The Noble Origins of Afternoon Tea

[@TastingHistory]

Make sure to check out Cosplay Cafe at cosplaycafellc.com/

[@nikiclark6158]

Hummm I grow lemongrass, for teas and spices...

[@milliehaagen7526]

I absolutely have and will be telling friends 🙂

[@adamdubin1276]

You said something about a series on tea, I insist you do this posthaste! It will be very interesting.

[@juliabaum8832]

They're like the mobile version of another Bay Area comic-themed coffee shop that was open for a few years. I love it!

[@martinlake000]

What, no milk in your blue tea?

[@DragongodZenos]

Max: "I want to keep this history light." Also Max: "The poor lady was shamed and died from a tumor."

[@midoriya-shonen]

And that's how you know how dark the history of tea is 😬

[@kyzrvlhlm1995]

The duality of Max

[@krono5el]

how insane is europe in the 17th century they couldn't identify a pregnancy. wow, talk about behind the times.

[@midoriya-shonen]

@@krono5el He might've been able to do it if he listened to her for half a second. Sounds like he thought he knew more about her body that she did

[@Randomeaninglessword]

@@midoriya-shonen I'm not a Victorian-era physician so I can't say for sure what he had going for him, but to defend the doctor a bit: this was all before x-rays or ultrasounds or the majority of modern tools and tests we have available. Those symptoms really sound like pregnancy. Obviously he should have checked a bit harder because she clearly wasn't pregnant, but it's also very easy for us to say that with the hindsight of her conclusive autopsy and modern medical techniques.

[@TastingHistory]

This cake was one of the first things I ever saw on The Great British Bake Off and that’s what inspired me to start baking. So in a way, Tasting History owes it all to the Victoria Sponge. 😁

[@Firegen1]

One day this is going to full circle and Ketchup with Max and José will have Mary Berry on it.

[@sekhmara8590]

😂 here’s a grand huzzah to the classic Victoria Sponge!

[@aielle84]

I don’t see the Cosplay Cafe link in the description?

[@cresscelesta]

As an avid tea drinker, you now have me excited for the eventual "Tea Month" :)

[@chanceDdog2009]

Me: Runs to the kitchen and makes tea.. Eating with little Debbie because I am just a peasant. But classy 😂🙂

[@dearyvettetn4489]

I had a similar tumor at 9-months old. It was called Wilms tumor. My grandmother was a nurse and demanded that my parents take me to the pediatrician and I was admitted to the hospital immediately for surgery. My abdomen was enlarged and my dad just thought I ate too much. I am forever greatful to my grandmother who could be a bit of a mean girl herself, but her insistence and determination saved my life 🙏🏽 🥰 RIP Nana ❤

[@musiclover148]

Making the cake denser surely made it easier to cut it into thin fingers and spread jam on it without creating a mound of crumbs, not to mention easier to pick it up and eat it as a sandwich without raining crumbs all over. So maybe there was method to their madness!

[@TheMeloettaful]

Huh, that does make a lot of sense! Much easier to cut into sandwich pieces instead of them just falling apart into delicious cake crumbs 😋.

[@HomicidalRubberducky]

I completely agree! The context for how food was eaten is so important and often overlooked! In austria, we have this cake called gugelhupf, which is a sweet yeasted dough with a filling of raisins and nuts. I was used to be made a little dry on purpose, because it was supposed to be dunked, either in coffee or milk. :)

[@angel8fingers]

I concur! Good eye!

[@Scott-tq7ko]

That might explain not using the baking powder but not adding flour early on, which tends to create a chewier rather than a denser crumb due to gluten formation.

[@tessdurberville711]

Better to not spoil one's favorite tea gown.

[@CallieCrossroad]

She really said "You can make Jam with strawberries grown in your own garden, but store bought is fine."

[@janisjoplin7586]

The shadeeeeeeee lmao I can feel her sideeye from here

[@splendidcolors]

Mrs. Crocombe, right?

[@sun_chariot6141]

​@Kathryn Hedges ahhh, you watch that, too huh? ❤

[@swagjockey6019]

@@splendidcolorsUwU

[@MarsJenkar]

"I make my strawberry jam from scratch, but I'm a freak, and we all know it."

[@Bpaynee]

Yes please to the tea history! If anyone wants to make the strawberry jam but can't find pectin/jam sugar, you can put the peel of a Granny Smith apple in when you're cooking everything and then just take it out. It's a natural source of pectin and doesn't affect the flavor.

[@kimquinn7728]

Great to know, thank you!!!🥰

[@emeralddarkness]

I've made my own strawberry jam for a couple years off the recipe from food wishes, another youtube channel. You harvest your own pectin by boiling down a few apples and a lemon or two until they basically dissolve into a very thin applesauce, strain out any solid bits left, and then add that to your jam! It def adds a lil something something to the flavor but not something that you could really notice as anything

[@nikiclark6158]

@@emeralddarkness ohh I love the way you think.. FOOD WISHES is another awesome channel..

[@adamwelch4336]

I like cucumber sandwiches but with butter not mayonnaise!

[@adamwelch4336]

@@nikiclark6158 indeed

[@ItsYaBoiV]

When I was a child, my mom read Beatrix Potter to me, and the Hobbit, and both instilled in me this love of a fantasy version of historical England. We used to make a lunch of tea, cucumber sandwiches, and scones with cream, along with a blanket out in to the yard and "picnic" while reading in the shade.

[@terry902]

That sounds wonderful like a scene from a book.

[@10Raccoon]

Sounds like so much fun! We used to do similar, but we would spread our blanket on the livingroom floor as the weather was often poor where I grew up. I'm glad you got to have such good memories with yiur mother!

[@chezmoi42]

@@10Raccoon So, would that have been a 'very low tea'?

[@adreabrooks11]

Mama V deserves a Good Parent award! Tell her the internet said so! ^_^

[@EB-yx4fn]

what a charming tradition!

[@1stGruhn]

Older varieties of wheat were 'softer' than what is generally available as all purpose today. You'd have to get a soft wheat similar to cake flour to begin to get close to some of those varieties. Plus, hand mixing isn't as rigorous as electric... so less gluten development from the softer wheat and lesser mixing might have formed a softer cake.

[@TheBitzr]

I would love to find this wheat cake flour in my cake! ❤

[@watthaile2053]

That's just an original standard Pound Cake recipe. Use her recipe .... Except , Take out a tablespoon of flour and add in a tablespoon of cornstarch. Then, use this method. Separate the eggs, put the whites and a large mixing bowl and the yolks in another. They think whites until stiff and add one half of the sugar. Beat it well and set aside. And the other bowl, add the butter and the other half of the sugar and meet until light and fluffy. Mix in the flour cornstarch and a pinch of salt, meet for just the barest minute. Dan Foley beaten egg whites into the batter until Incorporated. Turn into the pan and bake. It is the same ingredients. This is the recipe and the method I use for my Pound cake. It is the mixing method that makes all the difference.

