For those who love love love etiquette
“The dining-room must be quietly but well lighted. There should be no glaring lights, but a soft radiance which is so general as to make everything clear. An electric light hanging eighteen inches above the table, or a tall lamp whose light is at about the same height, either of them well shaded, are satisfactory additions to…
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The Tea Reception, can be at home or in a public venue, but this is when tea is taken to the next level. “With this more pretentious affair, the refreshments are served in the dining-room instead of in the drawing-room or outdoors as is sometimes done at simpler teas. The hissing urn always holds the place…
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When I was little, I loved shopping the library bookstore. While kids were forced to stay upstairs in the children’s area at the Santa Monica library, in the bookstore, every topic was available. My first purchases were cookbooks. I learned to make the kinds of gourmet foods my dad loved and he was happy to encourage me, but…
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“High Tea. This is really the evening supper… …although sometimes the “high tea” is spread for an earlier hour than supper, say seven or eight o’clock. The ladies come in visiting costume and the gentlemen in the morning dress in country towns. In cities, sometimes, dress coats and light gowns are considered essential. Guests are expected to spend the…
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People today often use the terms appetizer, canape and hors d’oeuvres interchangeably, but in reality, they are completely different. Unless you’re in a restaurant, appetizers are usually served with cocktails before the meal. It’s in the name – they are meant to whet the appetite for the meal ahead. They should be small enough to be tray passed…
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“For simple and informal entertainment among women, afternoon tea is a delightful change from the usual luncheons. It may be served to entertain two or three friends, or it may be so arranged that a large number of persons may be entertained in a small space and a comparatively short time.” Entertaining Guest Etiquette / Children’s…
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This might a good time to discuss the difference between British and American etiquette. I hesitated to put the vs. in the title as this is not a better or worse discussion, just a comparison. British etiquette is obviously older and has its roots in European and Royal court etiquette while American etiquette has wider and more…
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Before you say, “Oh, no! Not another bit of useless linen.” Let me back up a moment and add a little nuance. Even though it may seem as if there was a ton of useless linen ephemera in the old days, each bit of linen was born out of a useful purpose. In days where people used silver, glass…
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When you watch Downton Abbey or any other period television program, you don’t begin to get the full picture of how much staff ran a stately home at the height of the Victorian and Edwardian periods. This is because television shows and films don’t have the time to show you every single person who would have…
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I want to talk about the people who populated the grand Victorian and Edwardian home, but first I need to mention the staff who always seem to go missing in period dramas. If you had owned a country house during the Victorian or Edwardian periods, you would have first and foremost hired a Land Steward…
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