BUCKINGHAM PALACE GARDEN PARTY

The Queen has a garden party at Buckingham Palace every May, which is a wonderful English springtime tradition. Between three thousand to four thousand people are invited by the queen. There will be elegant cucumber and watercress sandwiches on white bread with smoked Scottish salmon pate, fragrant Earl Grey cakes, and, most importantly, tea. Exotic visitors from the old British Empire’s outlying colonies are among those invited.

All these countries share the common denominator of having contributed to the British Common Wealth of Nations. Members of the British aristocracy, such as lords, earls, dukes, duchesses, and ladies, mingle with the visitors. The Queen, Prince Philip, and maybe Prince Charles, Princess Anne, and Prince Andrew arrive at 3:00 p.m. You can almost picture them now: the Queen, Prince Philip, and the Queen Mother, all in casual attire appropriate for a spring party, mingling with the excited crowd, shaking hands, smiling, stopping briefly to chat with the guests, making eye contact, and giving the royal nod of the head to acknowledge one’s presence to those who were unable to meet them in person.

In honour of the event, we’ll be serving a delectable Palace medley tea that’s been a crowd pleaser for years. Earl Grey, with its intriguing undertones of high-grown pure Ceylon tea, combines beautifully with the gentle jasmine of Fujian Province. One of the most delicious British teas is a combination of this with malty Assam, aromatic Dimbula Ceylon, and a brisk, golden cup from east of the Rift Valley in Kenya. A different flavour profile emerges with each sip; one moment you may detect the Earl Grey, and the next the gentle flowery notes of the jasmine. Lastly, the Assam, Ceylon, and Kenya blends deliver their rich, delicious flavour. Tea in the west gardens of Buckingham Palace is an annual ritual, and you can be a part of it by attending this year.