Saturday, April 30, 2011.
A Proper English Breakfast, During The Wedding.
Jane and Tim Lantrip own the English Tea Room in Covington. It's not far from were we live, but I've only been there a few times over the years. During this week's round-table radio show, I learned that their menu goes far beyond tea and crumpets to include some fairly substantial breakfasts.
Since Mary Ann has spent so much time watching the wedding of Prince William and Catherine (MA tells me that she cannot be called Kate anymore, for reasons of protocol), I thought she'd get a kick out of going to the Tea Room for breakfast. We could indulge in some proper British everything. After filling my ear with the seemingly obligatory sermon about how breakfast is not a meal she likes, and abouth its potential for ruining her weight-loss program, she took pity on me and agreed to chauffeur me there. And, as long as she was there, to join me for breakfast.
En route to the car, I used a new method of getting up and down our five stair steps. I've been doing it on my butt, one bump at a time. But last time I found it easier to get down on hands and knees. You never know how anything will work in the opposite direction, but this made the ordeal much easier. Progress!
In other gimp news, the English Tea Room had a porch and four steps. And a lift, ready to haul me and my little cart up. We took a table in view of a big-screen television, where the Lantrips are showing continuous reruns of the royal wedding. We watched the entire service while breakfasting. First time for me, fifth time for MA.
Two visuals grabbed me. First, my immediate recognition of Westminster Abbey. We were there two years ago, and walked around its interior long enough that I knew exactly where and what everything was. Second, the wonderful music, particularly that of the singers. The choir was all male, the young boys doing the soprano and alto parts. There was one geeky-looking kid who gave me a flashback to third grade, when I first began singing in choirs. I envied this boy's part in this grandeur.
Mary Ann gave me the play-by-play on Catherine and her dress, both of which she deemed perfect. I thought the new duchess was too skinny, but who cares what any man thinks at a moment like this?
Our breakfast would not make either of us skinny. Mary Ann recanted her earlier screed, yet said this was a fine way to spend a morning. She ordered the high tea service, even though it was the wrong time of day. (High tea, properly, is served in late afternoon and is substantial enough to blunt hunger before supper at nine.) It came out on a multi-level rack with finger sandwiches on the bottom plate, quiches and scones above that, and clotted cream, jam, lemon curd, and a chocolate truffle on top. She liked all of it except the egg salad sandwich (texture problem).
My breakfast all came out on one plate, but was more substantial. A casserole called the Buckingham Bake is a hybrid of potatoes au gratin--slices of potato and onion held in a matrix of eggs, bechamel and cheese, with a considerable amount of Cheddar melted over the top. Bacon crumbled on top of that. It came with scones and fresh fruit, and was enough food to get me through the rest of the day with only a snack for supper.
The chef wanted me to try a couple of other things. I wasn't able to stop him until after he delivered the Scotch eggs. Those are halved, hard-boiled eggs, each covered with a layer of chopped sausage, bread crumbs, and herbs, all baked until it becomes a crust. It's a famous dish, but one I've had only one other time in these parts: at Ralph's on the Park, where they did it with Creole-style hot sausage. Come to think of it, I don't remember running into them anywhere in England. We both liked them.
While working our way through all this to the music of the wedding, we downed four kinds of tea. That's only a tiny sample of the many dozens of tea they stock here. The best of them was "Earl Grey Supreme," flavored with bergamot as usual but also other flowers. It was supposed to have a "malty" taste, according to the menu's notes. Yes, I can see that, as well as a vanilla, creamy quality.
All this set us back about $40, which is more than I'd expect to pay in a tea shop. But, as we found, this is quite a bit more than a tea shop. It's very pretty, well furnished and elegant enough that the televised grand wedding seemed the ideal atmospheric touch. I'll bet they keep showing that for months.
A question we both wondered about was settled. When she is present at a public singing of "God Save The Queen," does the Queen also sing it? The answer is no. We watched her sing the other hymns, but her lips didn't move during that one.
English Tea Room. Covington: 734 E Rutland. 985-898-3988.
It has been over three years since a day was missed in the Dining Diary. To browse through all of the entries since 2008, go here.
