Downton Tea Party {Blogger Meetup}

I really enjoy getting together with other food bloggers, especially those that get excited about tea and Downton Abbey :)  Tonight I hosted a party that included a cheddar taste testing, a tea swap and the Season 3 premier of Downton Abbey.



The idea for a tea swap came from Healthy Living Blogs.  In my continuing quest to drink less Diet Coke, I recently bought several new varieties of tea.  However, the choices available are overwhelming, which got me thinking that a swap would be a great way to sample other bloggers' favorite teas.

Everyone brought 5 bags of their favorite tea to swap.  Due to my recent tea shopping spree, I had more than one favorite to share :)  The first tea I ever tried and loved is Traditional Medicinals raspberry leaf tea, so that one definitely had to go in the bag.  I also included Yogi green tea pomegranate, Stash pomegranate raspberry, World Market tropical rooibos and two Trader Joe's varieties, green tea and pomegranate white tea.

Those are the teas I sent home with the ladies.  While at my house I encouraged them to drink Rishi peppermint rooibos and The Republic of Tea pomegranate vanilla red tea, which I bought just before Christmas at Sendik's and they quickly became two of my favorites.

 

What's your favorite type of tea? Alison of This Homemade Life recently posed that question on Facebook and I was surprised by how many people mentioned Teavana, only because I had never heard of it. Turns out there are two stores in the Milwaukee area, so I hope to try their tea soon!

The key to any tea party is an electric kettle.  We love ours from Hamilton Beach and I'd definitely recommend it.  Prior to moving to England, I had no idea such a thing existed and now I couldn't live without it.

Since they don't make wine charms for tea mugs, I decided each blogger needed her own personalized mug. Even better, I found these monogrammed mugs from Anthropologie, which is a store I've never been to but bloggers seem to love :)

This past year when I attended an America's Test Kitchen cooking demonstration we did a taste test of artisanal cheddars.  I spotted the taste test winner, Prairie Breeze from Iowa, while grocery shopping yesterday and I knew I needed to incorporate a taste test into my party.

After sampling five different cheddars, we had two appetizers brought my Molly and Lisa.  Cucumber sandwiches and Stilton cheese on crostini, which were both excellent appetizers for a British-themed party!

I didn't think I'd like Stilton cheese, but the Trader Joe's version with apricots was fantastic.  Chris was standing nearby during appetizers and he really enjoyed the one that tasted more like blue cheese.

After appetizers, we dug into dinner.  I originally had this idea that I'd make a British-themed main course, but time got away from me, so I turned to plan B.  January weather is perfect for soup and I've made both farro soup and sweet potato chili for guests before, so plan B seemed like a safe bet.

Chris and I only add toppings to our chili if we happen to have them in our fridge, but for the party tonight I wanted to have lots of toppings available.

This morning I realized I didn't have enough small bowls, so I picked up a Food Network tasting set at Kohl's which worked perfectly.  Alysha brought corn bread which is essential to have with chili.  Chris liked it so much that he claimed all the leftovers for his lunch tomorrow :)

Dessert was enjoyed in the living room while watching Downton Abbey.  Abby brought madelines and Inger brought shortbread.  I used my British flag as a tablecloth for our dessert table :)

 

Tea and cookies while cozied up with blankets was ideal for watching Downton because the first episode of season 3 was two hours (with no commericals!).   

 

From now until February 17, you know what I'll be doing on Sunday nights.  Here's a look at the season 3 schedule.  Do you watch Downton Abbey?  If so, what did you think of the season 3 premier?