Tea with Friends [Hardcover]

Elizabeth Knight (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 8, 1998

In a similar format to Storey's very successful Country Tea Parties, Tea with Friends presents a year's worth of occasions to bring friends together around a pot of tea. Includes 13 original, little-fuss party ideas illustrated with elegant watercolor paintings. Each party contains menus, tea recipes, and things to make or do to enhance the celebration.

Editorial Reviews

Review

" It is a book to be treasured and passed down from generation to generation." -- Joseph Simrany, President Tea Council of the U.S.A., Inc.

"If you're a true lover of the brew, pick up the slim volume Tea With Friends. Contains some intriguing recipes aimed at making tea-sipping an event. This fascinating book is from Storey Books." -- Newsday, Long Island, NY, 12/19/99

From the Inside Flap

Healthy, inexpensive, and enjoyed by everyone -- tea is the ideal beverage for parties large or small, all year round. In Tea with Friends you'll find 13 unique and colorful party plans drawn from traditional and lesser-known celebrations from cultures around the world. Each party contains suggested menus and things to make and do to enrich the festivity. Throughout the book, Carolyn Bucha's elegant watercolors set a joyful tone for party preparation.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 64 pages
• Publisher: Storey Publishing, LLC (January 8, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580170501
• ISBN-13: 978-1580170505
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 7.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #186,904 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #68 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Drinks & Beverages > Coffee & Tea

More About the Author

Elizabeth Knight is the former tea sommelier for the historic St. Regis Hotel located in New York City. Widely recognized as one of the country's foremost authorities on tea and entertaining, she has appeared on national television and radio programs including WNBC's "Today in New York," WOR's "Food Talk," The Travel Channel, The Home Shopping Network and QVC. In addition to her books, "Celtic Teas With Friends," "Tea With Friends," and "Tea in the City - New York," a photo guidebook to sipping and shopping, she writes about tea, travel, and entertaining for magazines such as Tea Time, Romantic Homes, Tea & Coffee Asia, and Tea A Magazine. Please visit www.teawithfriends.com for details.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

55 of 56 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a good source for planning & setting up tea parties, July 7, 2000

By 

L. Delgado (Houston, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tea with Friends (Hardcover)

The first 9 pages of this 60-page book contain a brief history of tea and then general information on how to plan and set up a tea party, including pictures of how to arrange the tea table. It has the best advice in this regard of any of the other tea books I've seen.

The rest of the book consists of a theme tea party for each month, with suggested table settings, activities, and menus. Only one recipe is actually listed per month, however, so you will DEFINITELY need more recipes from another book. Two of my favorite tea-time cookbooks are "The Book of Afternoon Tea" by Lesley Mackley and "Totally Teatime Cookbook" by Helene Siegel.

This is an excellent "how to" book and makes a nice gift, particularly if you include a tea-time cookbook.

33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful Book, October 30, 2002

By 

Christine "loves to read" (Setauket, NY, United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tea with Friends (Hardcover)

TEA WITH FRIENDS is a terrific resource for those who need specific ideas for year round tea parties. Each chapter suggests one theme party for each month of the year. Within each chapter is background information on the theme, a section entitled "Setting The Scene" in which the author gives suggestions on what service and accessories you could use, as well as ideas for centerpieces and music. She also includes a menu, a featured recipe and a craft project or activity relating to the theme, My favorite is November's Victorian Afternoon Tea. Knight gives insightful background information on how tea became a British obsession during the reign of Queen Alexandria Victoria and the causes behind rise in the popularity of black tea, (one of the menu offerings she suggests). In essence, she not only makes menu suggestions, but she provides the background you need to understand why she is making these suggestions. She also includes an example of what an invitation for your November tea might look like. In "Setting The Scene" she lists excellent suggestions for accenting the table with Victorian charm, as well as detailed instructions on how to make a Victorian centerpiece. There are also music suggestions that would be appropriate for this setting. Knight also includes a full menu with a featured recipe for Watercress and Stilton sandwiches. Finally she incorporates detailed instructions on how to make lavender sachets. Sidebars tell about various traditions of the Victorian royal family. In just a few short pages, you have the background, recipes, serving ideas and special touches for a monthly theme tea party anytime of year.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who loves tea and is looking for simple, creative ways to share the pleasures of tea time with friends.

Cris Cunningham

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My favorite tea book., February 26, 2002

By 

Paula Link (Sayville, New York USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tea with Friends (Hardcover)

I love this book! I'm a serious collector of books about tea and teatime (I currently own 95.) Tea With Friends is one of my top 5 favorites,maybe even #1. I turn to it again and again when I'm entertaining or just want to review brewing times for different teas. It's a great gift for tea novices because it is entertaining as well as informative. I have given several as gifts (with a tin of tea, of course). Several tea catalogs (including Harney's) feature this book as part of a gift basket.
I recommend this book for your "tea library".