Enjoying Together,  Memories,  Recipes

A Midsummer Night’s Tea

July 6, 2020

Do you know the story? Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Here is a tale of four young lovers who run away to the forest only to have the mischievous fairy Puck make both of the boys fall in love with the same girl. The four run through the forest pursuing each other while Puck helps his fairy master play a trick on the fairy queen. In the end, Puck reverses the magic, and the two couples reconcile and marry.

How does this fit into a tea? A Midsummer Night’s Tea perhaps? Its summer and seemed befitting.

I was gifting an evening tea to a group of ladies and I thought this would be a fun theme tea for them to experience. The decor and menu would reflect the play and being outside would be an added bonus that would add to the atmosphere of fairies and dreams.

As the guests approached they were teased into the forest as they entered my home…….while Demetrius, one of the young lovers whispers “Are you sure that we are awake? It seems to me that we sleep, we dream.”

Once inside, they were escorted to the backyard where they were seated.

A Midsummer's Night Tea - Pergola

The tables were adorned with twigs and moss and surrounded by ethereal pink tulle and drapes. Rocks and pine cones accented the table as if my guests were sitting in the forest, just waiting for Puck to show up.

A Midsummer's Night Tea - backyard table setting
A Midsummer's Night Tea - backyard table setting

As the sun set, the yard was gently lit with lights surrounding the guests. The evening ended with Lavender Lace tea and my guests awakening before they left.

Midsummer Night’s Tea Menu

The menu was fun to develop. Several items are reminiscent of early English culinary fare and featured many of the characters in the play.

A Midsummer's Night Tea - burnished menu
A burnished menu perhaps by the fairies?

The scone course featured the Queen Fairy Titania’s Currant Scone and Nick Bottom’s Fat Rascal. In Midsummer Night’s Dream, Nick Bottom is a thespian in the play and is frequently laughed at. So in looking for an English bread befitting of Mr. Bottom, I came upon Fat Rascals.

The tea for this course was Sparkling Sugar Plum. This is a black tea with plum bits and blossoms, spices and crystals that actually glisten and sparkles. It was a perfect choice for this Midsummer Night’s Tea. Even stirred with a fairy spoon.

A Midsummer's Night Tea - Sugar Plum Fairy Tea
Sugar Plum Fairy Tea

The savories continued adorning the names of characters with the fairy King Oberon’s Love Potion Champagne Cocktail, The King’s Meat Pie – a hand held circular meat pie. Wilderness Mushroom Caramelized Onion Pastry accompanied Fairy Peasblossom’s Cucumber Sandwich, that was in the shape of a mushroom.

Puck’s Raspberry Fool and The Queen’s Four Fairy Meringues

When it came to the final course of the sweets, Puck’s Raspberry Fool appropriately took the stage. An old English Elizabethan Lemon Cake was part of the deliciousness and was graced by The Queen’s Four Fairies Meringues. These light meringues were in the shape of forest mushrooms.

Here are some of the menu recipes:

NOTE: More of these recipes will be highlighted in future posts

More whimsy for the evening….

A Midsummer's Night Tea - Fairy Spoons
Fairy Spoons, a gift from a guest

The guests were served in the traditional format of afternoon tea, but with some whimsy to continue with the theme. The ceramic fairy spoons were used to serve the Devonshire Cream and Lemon Curd. Each individual and a dainty reflection of the wooded garden, perfect for a Midsummer Night’s Tea.

A Midsummer's Night Tea - Servers Outfit of Floral Wreath and Apron

Further, the service was done with each fairy maiden wearing a wreath of flowers in their hair, along with their usual tea-serving apron and outfit. The evening Midsummer Night’s Tea was served by myself, my daughter and granddaughter. It was a fun evening tea for all involved – both guests and hostesses.

So as the tea finished, the guests were full and the frivolity had ended, there was no more slumber. The evening conversation had been enjoyed and the mischievous Puck apologized to all saying……

If we shadows have offended, think but this and all is mended,
That you have but slumber’d here
while these visions did appear….

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