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My book MsMarmitelover’s Secret Tea Party is published today!

November 27, 2014 12 Comments Filed Under: Food, Recipes, Uncategorized

I’m very proud to announce the publication of my new book MsMarmiteLover’s Secret Tea Party today. Published by Square Peg, part of Random House, it is a thick luxurious volume with gold lettering and a red gingham cover with a silky red ribbon as a bookmark. It contains tips how to hostess the perfect tea party with craft workshops, how to lay a tea table, the best way to make a cup of tea, teapot cocktails, savouries hot and cold, including sandwiches, and, last but by no means least, cakes. There are recipes for small cakes, big cakes, icecream cakes and plenty of guest recipes from other secret tea room hosts around the UK.
Nobody does afternoon tea better than the British and every visitor should make a booking at a home tea room which often has better baking and is certainly a better deal than afternoon tea in a hotel. Remember at secret teas, just like at supper clubs, you can often ask for seconds. No stingy portion control here.
I’m a great believer in the hot savoury; so there are recipes for tea cakes, crumpets, tartlets and Shetland bannocks. I also think the ultimate tea party needs a little bit of alcohol to make it go with a swing, so apart from the always popular glass of champagne, you will find recipes for tea time cocktails.
This is a wonderful present for Christmas for wives, girlfriends, sisters, mums, daughters and any man that is dead keen on tea and baking. (Strangely I’ve found this to be more the case in the north than in the so-called metrosexual south. Up north, men don’t feel dainty china and cakes to be a threat to their masculinity!). 
Order at your local bookshop or buy it here online from Random House: MsMarmiteLover’s Secret Tea Party £20
Again here is that link to buy: MsMarmiteLover’s Secret Tea Party  and if you are fine about buying it on Amazon (some people aren’t) here is the link: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Marmite-Lovers-Secret-Tea-Party/dp/0224098756

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Downs Side Up

    November 27, 2014 at 2:21 pm

    This looks absolutely stunning and the perfect gift for my tea party Queen sister in law for Christmas. Good luck with the launch. Hayley

    Reply
    • Kerstin Rodgers aka MsMarmiteLover

      November 28, 2014 at 3:08 pm

      Thank you Hayley xx

      Reply
  2. Debs Dust Bunny

    November 27, 2014 at 11:56 pm

    Hurrah! Looks gorgeous.

    Reply
    • Kerstin Rodgers aka MsMarmiteLover

      November 28, 2014 at 3:08 pm

      Thanks Debs, I hope you like it xx

      Reply
  3. Laura Shimili

    November 29, 2014 at 5:20 pm

    The photograph of the Baked muffins is fantastic! It looks like a painting from a classical school. Great book. Do you share secret tea house hosts in the book? That would be an extra. Laura

    Reply
    • theundergroundrestaurant

      November 29, 2014 at 8:24 pm

      HI Laura, thanks for your comments. Yes there is a directory in the back. x

      Reply
  4. Anonymous

    November 30, 2014 at 6:41 am

    Wow! Congratulations, it looks fantastic! I would love to visit a secret tea room someday 🙂

    Reply
    • theundergroundrestaurant

      December 4, 2014 at 7:26 pm

      I hope you manage to ToC x

      Reply
  5. Regula Ysewijn

    December 4, 2014 at 1:34 pm

    Looks gorgeous, so in love with the green pottery! I have a couple of plates from a similar pottery. They are so so pretty. Looking forward to reading it!

    Reply
    • theundergroundrestaurant

      December 4, 2014 at 7:26 pm

      Thanks Regula. And your recipe in the book looks great! xx

      Reply
  6. Ethel Beetroot

    December 9, 2014 at 2:09 pm

    I pre-ordered this book months ago, I couldn't wait to get my hands on it! Honestly it's the best book I've ever read- I loved every single page. I'm very much a wannabe Secret Tea Party host and you're a great inspiration to me. It's about time I pulled my finger out!

    Reply
    • theundergroundrestaurant

      December 9, 2014 at 3:27 pm

      Ethel, I totally love your name (although I must admit I don't particularly like beetroot). It is the perfect name for a Secret Tea party hostess. Thanks so much xx

      Reply

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MsMarmiteLover aka Kerstin Rodgers.

Chef, photographer, author, journalist, blogger. Pioneer of the supperclub movement.

This is my food and travel blog, with recipes, reviews and travel stories. I also stray into politics, feminism, gardening.

