea which is a traditional tea that begins with a glass of sparkling wine.

It was a glorious afternoon filled with good conversation, pampered edibles and luxurious surroundings. A matching three-tiered cake plate arrived with traditional sandwiches on the bottom, scones in the middle and petite pastries on the top. It was exquisite.

Tea sandwiches are very dainty or gentle as Kittle calls them. Our selection included traditional cucumber and watercress sandwiches along with egg salad, ham and smoked salmon sandwiches.

There is a ritual to making proper tea sandwiches. They may look like buttered bread and a thin layer of neatly cut, filling but there's more. The bread must be day old, soft sliced sandwich bread. They're press between two plates with a weight upon the top plate and left for 15 minutes or more. Next, they're cut in dainty shapes, small enough to pick up with two fingers.

Kitty prides herself in making the best ever scones. Her recipe is an old one with origins to Buckingham Palace. She's perfected it over the years with a technique that uses less flour and less rolling for a light, airy and delicate texture. She rated the scones that afternoon as the best she's had in a long, long time. The scones were served with a pot of luscious clotted cream, creamy butter and delicious Greaves strawberry jam, very traditional and elegant toppings.

What makes a good tea explains Kitty is what reference it has to the place your enjoying it and the Greaves strawberry jam, made just down the road, was a nice touch. Of course, the other ingredients that go into making a decadent tea experience is the fine, English bone china to sip your tea from, real heavy silverware and of course, the most important ingredient - the tea itself. It must be loose tea that is steeped in a heated pot of hot water. "There's no reason to use a bag when you're having such a pampering and exquisite afternoon" explains Kitty.

Afternoon tea is a perfect way to spend your leisurely Canada Day afternoon. Indulge yourself, you'll be thankful you did.

Asparagus & Ham Tea Sandwiches

Traditional sandwich service is to serve these little triangles standing upright, side by side on your best English bone china. Make a selection of 4 tea sandwiches such as cucumber and watercress, egg salad and smoked salmon.

125 mL (1/2 cup) butter, softened

1 mL (1 teaspoon) whole-grain mustard

freshly ground black pepper

6 slices of white sandwich bread, crusts removed

6 slices Black Forest Ham

10 asparagus spears, cooked and sliced lengthwise

Mix the butter, mustard and pepper together in a bowl to make mustard butter. Spread the bread generously with the mustard butter. Place the ham over half the slices of bread and lay over the asparagus. Press the other slices on top. With a rolling pin, firmly roll the sandwiches to half their thickness. With a sharp knife, slice the sandwiches into small squares or triangles. Makes 24 small tea sandwiches.

Lemon Scones with Strawberry Jam and Clotted Cream

These are not traditional English scones, but I like to refer to them as modern day scones. They have a slight lemony flavour which makes them the perfect partner for any of Niagara's fresh berries.

500 mL (2 cups) all purpose flour

15 mL (1 tablespoon) baking powder

2.5 mL (½ teaspoon) salt

30 mL (2 tablespoons) sugar

75 mL (5 tablespoons) butter

1 egg, beaten

125 mL (½ cup) whipping cream

30 mL (2 tablespoons) butter, melted

125 mL (½ cup) sugar

15 mL (1 tablespoon) lemon zest

Strawberry jam

Clotted cream

Preheat the oven to 425F (220C). Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Add the butter, cutting it into the dry ingredients using a pastry blender. In a small bowl, combine the beaten egg and cream and add to the flour mixture. Mix until just blended together.

Turnout the batter onto a lightly floured board and knead lightly for 1 minute. Pat or roll lightly into a rectangle. Brush the dough with the melted butter, sprinkle with sugar and lemon zest. Roll up jelly-roll fashion. Cut the roll into eight equal slices and lay each slice down on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until scones are golden. Serve warm with plenty of strawberry jam and clotted cream. Makes 8 scones.

Wine recommendation: A chilled Niagara bubbly is the perfect start to an afternoon tea. Try a sparkling from Jackson Triggs or Henry of Pelham Winery.