[@JaneHornsby-iz9ob]

Brands popular in the American South (White Lily, and Martha White for instance, and perhaps Red Band) are made from the softer Winter wheat. They are preferred for Southern biscuits, but because of this may be hard to find, except in the "self-rising" (baking powder included) type. If you can buy them plain, they may produce a cake more like tge original.

[@HarryFlashmanVC]

As a boy growing up in Scotland, even in the 1970s an idea days menu was: Breakfast 7am Elevenses 11am Lunch 1pm Afternoon Tea 3.00pm High Tea 5pm Supper 9pm This, or some variation of it, was a traditional Scottish form. Afternoon tea: cucumber sanwiches and small cakes with tea. High Tea.. this was a brilliant meal.and you still find it in Scotland and the North of England especially in institutions. Breakfast: Porage Bacon Sausage Eggs Toast Marmalade Etc. Elevenses Bacon rolls Aberdeen Butteries Tattie scones Cheese or fruit scones and butter Lunch: the main meal of the day So High Tea is a savory main dish: Cottage Pie, Fish and Chips, Pie and Chips, this wouldn't be a large portion Folllowed by sandwiches, scones, and jam, potato scones and cakes in large quantities. You then had supper before bed: bread, cheese, ham, cold raised pie like a Pork Pie, pickles and chutneys.. washed down with beer or a sweetish wine. Eat this for 30 years... die of gout or a hear attack

[@bruderschweigen6889]

Are you entirely sure you're not a hobbit?

[@KayPrescesky]

OMG that all sounds freaking delicious!

[@kellysong2256]

Wow! I would like to try that out for about a week 😂 Yum

[@spectre9340]

I'm so glad you talked about the whole "meat tea" thing and how it replaced the evening meal cos my British boyfriend kept talking about having tea in the evenings and I was shocked that he wouldn't be having a proper meal. He explained that he referred to dinner as "tea", not to be confused with "afternoon tea". Glad to know there was actually some history behind it and it wasn't just his town being weird with their terminologies.

[@MeStevely]

When I was a small boy in the 50's my parents would often take me to stay in English hotels where the evening meal was still often called 'High Tea'. I think that has fallen out of fashion in hotels now, but your boyfriend is quite correct, many Brits still refer to the evening meal as 'tea'.

[@BethJoan]

In the Midwest of the US “lunch” was actually a small 4th meal. Your daily meals were breakfast, dinner (noon meal), lunch, and supper (evening meal). It was usually all canned, picked, and potted foods served with fresh fruit and shortbreads. This was during the 1850-1950 era.

[@spectre9340]

@@BethJoan omg that explains so much Cos he would refer to lunch as "dinner" and as I've mentioned in my original comment, dinner as "tea".

[@Draggonny]

I'm guessing he's from the North of England as here in the North East we call lunches "dinner" and evening meal "tea".

[@beccaboo3040]

I'm from East England and we always say what are we having for tea as in dinner lol. We don't say lunch well depends on if your a snob and it's mainly them who have afternoon tea.

[@babablacksheepdog]

The part about the Flora Hastings story that wasn't mentioned, was that Flora, as well as her alleged lover, Sir John Conroy, were members of the inner circle of Queen Victoria's mother, the Duchess of Kent. The Duchess was a rather domineering mother, and she and Conroy (he was also alleged to have been the Duchess's lover), implemented a very strict system of rules called the Kensington System, ostensibly to keep the then-Princess Victoria safe, but the result was the complete alienation of Victoria from the outside world. Victoria grew to hate the system (she was lonely, extremely restricted in what she could do and essentially bullied by her mother and her circle), and by extension her mother, John Conroy and everyone else associated with them (which included Lady Flora, who was her mother's lady-in-waiting). When she ascended to the throne, the Duchess and Conroy even tried to argue that she was too young and too "unstable" to rule on her own, and tried to make the Duchess her Regent, but Victoria was strong-willed and held firm against them. The moment she became Queen, she abolished the Kensington System, ordered that her mother's chambers be as far as possible from her own, and fired Conroy (he had been appointed Comptroller of Victoria's Household - by her mum, of course - if I remember correctly). When the Flora Hastings scandal happened, Victoria jumped on the chance to avenge herself against both Conroy and Hastings (and indirectly, her mother too). It explains why she was so harsh against Flora (it wasn't just that she was a "mean girl," she had her reasons), although it doesn't excuse her, of course.

[@SafetyBriefer]

woah...

[@goldenrosie]

I don’t blame Victoria for not wanting anything to do with her mother and Conroy’s social circles after what they did to her growing up. Surely what those two did to her was emotional abuse.

[@Naharu.]

After reading about it, cant blame her. I'd probably still be angry with them too

[@feralbluee]

this the kind of history i love. it’s human. it’s real life, not just dates of when such and such happened. if you understand the people involved, it’s easier to know why history happened the way it did. poor Flora - imagine not knowing what the hell is going on🫣 thanks so much. 🙃🫖🌷🌿🌼🌱🌷

[@JelMain]

You must also remember Victoria wasn't expected to become Queen. George IV only had one legitimate child, Charlotte, who married a very competent soldier, Leopold of Saxe Coburg. Then disaster struck: she died in childbirth. When Victoria was born 2 years later, she was rather bad news: the establishment looked for Kings, the previous female monarchs having all died without issue (Queen Anne's son died in early adolescence). In 1830, Leopold accepted a firm job offer from Belgium, which cleared the way for Victoria..

[@tando6266]

I like to think that as max takes a bite he thinks back to episodes like the hard tack or the blood ones and thinks "I have earned this"

[@shevahauser1780]

haha i always think 'hey this one's actually good!' also as a side note, i thought high tea was because it was at highnoon

[@poop696969poop]

clack clack

[@dori411]

Your show is literally being watched by three generations of my family now. We discovered it like last week and we can't get enough history eats. Never thought we'd all be learning and discussing ancient Roman foods and the like. We're going to make a few of these recipes for our family Samhain dinner this year. Awesome stuff.

[@genericyoutubehandle.]

Oooo I've never seen someone else making a samhain dinner ! Can I ask what you tend to serve up ?

[@ca44444]

Also following for Samhain dinner ideas 💡

[@dori411]

@@genericyoutubehandle. We've been doing Samhain dinner since I was a baby. Usually, we serve apricot brandy glazed cornish game hens with wild rice stuffing, fresh baked breads, cheese and crackers, grapes, pomegranates, starfruit, apples, seasonal pies, pumpkin soups served in the pumpkin. My Nana used to do a mushroom, rice and rabbit dish or a shepherds pie using haggis. Sounds gross but its actually really good.

