Raspberry and White Chocolate Scones

by Helen Kain | Feb 9, 2022 | Bread & Scones, Desserts, Mother's Day, Tea, Valentine's Day, Winter Recipes

Raspberries are intensely flavourful, but their fragility makes them a tricky fruit to employ in baking scones, Too often they shatter into seeds, and the oozing juice leaves a stained mess. In this recipe, the dough is rolled into a rectangle, then fresh berries and...

Red Currant Cream Cheese Tea Sandwiches

by Helen Kain | Feb 9, 2022 | Bread & Scones, Tea, Valentine's Day, Winter Recipes

Boston Brown bread is the traditional accompaniment to baked beans, but it’s equally delicious with smoked salmon or tangy cream cheese. We’ve made Valentine’s Day Tea sandwiches with heart cut-outs featuring red-currant flavoured cream cheese. ...

Hearts and Flowers for a Valentine’s Day Tea

by Helen Kain | Feb 9, 2022 | Tea, Valentine's Day, Winter Tablescapes

This table started with the Victorian Valentine Tea Cakes, for which I take no credit; they’re available from Ginger Lily Sweets on Etsy. Aren’t they lovely? Made from Springerle moulds, the little cakes are coated with a thin layer of crisp frosting,...

A Valentine’s Day Table with Chocolate Raspberry Heart Cakes

by Helen Kain | Feb 9, 2021 | Cakes, Desserts, Valentine's Day, Winter Recipes

Chocolate and roses are traditional Valentine’s Day fare. Combining them in a cake is the best of all possible worlds – served with tea, and augmented with pink champagne, of course! Add in pretty pink china and we have a lovely (albeit chilly) setting for...

Dresden Flowers with Juliska Pewter

by Helen Kain | Feb 12, 2018 | Fall Tablescapes, Grey and Pewter, Pink and Red, Valentine's Day, Winter Tablescapes

Hydrangea have to be one of the most useful flowers known to man or woman. Not only do they delight in the garden, they dry beautifully, providing exuberant arrangements with little to no effort throughout the non-growing season.  I hosted this dinner late last...

Hand Painted Cabinet Plates and Pink Moser Glass

by Helen Kain | Jan 29, 2018 | Antiques, Pink and Red, Spring Tablescapes, Valentine's Day, Winter Tablescapes

Deep, clear pink is a gorgeous colour; no wonder it’s so popular around Valentine’s Day.  A perfect counterpoint to the gritty grey winter landscape, the rich rosy tones lift our spirits and beguile our senses. This table setting began with a trip to...