Le Blog 2023 No. 7

Practical: Sensible, useful

Last week in Le Blog, I closed by saying I would have some Mother’s Day gift suggestions for this week.

I didn’t forget about that, it’s just that not everything has made it into the warehouse yet, so I’ll be sharing some these beautiful, new items with you next week.

This week I’m featuring gifts for mom or anyone, that are practical, yet elegant.

New this week is this stunning electric tea kettle. So practical, but stylish, don’t you think. This kettle could surely reside on your countertop full time, and you won’t want to hide it away.

Electric Kettle and Paris Garden Tea Blend

Shop Here

Noelle Grey Ceramic Electric Tea Kettle

Fashion meets function with this stylish tea kettle. The Noelle Ceramic Electric Tea Kettle features glossy pale grey ceramic glazing and a trendy rose gold metallic base. Includes a plug-in base, 1.5 L (50 oz) capacity, and an easy on/off switch.

Here are some more useful gift ideas, even if you’re purchasing for yourself, you’re sure to find them quite practical.

Find Tea Accessories

Of course you’ll need some tea to go with these useful items. That’s sensible, don’t you think?

About four years ago, I was introduced to a French tea company by the name of Betjeman & Barton, by a friend who had offered me a cup. I have to admit I had never heard of them. Since I try to find unique items, not available in every store or market, I decided to contact them about carrying some of their teas. They were delightful to deal with, (and still are), so I quickly placed an order. They told me that the most cost effective way to ship is to package the teas in their refill pouch, instead of more costly tins. I agreed and chose some I thought our guests would enjoy.

We have carried their teas in the silver pouches since then and we served their blends in our tea salon. They sold very well. I believe that’s because people had tasted them and enjoyed their robust flavors. They wanted to take that home with them. Now that we are exclusively online, the line doesn’t get as much notice. It’s still the same high quality, richly aromatic tea we served at Paris In A Cup, but their practical packaging doesn’t always appeal to the gift buyer, especially if they haven’t tried it.

To entice you to try this wonderful tea line, we are now offering Betjeman & Barton tea blends in a 4-ounce tin and a 2-ounce tin.

Eden Rose Black Tea from Betjeman & Barton A best seller in our Tea Salon

Find Betjeman and Barton Here

We hope you’ll give this sip-worthy tea a try.

Though not a household name in the US, they are quite favored in France. Here’s some information about their two Paris locations. There are more locations in France and Europe. We chose these two, well because, you know, Paris.

Betjeman & Barton Original Shop

23, Boulevard Malesherbes

Paris

Betjeman and Barton - Tea Bar

24 boulevard des Filles du Calvaire

Paris

Mother’s Day

Mom’s Day is Sunday May 14th She will need tea!

So . . . What are you doing for Mother’s Day?

Besides the Christmas Holidays, this is the time of year I really miss having our tea salon open. We had so much fun planning, making menus, and decorating. We enjoyed watching our guests visiting with one another, spending time with family and making happy memories. I will miss that all very much.

I hope you all will find a great spot to celebrate Mom or perhaps your going to have her over for afternoon tea. Great idea! A gift of your time is precious.

Here’s an EASY cucumber tea sandwich recipe to get your creative juices going.

Ingredients

You’ll need about 20 slices of bread. You can use white, or wheat, just as long as it is firm. Pullman loaf works very well.

Also, one English (some call them hot-house) cucumber. If you use a wax cucumber, you will probably need to peel it. The peel can be tough to bite. English cucumbers are thin-skinned and have a crisp bite.

For marinating the cucumbers you’ll need small bottle of rice vinegar and some salt and pepper.

In addition, you’ll need one 8-ounce block of cream cheese. Soften to room temperature. It’s safe to leave out for up to 2 hours, but it should be soft enough to work with in ½ hour.

And, finally; one packet of Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix.

Directions and assembly

Thinly slice the cucumber into quarter size rounds and place in a bowl. Cover the slices with rice vinegar and a little salt and pepper. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl blend the softened cream cheese and the Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix. Mix well, until creamy and completely combined.

Remove cucumbers from rice vinegar let them drain in a colander for a few minutes. Place on a paper towel. Pat dry. You want them completely dry before placing on the bread.

Lay out bread slices and thinly spread the cream cheese on each slice. Cover to the edges.

Lay the cucumber slices in a single layer on half of the bread slices. Use the other bread slices to top the cucumbered (I know that’s not a word, but it works) slices of bread. Using a sharp knife, separate the crusts from the bread. Cut the squares in half diagonally so you have two triangles.

Serve the triangles point side up. You can garnish with edible flowers along the edge or use finely chopped fresh chives.

Although it's best to serve these sandwiches immediately, if you want to refrigerate them to serve later, cover them with plastic wrap to keep the bread soft while refrigerated. You don’t want that bread to dry out.

We have some really beautiful lines to introduce you to in the next couple of weeks, so please stay tuned.

That’s it for now.

Thanks so much for reading Le Blog.

See you next week.

Practical: Sensible, Useful

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