[@wUrmsalad]

my mom, my husband and my 6 year old all love watching with me!

[@laurenc5306]

Family Samhain dinner? That's super cool

[@meganechan720]

Making your own strawberry jam is so worth it! But if you can't find good berries, frozen works fine, because they are picked when they're perfectly ripe.

[@Mickiwalk]

Yes! Frozen berries are better than winter berries, at least in my area. I put my pot of frozen berries on top of the sterilizing bath for the jars to hurry up the process. It's a double boiler, so I can leave them on for quite awhile without anything burning or getting too hot.

[@yumyummoany]

French jam is excellent. Bonne Maman is easy to get here in the UK. In France there are several good brands. I dislike strawberry jam so use raspberry jam!!!

[@LuvzToLol21]

Fun fact: butterfly pea flowers (the things that make the Water Type tea blue) are also a natural acidity indicator. Add some lemon juice and it'll turn purple

[@sonder8310]

Just wanted to compliment you: you combine two of my favorite things: preparing food and history!

[@TastingHistory]

Thank you 😊

[@Arcane_Archer]

...Also Pokemon!

[@lindaseel8633]

@@Arcane_Archer Oh yes!

[@SmokeyChipOatley]

I would’ve said pokémon and British aristocracy but those are good too.

[@anthonybanderas9930]

I was going to say preparing food and eating it, but sure, history is also nice.

[@MononokeLynn]

I’d love to see a video on cucumber sandwiches. “Importance of Being Ernest” mentions them so often, I’d like to know the original idea of it - I like white bread, butter and thinly sliced cucumber. However, many recipes are crazy overboard these days.

[@TastingHistory]

One of my favorite plays and the movie from the 90s is amazing. “He ate every last muffin!”

[@morrigankasa570]

I've never done that type of Cucumber sandwich rather I've done it with Cream Cheese spread instead of the butter. But true some things go too far.

[@kathleenhensley5951]

ALGERNON. [Picking up empty plate in horror.] Good heavens! Lane! Why are there no cucumber sandwiches? I ordered them specially. LANE. [Gravely.] There were no cucumbers in the market this morning, sir. I went down twice. ALGERNON. No cucumbers! LANE. No, sir. Not even for ready money. ALGERNON. That will do, Lane, thank you. LANE. Thank you, sir. [Goes out.] ALGERNON. I am greatly distressed, Aunt Augusta, about there being no cucumbers, not even for ready money. LADY BRACKNELL. It really makes no matter, Algernon. I had some crumpets with Lady Harbury, who seems to me to be living entirely for pleasure now.

[@gljm]

@@TastingHistory You really must see the 1952 version which is far superior with Michael Redgrave, Dame Edith Evans and Margaret Rutherford. Another great version has David Suchet (Hercule Poirot) as Lady Bracknell ! This is a filmed version of the play you can find parts of it on KZbin.

[@clara_corvus]

Ah, I love that play! Out of all the books we read in school, I think this was the only one that everyone enjoyed.

[@kevinbyrne4538]

Dear Max: Consider doing an episode about Claude Monet (1840 - 1926), the French Impressionist painter who was also a gourmet. There are several cookbooks (in English) that feature collections of his recipes.

[@thecommonsenseconservative5576]

Count de money

[@aangelkinsplaylists6567]

i would love that!

[@TheLizzietish]

Kevin, you should check out the Art Assignment's Cooking Series; one of which is specifically about Claude Monet ( kzbin.info/www/bejne/n2GygHRqfcikasU&ab_channel=TheArtAssignment ).

[@yowatt3279]

Oooo that would be interesting. I've been taught about him at one point

[@lilasiansquat4526]

I can’t help but notice that Max enunciates his consonances so clearly, especially the T’s, D’s. My speech teacher would’ve loved him

[@marthahawkinson-michau9611]

So did his speech teacher….

[@BethJoan]

Speaking through costumes for a while will do that to you. 😆

[@marthahawkinson-michau9611]

@@BethJoan 🤣

[@onespiceybbw]

He was a voice actor for Disney before he started this channel.

[@catslove3884]

Oh my, that reminds me of when a man was delighted not only by my appearance but also by my enunciation. He said his teacher would have me at the top of the class.

[@Finsirith]

14:48 -- The tea gown "could be put on without the help of a maid." I have read that that was an advantage if a lady had a secret "gentleman caller", as she could get herself dressed afterwards without the servants finding out and spreading gossip!

[@dragonflyfirefly9465]

A whole series on tea? That sounds delightful!

[@darriendastar3941]

Definitely. I'm hoping that it will be another 'Titanic' series for Tasting History. That series on the food and history of the doomed ship is so good that I keep it on a separate playlist for when I've got a weekend with nothing to do. It still gives me chills. A truly excellent piece of film-making and I'm hoping the Tea series will be just as good.

[@terrybull1534]

@@darriendastar3941 I like cook the dishes and sit on a slightly deflated pool float in the ocean to get the full experience

[@darriendastar3941]

@@terrybull1534 HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA 😀

[@SophiaRavenna]

Yes, I agree! I love tea and enjoy learning its history, even the darker parts.

[@andreasbraess3759]

I wished he had longer put in page Cosplay Cafe in and put link in where it can order.

[@prometheustartarus]

Omg it's a Tasting History episode on my favourite part of the day. Max, you're an absolute gem.

[@TastingHistory]

It’s the only way to get through the afternoon 😁

[@thecommonsenseconservative5576]

What country are you in

[@LynnHermione]

Here in latin america we call the 5 pm milk and cake meal "merienda" and it's a staple of children's diet. In fact, THE prime time for kids' tv here is around 5 pm bc it's when kids are having their merienda. It is also common with fancy old ladies in the "afternoon tea" manner and since having dinner is too expensive, it's become a common outing for groups of adult female friends

[@mahenonz]

I found it funny when Max said he found afternoon tea exotic as a child, I grew up with it and it was just two bikkies and a cup of Milo (malted drink) when I got home from school! Very few places in New Zealand do a fancy afternoon tea anymore, we used to have “tearooms” but they pretty much all got replaced by cafés in the 90s.

[@Naharu.]

Here in Brazil we do something similar too, but - at least me and the circles l went around as a little kid - we had coffe and cake and did it at 4pm.

[@makotofox1987]

I'm from Spain so I relate so much! My family in Spain never misses their "merienda" 😁

[@lucasribeiro7534]

In Portugal, we call it "lanche" (we also have the word "merenda", but that's a more general term which can refer to different meals depending on whom you ask). We usually have tea/coffee/milk/juice and bread/cake/croissant/biscuits, sometime between 15:00 and 17:00.