msmarmitelover

My first upholstery project: a nursing rocking cha My first upholstery project: a nursing rocking chair. I used pink toile de jouey fabric and stuffed the seat and back. I used brass tacks. Did a 2 day course at Morley college. I wrote about my love of repair, vintage fabrics on my substack: https://kerstinrodgers.substack.com/p/shoes-fabric-hand-made-craft-repair
Last night made a French onion soup with toasted c Last night made a French onion soup with toasted cheese on top and lots of white wine. Perfect food for zero degrees 🧤🧦🧣❄️recipe: half a dozen brown onions sliced thinly softened in olive oil. 5 cloves garlic crushed and added once the onions are soft. Several fresh bay leaves. 3 vag nope I meant veg stock cubes and 1.5 litres of hot water. 1/3 bottle white wine or a glass of dry sherry. Or both. Simmer for a while then add sourdough bread topped with grated cheese at the end. I used cheddar. Serve hot, sprinkle parsley if you have it and good black pepper. I used kampot black peppercorns. #winterfood #soup #homecooking
I did a private afternoon tea supper club yesterda I did a private afternoon tea supper club yesterday. Thanks to @bro0907 and @imogenrodgersofficial for their help #london #afternoontea #supperclub
I went to a pre Christmas event at @themontgomerie I went to a pre Christmas event at @themontgomeriegarden hotel in Bloomsbury last night. It was hosted by the German tourist board promoting Saxony. I saw mini workshops of crafts from Nuremberg- these little 25 point Moravian paper stars ( each one takes an hour to make), finely whittled & carved wooden Christmas decorations , @meissen_germany porcelain, smoking wooden figurines ( filled with incense, nutcrackers, authentic stollen, Nuremberg ginger bread, white mulled wine and some lovely canapés. Going to try to make a stollen myself. You must always cut it in the middle, so you can put it together so it doesn’t get stale. I found out Colditz, the famous TV drama is in Saxons. I’d love to visit. It all got me in the Christmas mood @visit_germany @visitsaxony_ @visitdresden #christmas #stöllen #germanyinlondon
Making almond chocolate dipped biscotti for Saturd Making almond chocolate dipped biscotti for Saturdays Tea party supper club. Recipe from my tea and baking book Msmarmitelover’s secret tea party. #baking #london #biscotti
At the book launch for Pornocracy by Jo Bartosch w At the book launch for Pornocracy by Jo Bartosch with co-author Robert Jessel speaking, looked on by feminist campaigners Maya Forstater @hiyamayahiya and @fionamcanena of @sexmattersorg . The latter wrote Terf Island. This looks like an Old Master painting. This took place @womensuniversityclub a beautiful private members club in london for women. Historic women who’ve changed the law. Left to right: Robert Jessel, Jo Bartosch, Maya Forstater and Fiona Mcanena. #london #authors #womensrights
On the secret platform of the jubilee line at Char On the secret platform of the jubilee line at Charing Cross, now disused, we were treated to a fabulous cheese inspired fashion show by the fashion students of @ualfoundation and @3ddafoundation The cheeses featured were cantal, comté, tomme de savoie, saint nectaire, fourme d’ambert, époisses, Brills-savaging, Camembert, Brie and langres. The outfits were so creative and deeply researched by the designers. @thecheeseexplorer explained that during the tastings, some designers had never tasted those cheeses before. Anglo French @tatty_macleod came and is one of the judges. It was surreal and fun. Afterwards we were treated to a groaning cheese platter table at the bottom of the escalators. Then I joined the commuters of the london tube journeying home. Food and fashion are often opposed: to be fashionable you must not eat. This turns it on its head. @hopscotch_season #london #cheese #fashionandfood #cheesesoffrance
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Took Ophelia @ophelia.rose.2022 to @kenwood_house_ Took Ophelia @ophelia.rose.2022 to @kenwood_house_hampstead_heath for the Halloween trail. It was a little bit scary & I had to shoot & hold her hand at the same time. It’s a lit trail around the gardens and house with food, performances and set pieces. #grandma #london #outings #grandmacore #halloween #thingstodoinlondon
my latest substack post https://kerstinrodgers.sub my latest substack post https://kerstinrodgers.substack.com/p/rad-fems-by-the-seaside-filia-25 on attending the Filia feminist conference in Brighton. It was full of controversy: violent protests by trans activists, splits between feminists over anti-semitism. Also talks on surrogacy with testimony, on the Spy Cops case where women were deceived into long term relationships by married undercover cops, plus my observations of the conference.
Just had this window built by @odgjoinery and stai Just had this window built by @odgjoinery and stained glass window to match the front door by @wstoneglass beautiful work. Thank you so much. #edwardianhouse #victorianhome #stainedglass #joinery #restoration #london #kilburn
Stuffed peppers: filled with soaked fine bulgur wh Stuffed peppers: filled with soaked fine bulgur wheat, hazelnuts, sherry soaked sultanas, preserved lemon, smoky paprika, garlic, dill, coriander leaves , mint, and ground seeds, cumin,pumpkin seeds baked in the oven for 45 minutes. Serve with yoghurt. Delish! #latesummer #recipe #vegetarian #vegan #middleeasternish
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Fig, chocolate and chestnut tart- recipe in my boo Fig, chocolate and chestnut tart- recipe in my book Msmarmitelover’s secret tea party. This is rather adult, using bitter dark chocolate ganache, chestnut flour and figs from my garden. #figrecipes #chocolate #baking
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I’ve got Covid (day3) so not much food in the hous I’ve got Covid (day3) so not much food in the house. I found some floppy- going black- carrots in the salad drawer, so I peeled and resuscitated those. Chopped them into a saucepan with a couple of cubes of vegetable stock and a litre of hot water. Then I added a couple of tablespoons of smooth peanut butter, a clove of garlic, 1 tsp of ground cumin, half a preserved lemon. Just stuff I had around. Simmered till the carrots were soft then blended in the @vitamixuk I can honestly say the vitamix is my most regularly used bit of kitchen kit. Anyway- hey presto- a high protein soup with fibre. I hope I test negative before I totally run out of food. #solo #covid #highprotein #soup
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My tea book Msmarmitelover’s secret tea party is n My tea book Msmarmitelover’s secret tea party is now out on the cookbook app @ckbk it’s now out of print but you can still buy some print copies via me or Amazon. However you can see all the recipes ( like my sour cherry icecream which I served last week) on this site which is like a Spotify for cooks. Arguably afternoon tea is a meal which the English do better than any other country. #cookbooks #afternoontea #supperclubs
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