Tea-Time at the Inn: A Country Inn Cookbook [Hardcover]

Gail Greco (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1991

In the age of non-stop flights, , high-speed expressways, and the information superhighway, it is necessary sometimes to slow down and take a load off. Afternoon tea is the perfect break for the high speed days of the twentieth century. Gail Greco's Tea-Time at the Inn: A Country Inn Cookbook is a celebration of this ceremony and according to The American Cooking Guild is the "first book that shows how America really takes tea. A must for every cookbook shelf." Although it is a fanciful cookbook, the reader receives the added bonus of experiencing tea at the inn through the enchanting prose of the author and the lush photos of tea-tables and foods taken at the inns. Providing over 200 recipes, Tea-Time at the Inn offers an ample selection for all kinds of teas at home. "Writing in a picturesque style, Greco showcases numerous recipes from each inn and makes imaginative yet practical suggestions for creating thematic teatimes at home," says Publishers Weekly. Some of the themes from the inns include: A Gone With The Wind Tea from Tara; A Country Inn Tea from Pennsylvania; A Low-Fat Herb Tea from Back of the Beyond in New York; An Amish Tea from The Churchtown Inn in Pennsylvania and A Business Tea from the Bailiwick in Virginia. So no matter what the occasion, from an intimate tea with close friends to an elaborate thematic tea, Tea-Time at the Inn has the recipe for a successful spot of tea.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Tea enthusiasts can rejoice that afternoon tea has been rediscovered as an elegant ritual. In this compilation of teatime repasts at American bed & breakfast inns, Greco shows the varied ways in which innkeepers serve the meal, from the traditional, European formal afternoon teas--complete with English butler, silver equipage, antique linens and clotted cream--to high teas resplendent with hot savories and chamber music to rather ingenious American occasions in which the Civil War, Gone with the Wind , Mardi Gras and snow skiing play dominant roles in decor and cuisine. Despite the occasional spicy Mexican or low-fat herbal tea offered here, Victorian and antiquarian notes resound in most of the inns, and delectable recipes often suggest a British, even Dickensian, flavor, as in Rose Manor's lemon curd mini-tarts, Corner House Inn's kipper pate sandwiches, Bee & Thistle's rhubarb inger jam and Village Inn's trifle with sherry. Writing in a picturesque style, Greco showcases numerous recipes from each inn and makes imaginative yet practical suggestions for creating thematic teatimes at home.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Rutledge Hill Pr (October 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1558531203
• ISBN-13: 978-1558531208
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #606,283 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Required to serve above the norm food at teatime., March 14, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Tea-Time at the Inn: A Country Inn Cookbook (Hardcover)

Experience as a professional chef has taught me many things. One of them is that it is rare to find professional calliber recipes in a book easily available to the general public.
If you are a lover of fine foods this book will supply you with a myriad of useful recipes from Inns that have proven their success by these very foods.I have seen many hundreds of cookbooks very few become my faavorites. When I am looking for a quick delicious recipe to impress company or feed my own hungry mob I invariably find that this book is in my hands. I have not had a recipe failure as yet. A truly rare and exceptional cookbook.(You may wish to buy more than one if you can afford because mine is alas being coveted by friends and beginning to wear out from use)

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of my favorites, May 27, 2004

By 

Elizebeth Neumann (Seattle, wa) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tea-Time at the Inn (Paperback)

I collect cookbooks and I love to host afternoon tea parties, so this book was right up my alley. It has probably the most extensive collection of recipes of any tea book I own.

Every recipe I have tried in this has turned out great, scones, mock devonshire cream, whoopie pies (oh my! they are delicious!),mini eclairs, strawberry puffs, chicken salad, cheese spread. I could go on and on, Ive had this book for years and I use it all the time. I not only use it when I have tea but also for finger foods at dinner parties.

If you are looking for a book with many different recipes and menus than get this one. The recipes are easy to follow, great tasting and you'll never run out of ideas.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A delightful book that warms your heart., June 16, 1996

By A Customer

This review is from: Tea-Time at the Inn: A Country Inn Cookbook (Hardcover)

This book gives you a chance to visit numerous inns from
the comfort of your own home. You'll feel like you've had
a chance to have a cup of tea with the innkeeper and cozy
up to the fire. A wonderful read with recipes you'll want
to serve friends at your own tea party.