[@juleenee]

1:35 I hope this was printed as "and add the eggs," >next page> "which should be previously thoroughly whisked"

[@musiclover148]

I totally empathize with that 4:00-5:00 "sinking feeling" of the Duchess of Bedford! Hallelujah for afternoon tea, although I don't always call it that. It's just stuffing my face with baked goods and tea when I get hungry.

[@bodyno3158]

I totally get it too, it's literally light hypoglycaemia, I usually feel "absolutely hammered" at 5-6pm, if I had a lighter lunch, I'd feel the same as what duchess had experienced, sinking feeling from 4pm to 5pm. A few high calorie snacks with a cup of light stimulant drinks will fill the gap between lunch and dinner nicely. Also with an afternoon tea, you can eat less at dinner, which is good for stomach.

[@SoulQueenoD]

Wasn't expecting to finally get a description of what a tea gown was in a food video, but I'm glad I got it.

[@Hair8Metal8Karen]

Check out Nicole Rudolph's channel. She's a dress historian and her videos are so informative

[@sallycassian4494]

Wonder if it has anything to do with tea--length dresses?

[@natashaberry8404]

"Tea: A Global History," by Helen Saberi is a great book to learn all about the history of tea! Used it for a paper in uni last year and it's very comprehensive. It even has a recipe section! The author also has a series of similar books for other types of foods.

[@TastingHistory]

The Global History series is fantastic! I have many of them.

[@--Paws--]

So Anna Maria Russell did not only make Afternoon Tea time a custom but also made "spilling of tea".

[@APfw-tri]

I used to make cakes after a medieval recipe, and while I did mix in the flour carefully at the end, I didn't use leavener either. The cakes were wonderfully soft and the flavour is much nicer. Somehow the baking powder adds a slight side flavour that I'm not too fond of.

[@thismissivemisfit]

I am more of a tea drinker than coffee, so I would absolutely love an episode on tea. In Southeast Asia, thanks to strong diplomatic and trade ties with China during the Malaccan Empire (during the 14th to 17th century) tea culture spread everywhere. In my childhood, my grandma or my mom would fry banana fritters, or other types of sweet and savory fritters, and serve it with black tea for an evening snack, although my late grandpa preferred his with black coffee. It's especially heavenly when it rains. Local herbs and spices are added for health benefits such as the butterfly pea flower, lemon grass, kaffir lime and many others. The water-type tea you got looked to have had butterfly pea flowers in it because I recognize the colour. It's thought to be beneficial to maintain eyesight and a tonic for women's reproductive health.

[@tackyman2011]

It occurs to me: With Max and Tasting History, WE CAN HAVE ARCHAIC AND EAT IT TOO.

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

+

[@DawnDavidson]

Groan!!! I see what you did there! 😂

[@JupitersEuropa1]

😂😂😂😂

[@matteopascoli]

Lol, when you said “mustard” it seemed perfectly normal to me. We have sweet mustards in Italy (fruit based). The one to put on hot dogs we call “senape” rather than “mostarda”.

[@LiqdPT]

And English mustard is hot (spicy), at least as compared to most American mustards.

[@matteopascoli]

@@LiqdPT I see! But let me more clear, because I wrote my comment too condensed as always 😝. The English word “mustard” comes, trough french, from latin “mustum ardens” (burning must), made from pressed grapes with the spicy seeds of one or more of the three mustard plants, for conservation. In my town we make “mostarda bolognese” which have other fruits in it and, although the recipe allows for adding very little mustard seeds or essence, to be eaten with meats, I only have ever seen it without, as a filling for cakes and pastries. On boiled meats we use rather the “mostarda cremonese” or “mostarda mantovana” which are made with candy fruits, honey and mustard seeds or essence, but no must. Then, there are infinite variants of what you call “mustard” and we call “senape” that again have no must in them but are sauces made mainly from mustard seeds with vinegar and, however “sweet”, nobody would use for filling pastry as instead with the “mostarda bolognese” or “mostarda romagnola” 😀

[@LiqdPT]

@@matteopascoli yes, the point of the joke was that nobody would put mustard in a cake. And given this is an English recipe, I assumed English mustard which would be especially horrible in a dessert.

[@kathleenhensley5951]

@@LiqdPT There is an interesting conversation in "As you like it" about mustard on what we moderns would consider a sweet treat. I've always wondered who would put Mustard on pancakes or were pancakes a different food in Renaissance Europe? Here is the quote: ROSALIND Where learned you that oath, fool? TOUCHSTONE Of a certain knight that swore by his honor they were good pancakes, and swore by his honor the mustard was naught. Now, I’ll stand to it, the pancakes were naught and the mustard was good, and yet was not the knight forsworn.

[@SuperBrieBear]

Amazing synchronicity. I just made strawberry jam last night. I make it using frozen strawberries from the supermarket without waiting for the packet to thaw. Straight into the pan on medium high. I also use regular sugar. When it boils I lower the heat and leave for 15-20 mins, mixing every 5 mins so it doesn't burn. When it just start to stick to the bottom I turn off the heat and mash it with a fork. Best thing is you can make it as runny or lumpy as you wish. If you leave in the fridge overnight it will reach a consistency like Max's.

[@switchboardrevelry4275]

Yeah, I didn't need any pectin for strawberry, blackberry, nor blueberry jams. You just use regular sugar and lemon juice and cook it longer.

[@m.theresa1385]

I use fresh fruit which I stock up on while it’s on sale and sometimes stash in the freezer ‘til I’m ready. No pectin in mine, though I do boil with apples (which I remove) sugar, and a bit of lemon juice. Once I mash and reach a good consistency I test runniness on a frozen plate, and I’m done. Quick and easy (and delicious! )

[@elizabethclaiborne6461]

Getting blasted on caffeine was the forerunner to that great Roaring Twenties innovation, the cocktail party. And the tea dance, which was tea, a band, and often cocktails. If you don’t have a tea gown, formal wizard robes will do. My green velvet McGonagoll robes work well for festive afternoon hanging out. out

[@AnaxErik4ever]

The reference to Disney's Mad Hatter messing around with the White Rabbit's watch (with some ingredients in today's recipe) is worth a like on its own. Victoria Sandwich is a classic cake recipe that many bakers test their skills on to see if they "cut the mustard". It is a "naked" cake, having no icing or frosting on the outside, so you can tell whether it has been generously and evenly filled, or whether your baker has skimped on the jam and cream in the center. I have seen it being made several times on the Great British Bake Off, and I would not be surprised to see it on many a tea table or under a display dome in a bakery.

