"BAKE FREE BROTHER!"

I wanted to set up a tea room and the good news is that is exactly what I have done.



You may have spotted a small gap in my blog story telling with my last post being published on Tuesday 27th March 2012. That post heralded the news that following two years of planning, 44 blog posts and around 5500 tweets my dream of running a tea room was finally realised.

My abrupt silence was a deliberate and direct reflection of how all consuming setting up a business is. I will try to write about the experience now that I have some perspective. At various points over the past weeks of radio silence I have toyed with writing to you to explain, narrate and share my thoughts, feelings and adventures. My instincts told me to leave it, to experience it, so that I remember it and then share to it and so here we are.

You may have been part of the experience in real time, visiting the tea rooms in person. For that I can only thank you all. There has been no greater pleasure than meeting someone who connected to my story online and then made the effort to come in and say hello. Would we ever have met otherwise?

Here are some facts...
Since opening the doors in late March we have served over 15kg of Pettigrew Breakfast Tea, 800 toasted tea cakes, over 40 Victoria Sandwiches, 500 sandwiches, 4500 shots of fine Welsh roasted coffee, nearly 3000 scones and made countless new friends many of which I am delighted to say have become regulars!

Today my catch up will bring you how we went about taking on the West Lodge and translating all that planning into a living operating commercial tea room; to wake from my dream so to speak.

I need you to know that it has been incredibly tough but indescribably rewarding.

The 'Tea Room' in storage in my house

Decision Making

I had confirmation that I was the preferred operator for the tea room at West Lodge in late January this year and from that time on it was a race against the clock to turn all my procrastinating into a brilliant business that I was visualising.

One of the mutually agreed terms of my tenancy was to ensure that the tea rooms were open in time for the RHS Flower Show Cardiff on the weekend of Friday the 20th April. RHS attracts around 22,000 visitors to Bute Park each year and if anything would be a test for the tea rooms, then this would be it. From all of my research and speaking to other small business start ups, giving yourself time to test out your operation is key.

The builders gave us a get in date of the 9th March with a full handover of the building on Tuesday 20th March. With the RHS weekend less than four weeks from the handover date, I knew that the fit out would have to be quick and so I picked the date of Friday 30th March as our grand opening with a soft opening from the Monday before.

Her are some pictures which speak for themselves really, enjoy!

Fit Out Schedule
Monday 9th March - Kitchen Build

Friday 13th March - Still Room Build

Tuesday 19th March - Tea Room Fit Out

Saturday 24th March - Tea Room Dressing

Tuesday 27th March - Staff Induction and Soft Opening

Friday 30th March - GRAND OPENING

On the morning of Friday 30th March 2012, I was busy setting out the outside seating on our beautiful terrace and a random runner came past and shouted "Bake Free Brother!".

This was one of the most moving things during the opening. I still don't know who that was but thank you, it was brilliant. The good news is, I feel free... I am free.

Come in soon and say hello.

More photos and story to follow soon.

David & team

COMPETITION TIME

TEA ROOM OPENING THIS SPRING

Unbelievably the countdown has now begun to the opening of my traditional Tea Rooms in Cardiff. It's been a long journey over the past two years and if you have been following from the beginning you'll know the ups and downs. Somehow during this time baking has become more popular than ever and my passion for bringing a traditional slice of Tea Room culture to Cardiff has never been stronger.

I am blessed with a beautiful venue in the very heart of Cardiff City Centre, the West Lodge, Castle Street at the entrance to Bute Park and Arboretum. The responsibility is great and I know that expectation is high. The next few weeks until opening will be intense, but stay with me and please tell your friends and family.

To give you a taster of what's to come at Pettigrew Tea Rooms, today I am announcing an essential competition. I have teamed up with some of my key suppliers, Kitchens Cookshop [Cardiff], Peter James Gourmet Coffee [Ross-on-Wye] and the delectable Tea Palace [London] to create a Tea and Coffee lovers paradise.

The Prize - Totalling over £200!

La Cafetière® Thermique 8 cup Coffee Press

Peter James Gourmet Coffee

Tea Palace Fine Loose Leaf Tea Collection

A Stunning Vintage Tea Set
[milk jug, sugar bowl, set of teaspoons four cups and saucers as pictured]

A Gift Voucher for 'Two for High Tea' at Pettigrew Tea Rooms, Castle Street, Cardiff

To WIN simply enter your details below and follow the instructions:

GOOD LUCK!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

High Time for High Tea

On my epic adventure to open a Tea Room in Cardiff, I have spent some time looking at the origins of High Tea. By understanding what it has been and where it originated, I can decide what I want to serve. My intention is to preserve and revive, but who knows I may end up re-inventing High Tea for the future.

Points About This Post 

If you disagree with any of the following account, let me know in the comments.

I realise History isn't every ones cup of tea (sorry). 

If it isn't yours hit the '[SKIP]' button below to get right into my Essential Tea Etiquette Tips

What is High Tea?

