Old Mother Ashby > wrote in
:

>>
> Actually, afternoon tea is in sad decline these days.

Except in fancy hotels, some of which insist on calling it "high tea",
which (if I understand correctly) was something else entirely.


My Mum is 90,
> and when she was young housewives were judged (in the culinary
> department) by their baking. A proper afternoon tea would involve
> scones, dropscones (aka pikelets), a cream sponge, little cakes and
> slices. Not in the alternative, all of them at once.

I did the full thing once for a Father's Day thing where we had Rob's
parents over. I'd love to put on afternoon tea like this now and again
(obviously only on a weekend or holiday as I work full time) but I just
don't have people over that often. Thinking about it now, though, it
might be nice to do one weekend for the Embroiderer's Guild group I
belong to. A chance to use the good teaset that never gets used - I don't
drink tea or coffee, and Rob always uses mugs.

Just for normal
> domestic consumption Mum would always have at least three different
> things in the cake tins. After I was married we used to go round there
> for years with empty tins to take home whatever was on offer, one of
> the reasons I'm not a great baker myself (she only gave it away about
> five years ago).

When I was little my mum used to bake a lot - one day a week was set
aside for it. My dad always expected to take cake to work with him.As we
got a bit older, she didn't do it so much - partly because I think she
became a bit health conscious, and partly because her health deteriorated
and she just wasn't able to do it. I love to bake, but would eat it all
(and get larger and larger!) if it was left here.So I take things in to
work, where they're usually devoured fairly quickly.


--
Rhonda Anderson
Cranebrook, NSW, Australia