[@marylee7467]

I am a tea freak, with no less than 14 types in my pantry. I love tea parlors. I've made Victoria Sponge, but not like this one. I didn't realize scones were added later, love scones. And I'm going to make some jam now using this method. As Pooh said I'd really love a smakeral now. And yes please, history of tea would be amazing 🫖🌸

[@TastingHistory]

Smakeral! I remember that.

[@marylee7467]

@@TastingHistory I had a feeling you might 😁🫖

[@mariello05]

Same here , lots of diferents teas on my pantry

[@Poopyduckling9999]

I never knew there's more than one type of tea??

[@mariello05]

@@Poopyduckling9999 Hassam Darjeeling Earl Grey Puer Eh and so on

[@PLuMUK54]

Afternoon tea was part of my childhood. My grandma and mum did the catering for many of the village events, and, as mum was well known for her cakes, afternoon tea was a popular request. Extra fancy (small) cakes were always made, and other cakes, sandwiches, and so on, set aside for the family. A few years ago I went out for afternoon tea, and found the modern version rather ordinary. I'd obviously been spoiled. I still drink Twinings Tea; the one that I have was advertised years ago by Stephen Fry as being "good enough to serve my plumber"! I used to have a nearby tea merchants whose stock was incredible. I'd offer my guests tea, then ask which they wanted of about 20 that I used to have. A sad day when that shop closed.

[@dianethornhill3651]

Have you been looking in my pantry at all the tea I have?

[@LoriCiani]

My dear old late mum was an amazing baker. She could do anything, from elaborate wedding cakes to the humble Victoria sponge. Her little butterfly cakes were always a favourite with everyone, her shortbread was always crisp and buttery. I don't have her talent. I miss her.

[@kathrynstansbury2349]

What you need with that cake is a good, strong cup of Yorkshire Tea, well steeped with a dash of milk - perfect!!

[@My_mid-victorian_crisis]

I love making Victoria Sandwiches. I add Earl Grey tea in my raspberry jam.

[@StephBer1]

The secret to this sort of Victoria sponge is the freshest of eggs. My gran used to make her Victoria sponge the old fashioned way. It was definitely an art and was a testament to a really good cook.

[@melaniemassicotte6212]

Please do a whole series on tea! It's such a rich history from around the world! Every year during maple season, I make myself a huge cup of black tea with fresh maple sap and whiskey. It's my favourite drink!

[@selenagamya1612]

Ooh, tea with maple syrup and whiskey actually sounds amazing

[@andreacollins4500]

Just a quick note from a professional baker, what the original recipe is describing seems to be what we now call the Two-Stage Mixing Method: the softened butter is beaten into the flour and other dry ingredients until crumbly (stage 1) and the sugar and beaten eggs are added separately (stage 2). In modern bakeries, it’s also called High Ratio Mixing Method as often the butter is replaced with high-ratio shortening. A professional cake is generally mixed using this method and it makes a light and fluffy cake that can still stand up to being stacked (a la wedding cakes). The Cream & Sugaring Mixing Method (butter + sugar, then eggs, then wet, then dry) is what most home bakers are used to using and that is probably what they moved to when the flour was added in later stages.

[@b.elzebub9252]

12:20 And also because 'Regina' literally means 'Queen' in latin. Queen Victoria is often referred to as 'Victoria R.I.' or 'Victoria Regina Imperatrix'.

[@RolloTonéBrownTown]

Also I love how the selling points for all these old time recipes is bowels. "Oh it'll move your bowels. It'll settle your bowels and calm your nerves" Which I guess makes sense considering how prevalent cholera and dysentery were

[@mahenonz]

We have a Victorian home hints book and basically every remedy in the medical section begins “empty the bowels and apply leeches.” 😂

[@RolloTonéBrownTown]

@@mahenonz Move the bowels, drain the blood. Perfect health!

[@ragnkja]

Isabella Beeton turned 25 the year her _Book of Household Management_ came out, so she was no matron writing for the younger generation, but a young woman writing for others like herself.

[@TastingHistory]

Sadly, she died shortly afterward. 😔

[@ragnkja]

@@TastingHistory Indeed. She was working on a _Book of Needlework_ (published posthumously in 1870) shortly before she died, and it shows quite clear signs of having been put together by others from her notes.

[@mialemon6186]

Man this video got surprisingly sad. Everyone gets brought up, then shortly after a "She died" is dropped. Reality is kinda jerkish at times.

[@violethomesteadgeorgia7278]

I loved reading Elizabeth Peters books on Amelia Peabody. The descriptions of afternoon tea taken under tents or in vacant tombs in Egypt were interesting

[@lauraainslie6725]

Not to mention the cucumber sandwiches...

[@violethomesteadgeorgia7278]

@@lauraainslie6725 yes. Love cucumber sandwiches. My tea collection is getting pretty large.

[@ruialmeida818]

Kudos for introducing part of my heritage in one of your videos. As a Portuguese man I'm quite proud of our history and heritage (although it has its darker moments). An additional fun fact - marmalade was also introduced in the English court at this time also by the Portuguese. Marmalade is a derivation of the Portuguese word marmelada, which in its turn comes from the Portuguese word marmelo (quince in English) from which the marmalade is traditionally made of.

[@thenovicenovelist]

Did you also see the episode he did about the Portuguese visiting Japan and bringing a sweet egg dish to the country? It was pretty interesting.

[@nobbyj.3053]

It was introduced by Catarina of Braganza, queen and wife of Charles II. And it was also her who started the tradition of afternoon tea at court.

[@ruialmeida818]

@@nobbyj.3053 yes I know. That is a well known fact amongst the Portuguese.

[@livingkiss]

If anyone does decide to make your own jam, I might suggest using frozen berries if the fresh ones in your grocery store aren’t the best.

[@katievb9]

I think every family in the UK has a recipe for a Victoria sponge - ours is just 4 eggs, weigh them, and use the same weight for the butter, sugar and flour. A couple of teaspoons of baking powder and job done. Never fails and it's always a hit. This video was so fun to learn about the history of afternoon tea. I thought it had always been a fancy affair, but it was really quite simple at its outset. Also, completely agree with the tea point, there's nothing a good cuppa can't fix!

[@liv97497]

Lovely episode! Funnily enough my favorite sponge is a traditional portuguese recipe with no leveners either - it all hinges on whipping the egg whites very firm and then adding other ingredients to it, and you *DO NOT* stop the mixer. I've experimented with this recipe a bunch, but it's at its most wonderful as is. Very delicate and fluffy, and amazing for rolled up cakes, as it does not break. And no baking powder!