High Tea is often a misnomer. Most people refer to afternoon tea as high tea because they think it sounds rather regal and lofty. High tea, or "meat tea", originally referred to the meal we call dinner. Afternoon tea was known as "low tea" because it was usually taken in a sitting room or withdrawing room where low tables were placed near sofas or chairs. So we know High Tea as what was originally Afternoon Tea. There are three basic types of Afternoon:

1. Cream Tea - Tea, scones, jam and cream
2. Light Tea - Tea, scones and sweets
3. Full Tea - Tea, savories, scones, sweets and dessert

The traditional time for tea was four or five o'clock and no one stayed after seven o'clock. The menu has also changed from tea, bread, butter and cakes, to include three particular courses served specifically in this order:

1. Savouries - Small sliced sandwiches 
2. Scones - Served with jam and clotted cream
3. Pastries - Cakes, cookies and shortbreads

A Brief History of High Tea [SKIP]

Prior to the introduction of tea into Britain, we enjoyed two main meals a day, breakfast and dinner. Breakfast was ale, bread, and beef. During the middle of the eighteenth century, dinner for the upper and middle classes had shifted from noontime to an evening meal that was served at a fashionable late hour. Dinner was a long meal at the end of the day.

17th Century

1600 - Queen Elizabeth l (1533-1603) granted permission for the charter of the British East India Company (1600-1858), also known as the John Company, on December 31, 1600 to establish trade routes, ports, and trading relationships with the Far East, Southeast Asia, and India Trade in spices was its original focus, but later traded in cottons, silks, indigo, saltpeter, and tea. Due to political and other factors, the tea trade didn’t begin until the late 1670s.

1662 - King Charles II (1630-1685) while in exile, married the Portuguese Infanta Catherine de Braganza (1638–1705). Catherine's dowry was the largest ever registered in world history. Portugal gave to England two million golden crusados, Tangier and Morocco in North Africa, Bombay in India, and also permission for the British to use all the ports in the Portuguese colonies in Africa, Asia and the Americas thus giving England their first direct trading rights to tea.

As Charles had grown up in the Dutch capital, both he and his Portuguese bride were confirmed tea drinkers. When the monarchy was re-established, they brought this foreign tea tradition to England with them. Her influence made tea more popular amongst the wealthier classes of society. Soon tea mania spread swept across England, and it became the beverage of choice in English high society, replacing ale as the national drink.

18th Century

By 1700, tea was on sale by more than 500 coffee houses in London. Tea drinking became even more popular when Queen Anne (1665–1714) chose tea over ale as her regular breakfast drink. 

During the Industrial Revolution in the second half of the Victorian Period, working families would return home tired and exhausted. The table would be set with any manner of meats, bread, butter, pickles, cheese and of course tea. None of the dainty finger sandwiches, scones and pastries of afternoon tea would have been on the menu. 

19th Century

According to legend, one of Queen Victoria's (1819-1901) ladies-in-waiting, Anna Maria Stanhope (1783-1857), known as the Duchess of Bedford, is credited as the creator of afternoon teatime. Because the noon meal had become skimpier, the Duchess suffered from "a sinking feeling" at about four o'clock in the afternoon. Who doesn't? 

At first the Duchess had her servants sneak her a pot of tea and a few breadstuffs. Adopting the European tea service format, she invited friends to join her for an additional afternoon meal at five o'clock in her rooms at Belvoir Castle. The menu centered around small cakes, bread and butter sandwiches, assorted sweets, and, of course, tea. This summer practice proved so popular, the Duchess continued it when she returned to London, sending cards to her friends asking them to join her for "tea and a walking the fields." The practice of inviting friends to come for tea in the afternoon was quickly picked up by other social hostesses.

Essential Tea Etiquette Tips

Holding a Tea Cup:

• In order for one not to spill the hot liquid onto oneself, the proper way to hold the vessel of a cup with no handle is to place one’s thumb at the six o'clock position and one’s index and middle fingers at the twelve o'clock position, while gently raising one’s pinkie up for balance.
• Tea cups with a handle are held by placing one’s fingers to the front and back of the handle with one’s pinkie up again allows balance. Never wave or hold your tea cup in the air. When not in use, place the tea cup back in the tea saucer.

• If you are at a buffet tea hold the tea saucer in your lap with your left hand and hold the tea cup in your right hand. When not in use, place the tea cup back in the tea saucer and hold in your lap. The only time a saucer is raised together with the teacup is when one is at a standing reception.

Pinkies Up:

• Originally, all porcelain teacups were made in China, starting around 620 A.D.  These small cups had no handles. Pinkie up does not mean straight up in the air, but slightly tilted. It is not an affectation, but a graceful way to avoid spills. Never loop your fingers through the handle, nor grasp the vessel bowl with the palm of your hand. Ghastly.

Teaspoons:

• Do not stir your tea, with your teaspoon, in sweeping circular motions. Place your tea spoon at the six o'clock position and softly fold the liquid towards the twelve o'clock position two or three times. Either place the used teaspoon on the side of another plate or ask the server or hostess to remove the spoon from the table. Never leave the spoon in the tea cup, especially when actually drinking your tea.

Serving Tea:

• Tea is served with milk, not cream. Cream is too heavy and masks the taste of the tea. Although some pour their milk in the cup first, it is probably better to pour the milk in the tea after it is in the cup in order to get the correct amount. Remove the tea bag from the cup and place it on a side saucer or in a slop bowl. Never squeeze the tea bag.

• When serving lemon with tea, lemon slices are preferable, not wedges. Either provide a small fork or lemon fork for your guests, or have the tea server neatly place a slice in the tea cup after the tea has been poured. Be sure never to add lemon with milk as the lemon's citric acid will cause the proteins in the milk to curdle. Ghastly.

Drinking Tea:

• Finally, do not use your tea to wash down food. Sip, don’t slurp your tea and please swallow before eating.

A Tea Room without a room is just tea. I must continue to tease you a little longer, venue news will be coming very soon...

Stay tuned and keep the faith.

Much love

David

P.s. you can now follow me on Pinterest http://pinterest.com/iwanttobakefree/