[@miket4560]

This is great. My grandmother did tea every day, with company or not. When I joined her it always turned into a great visit complete with tea type snacks. Thanks for jogging my memory, I'm gonna do afternoon tea today. 🍵 Thanks for the clip. 🍁

[@erraticonteuse]

It's funny, I know of another story about Queen Victoria and out-of-wedlock pregnancies. There was some minor royal or noble family from one of the German states who were so posh that they had individual footmen to escort each of their daughters to bed each night. That that ended about as well as you can expect. Apparently Queen Victoria was basically the only person who gave their pregnant daughter the time of day after and arranged a "good marriage" for her. I wonder if it happened after this event.

[@10Raccoon]

Given that the way Queen Victoria regretted the way she acted in this story, it would make sense that she give the benefit of the doubt to ladies in the future.

[@articxunodorseggnej8016]

What happened I don’t really understand? And is there actual documentation on the super fancy family

[@erraticonteuse]

@@articxunodorseggnej8016 The footman got one of the daughters pregnant. As one might have predicted when making it a man's job to literally take a teenage girl to bed. Her name was Marie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin.

[@articxunodorseggnej8016]

@@erraticonteuse duchess Marie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin? It says she married Russian royalty

[@yoursinsincerely8724]

@@articxunodorseggnej8016 it was actually Duchess Marie of Mecklenberg-Strelitz

[@murphyleigh6319]

I'm an American, and a big fan of oolong tea over the more common English teas, but I absolutely love the idea of a small fourth meal at 5pm to precede an 8-9pm dinner, it seems like exactly the kind of thing my body wants to naturally do to begin with, so I think I might start instituting it, since I live by myself.

[@pouglwaw5932]

Yes, since my English silver tea service includes a fat teapot and a slimmer one, I use that one for oolong tea [instead of coffee] to give people an interesting choice of teas. Generally, those who prefer tea without milk choose the oolong. The most popular is a Springtime-picked oolong that has sweet floral notes without adding anything.

[@jeremychoo934]

Mrs Beeton’s recipe isn’t that far off from the modern recipe. The quantities tell you that this is basically a pound cake and I was surprised to find that this is actually an early example of the reverse creaming method which I thought was a modern (ie. late 20th century) technique. The theory behind reverse creaming is that when you coat the flour with fat, you inhibit gluten formation when the liquid ingredients (eggs, etc) are added so no surprises that the cake turned out with a nice crumb. The only difference I can see is that the modern recipes use self raising flour with the addition of baking powder. I believe Mary Berry’s recipe uses the all in one method instead of the creaming method but I prefer making my sponges for a Victoria sandwich using the genoise method which also means less butter without compromising on taste. And the genoise method produce a much lighter/fluffier sponge because you don’t deflate the beaten eggs like you do withe Mrs Beeton’s recipe.

[@Entiox]

Thank you for about "high tea" versus "low tea". They last restaurant I worked at did "low tea", with or without fresh baked scones served with clotted cream and our homemade jam, and I was forever explaining the difference to customers.

[@wartgin]

Miss Manners explained the difference as "it's high time we had something to eat" so "high tea" was the more substantial meal whereas "tea" or "afternoon tea" was just a snack.

[@mistyarcher802]

I've only been watching this channel for like 2 weeks, and I've already watched almost every video LOL so, I guess you could say I was really excited to see this pop up on my feed!

[@TastingHistory]

That’s a lot of me to watch 😂

[@czerwonykwadrat6843]

@@TastingHistory I would consider it a good thing tbh

[@mistyarcher802]

@@TastingHistory hahaha you're correct but I love your videos so it's been great! I dread when I run out and have to wait for new episodes 😅

[@kathleeenmcclintock4931]

My Great Grandmother MacGlauglin, was from Ireland. At precisely 12 noon the world stopped and the tea kettle would whistle! One time we made cream cheese and rose petal sandwiches to go with it! Wonderful memories!

[@ruthmartinartist]

Mrs Beeton is a staple in my family, through 3 generations! This was the first thing I learnt to bake - and has never failed! Weigh the eggs with the shells on and do butter/sugar/flour in the same weight. Brilliant vid!

[@teacheramanda3945]

As a person who struggles with anxiety, your videos are so calming to me! I appreciate your content and how it’s presented.

[@lisaray7141]

Great video as always. A series on the history of English tea would be awesome. As a North Carolinian, a video on the history of Southern sweet tea would be fun too. I always make my own at home, telling folks it's strong enough to get up and walk on its own. It would be fascinating to learn how it has evolved over the years. Thanks for making history more tasty!

[@cerberaodollam]

Oh heck yes on the sweet tea. My ex called it "diabetes in a jar" lol

[@sarahwatts7152]

Yes please to tea month! A different type of tea per episode? You could talk about Baisao the Japanese Zen tea seller for green tea, fasinating

[@panq8904]

Seconded! Green, Black, Oolong, White, Pu-erh, Yellow, Matcha. So much to potentially cover over so much time and different cultures!

[@Erewhon2024]

Yaupon and the "black drink" (not very British; Brits had the plant named "Ilex *vomitoria*" to shut down a potential competitor to the British East India Company's flagship product.

[@linshannon4480]

This is a fantastic episode all 'round. I lived in England while a young girl and much of the history you've put together isn't news, but you've done it in a charming and informative manner. As an aside, may I compliment you on the artwork you've chosen. Some of the illustrations are so vibrant, and many I've never seen before, despite being a bit of a history buff.

[@dave_yarders]

I grew up near Belvoir Castle and am just so impressed you got the pronunciation right!

[@pek5117]

Afternoon Tea is a thing here in Australia, normally scones with jam and cream and/or cucumber sandwiches. Tea doesn't have the best history but either does coffee. The cosplay cafe looks great, wish I could visit.

[@macylouwho1187]

Afternoon tea absolutely can be like a mad tea party if you have a bat crap crazy family like mine. I’m not entirely convinced that some of our holiday meals weren’t secretly being filmed for the world wrestling federation or Jerry Springer. I can totally see someone slapping some mustard in someone else’s face when we get visited by the ghost of Christmas HONESTY and everyone starts screaming this year 😂

[@himesilva]

"The ghost of Christmas honesty" also known as alcohol 😂

[@glorygloryholeallelujah]

The ghost of Christmas honesty is my favorite guest at all of our family functions!! 😂❤

[@Circa2000s]

We must be related 🤣🤣🤣🤣😩

[@wandamontgomery6030]

Ma?

[@DDlambchop43]

frankly, I woulda liked to have had my family dinners be a little crazy instead of dull sitting around.

[@cosmonoodles7690]

Some things I have learned from making jam annually with my family. The most important thing is that everything depends on the berries, the flavor, color and consistency depends on the weather and the berries, ideally you want to use recently harvested berries. We have found that using pectin instead of jam sugar gives a more jelly-like consistency. It takes time to fully set and that time again depends on the berries. It can take everything from a day to weeks to set. Pectin bottles usually have a recipe on it and all of the correct ratios. We use a recipe from a bottle that has worked for us. But keep in mind that we make it for an entire year.

[@hogwashmcturnip8930]

Never try recycling fruit you have used for wine making! May sound obvious, but I am a miser, and my fruit was going as far as I could make it go. The cupboard looked like a Slasher film! Vesuvius plum jam. Wonder why it never caught on?

[@abathtub1411]

i was going to ask what time of year you usually do this, but rereading it i realize its probably whenever the berries you use are harvested! Thank you for the information

[@zoinomiko]

Or if you're using slightly unripe fruit, use less pectin to compensate for natural pectins. (My favorite thing about making Jam was blanching the peaches and rubbing the skins off...

[@kampase]

High Tea being the main meal of the day for some is reflected in regional names of the evening meal in the UK. In the North, we call it Tea where other regions call it dinner (among other names)

[@austforbeer]

My grandmother from Plymouth would make Yorkshire pudding in a large pan like used here. One of my favorite parts of Christmas.

[@lynnerholmes]

Oooh! I would love to see you do a series on the history of tea, yes, please! Tea and the history of tea was one of my pandemic obsessions, and I really enjoyed learning how different cultures around the world have built up such community, mindfulness, and ceremony around their teas. Thank you for including the difference between high tea and afternoon tea. It makes me crazy when folks refer to the afternoon tea as "high tea," and it's not even just my non-tea-drinking friends that do it, but my fellow teaheads as well! Oof. But most of all, THANK YOU for consistently providing closed captioning considerations on your videos for the Deaf and hearing impaired!

[@elewysoffinchingefeld3066]

Yes!! Please do a whole series of tea history! I love having afternoon tea with friends (which I try to do about once a month) and would love to see what history you dig up on the subject. You always find the most fascinating things. Cheers!

[@lavenderlylin]

Now I have the desire to draw Max in a tea gown.

[@Lauren.E.O]

Ah, afternoon tea. The snack to tide me over between breakfast, morning tea, lunch, dinner, evening tea and dessert. ☕️ 🍰

[@cogspace]

Don't forget second breakfast, elevensies, and supper (not to be confused with dinner or lunch, of course)!

[@lannifincoris6482]

let us meet at The Shíre ;-)

[@margotmolander5083]

@@cogspace There's an episode of Time Team (British archology show available here on the YT) where they're investigating a navvie camp (people who dug the canals and then built the railways) and one of the team reenacts being a navvie and he actually eats first breakfast, second breakfast, elevensies, lunch, tea, dinner and supper, and needs every bit of it, based on how hard he was working (and several of the meals are either tea and bread or beer and bread).

[@bmolitor615]

I didn't realize that other hobbits had internet access :)

[@CrizzyEyes]

@@lannifincoris6482 Ah yes, the Shire, the only place where the common people eat like British royalty

[@SeldimSeen1]

Glad I stumbled on this again. Having an afternoon tea party with my daughter and her mother-in-law as we plan this years Thanksgiving dinner together. Another good reason to have loved ones over for tea. This video is so helpful even in 2024.

[@joaoantonio1279]

we also have that victoria sandwich in the Philippines, we call it “Pianono” and we also have that afternoon tea culture in the Philippines and we call it a “Merienda” same with all hispanic countries, an in between meal starting from 4pm up to 6pm, it depends on what time you preferred..

[@asdisskagen6487]

OMG, I absolutely hope you do a whole series of videos regarding tea, its types, and its history. The history of tea is pretty much the history of a lot of the world. Maybe it will even inspire more tea drinking! P.S. - I absolutely adore the thought of afternoon tea and am really sad that it wasn't one of those traditions carried on in the US from England (and yes, I realize why that is).

[@mahenonz]

Well to be fair, they did have one large tea-party, but then they stopped. 😉

[@MisterDestructive]

I'm from the UK and a Victoria sponge is my favourite cake and has been since I was a small child. Thanks so much for making this video it was really interesting to learn the history of something so heavily regarded as a British tradition.

[@lauriepenner350]

The Betwixt the Sheets podcast just did a really interesting episode about Queen Victoria's eating habits with the author of a food history book called "The Greedy Queen," which I am going to have to pick up. She was a passionate and adventurous eater who once invited some Chinese labourers to the palace to cook their native dishes for her. (The host is a sex historian, so things do get a little saucy.)

[@lindenshepherd6085]

A fellow Kate Lister fan in the comments, hurray! I don’t think I’ve come across that particular episode, so thank you for the recommendation!

[@Zerbey]

My Mum used this exact recipe throughout my childhood, she had a copy of Mrs Beeton’s book and many meals came from it!

[@jamesdaniel17]

I was talking to my mum about your channel about 2 days ago, and she asked if you had a video on afternoon tea, and I was so happy to see this pop up on my feed the next day! We're from a town near Bedford and I had to make an afternoon tea for one of my GCSE's, so I was super excited for this video and what you'd talk about. One fact that I enjoy about afternoon tea is how it's meant to be structured: in a three tier afternoon tea, sandwiches should be on the bottom tier, scones in the middle, and desserts on top.

[@Tomatonator]

No way, I’m having afternoon tea in London right now!! What are the chances. I also got to go to Bath yesterday and get a Sally Lunn bun. Good lord they were good.

[@rejoyce318]

Oh, how wonderful! I haven't been to GB in over 20 years, but I still remember sitting elbow-to-elbow in the delightful tea room (obv. pre-pandemic!), the charming tea strainer in my cup, and the delicious bun.

[@AGMundy]

Entertaining and informative as ever. I wryly smiled when I saw Max using his lemon squeezer with the lemon correctly placed for once.

[@DxBlack]

I am SO glad they standardized recipes..."you should have already" in the middle of the recipe would have me off to England to slap a fool.

[@echosackett4757]

This was very enjoyable to watch! One comment about the leavening. The original recipe sounds very similar to an old fashioned Southern pound cake recipe. Old fashioned pound cake recipes don’t use chemical leavening, and they rise up very nicely with just the air beaten into the butter and eggs.

[@bethrussell-tx5jn]

Using the certo recipes for jam is quite delicious. I've been making fresh strawberry and raspberry jam every year since I was 16. My kids never had store bought jam, and jellies until they moved out

[@respther2003]

We had afternoon tea while visiting London a number of years ago and it was delightful! Thank you, Max, for visiting the history of this custom. 😊

[@sallycassian4494]

Me too. I searched out a tea room that also had a small museum on the history of tea attached to it.

[@thecupthatcheers9763]

I love Victoria Sponge with afternoon tea, but the one time I made it, the cake broke apart when I took it out of the pan! So much for a perfect-looking cake! Although, the 19th century recipe I used didn't have butter in it, just the eggs, sugar, and flour, so it was really delicate.

[@bmolitor615]

pile it into suitable glass with the jam and whipping cream, call it a pretty mess [heh], and eat it with a spoon!

[@sallycassian4494]

@@bmolitor615 - bingo. Never apologize for cakes not coming out. Invent a new way to serve it - as you suggested -- and pretend it was SUPPOSED to be like that. No one will ever know or care since it's so delicious. They might even ask you for the recipe!

[@Rose-jz6sx]

Oh no a Victoria sponge needs butter, a fatless sponge is a whole different animal

[@newcamomile]

That isn't a Victoria sponge, that's a 'true sponge' or a fatless sponge. Very different.

[@bmolitor615]

omg it's the Sponge Police, they're showing up in droves and layin' down the Sponge Law - I gotta get outa here, somebody cover me! I have to get to back to the lands where we just put good food in our faces and enjoy it...

[@mumimor]

Now you got me looking in all the cupboards for my grandmother's teacups. And I found them. I think I'll try this recipe, because I find the concept of a chewier sponge rather fascinating. (I drink tea every day, but more of a builder's mug of Yorkshire Gold than a refined Darjeeling).

[@marthahawkinson-michau9611]

I usually take a builder’s mug Irish Breakfast tea myself. Overbrewed, always. I started drinking it like that because I had a terrible toothache, and it made it stop hurting. It worked better than the pain medicine I was taking. I didn’t love it at first, but I’ve gotten used to the taste. Now regular tea tastes bland.

[@varalys]

I know this is an old video, but this reminded me so much of happy times with my granny. She was upper middle class and when we stayed we ALWAYS had afternoon tea. A big pot of Indian leaf tea, an array of cakes (though my fave was buttered slices of a sweet currant filled bread) and fancies, it was always something I looked forwards to at about half three to four in the afternoon. Granny died in 2007, but when I go and spend the day at my mums I still have a slice of her home baked cake around the same time as afternoon tea! Thanks for letting me remember some good times.

[@markomib]

THANK YOU for calling it afternoon tea, instead of 'high tea" and explaining true high tea meaning. Unfortunately even in England its afternoon and cream teas are being called high tea due to american tourists. but it is rediculous to think of "high class" people demanding "my high class tea" and my "rich lady bath"

[@jayhom5385]

Well 2 things about adding the flour at the beginning. Yes it makes it chewy but it'll hold on to the steam and puff up as well has hold together like bread to make a sandwich.

[@IQzminus2]

Just 3 days ago I had family over for afternoon tea. I served scones, clotted cream and jam, all home made. And a few finger sandwiches. Sadly no Victoria sponge, I almost made one, but I didn’t have the time this time around, maybe next time. Last time I was to England I had a few Victoria sponges, really delicious, and each thing really gets to shine and make a big difference with it being made of so few ingredients. Simple but can be really good. Max should make a recipe on clotted cream, maybe together with a scones recipe. It’s out of this world good. Takes a while, but it’s well worth it. Every single person I’ve served clotted cream (most of them being the first time they tried it as I’m from Sweden) have loved it. And every single time I’ve made some, no matter how much I seem to make, its always none leftover at the end. It seems to become a instant favourite of pretty much everyone who tries it.

[@hogwashmcturnip8930]

Clotted cream is Simple. But it has to be best quality Double cream. I skimped 2nd time and it didn't work. Preheat the oven to 160c.Put in the cream in a shallow dish, and turn the oven off Immediately .Leave it in there for 10-12 hours. Then transfer to the fridge for 24 hours. If there is any liquid, separate it and use for sauces and so on.

[@Beedo_Sookcool]

And never, EVER buy "English Clotted Cream" from "The Devon Clotted Cream Company," which is actually in Wiltshire. Bloody horrible stuff.

[@ghostladydarkling3250]

Clotted cream???? Sorry, I am from the States.

[@Beedo_Sookcool]

@@ghostladydarkling3250 It's delicious! Really, really thick and creamy. Just don't get the brand I mentioned, because their quality is terrible.

[@hogwashmcturnip8930]

@@ghostladydarkling3250 Its a Regional delicacy from Devon and Cornwall Until you have tasted it you haven't lived. But beware, because nothing else will ever quite match it. Devon ice cream with a scoop of clotted cream on top! You will think you died and went to heaven .It is the quality of the milk they produce. best grazing, breed of cow..,..

[@charlifornien]

Oh, poor Lady Flora. One can only imagine the loneliness and heart break she went through till her death.

[@IdontknowwhatImdoing539]

I want to give a little bit of historical context- Lady Flora was a lady in waiting to Queen Victoria's mother and played a role in what was called "The Kensington System" - a system that was devised by Sir John Conroy and The Duchess of Kent to keep Victoria isolated and controlled by them (Victoria was not allowed to be unaccompanied at any point and those she interacted with were strictly controlled by her mother and conroy. She was prevented from walking up and down the stairs without holding another persons hand and her bed was kept in her mothers room.) Sir John was verbally abusive to Victoria and attempted many times to either force her to agree to a regency with her mother in charge or make him her personal secretary. Lady Flora was complicit in ALL of this and Victoria (justifiably) hated her for it. Does not make the rumour and dragging of Flora's reputation right, but I understand why Victoria reacted the way she did

[@christophermcdonald2270]

This was something my English great grandmother made. It’s my favorite dessert in the whole world. Thank you so much for making my day, Max

[@BritInvLvr]

I’ve been wanting to make a Victoria sponge because it looks so good on the British shows I’ve watched. I’m looking forward to how this version comes out.

[@JulieWallis1963]

My tip is get your butter just right. Too soft and the cake will be greasy, too hard and it will not incorporate well and your cake will be disappointing. Soft butter, not melted, not hard.

[@pauljames7333]

The cake looked amazing! I am eagerly awaiting your book so I can start tasting history myself; I’ve already preordered it here in the UK 😊

[@TastingHistory]

Yay! Thank you!

[@1300BlueStar]

@@TastingHistory Glad to see you took pity on us poor Canadians and included your book on Kobo and not just the Kindle.

[@dumbvixen3776]

Making strawberry jam is so fun and it makes your house smell amazing.

[@Robutube1]

Full marks for your pronunciation of Belvoir! Regarding Mr Twining, I suspect that it was his business, rather than he himself, who expanded😁. I'm really looking forward to the history of tea series; it is, as you know, fascinating, deep and dark.