[.ca] Having Tea: Recipes & Table Settings (ISBN 0517560070)

Lush photography and tasty recipes:
The photos in this book transport the reader to settings of fantastic themed teas, such as a picnic, a Christmas celebration, a hotel tea dance, or a scholar's study. The lush photography and the care that was taken to provide appropriate illustrations to accompany the recipes is worth the price of the book alone. But wait -- there are some darn good recipes here too. I love the honey mustard chicken -- it comes out moist, even using lean white meat. The Irish soda bread is hardy and irrestistably savory with the addition of caraway seeds. And the corn muffins are perfect for a cold winter's breakfast. There is some valuable information about tea, its preparation, and the accoutrements of the tea ceremony, although the emphasis is on the western tea ceremony, as opposed to the eastern version. This book was the first I bought about tea, and it inspired a rather large collection of tea books. Please see the list I created at my Amazon home page for my recommendations on other great tea books. This book is a valuable gift from the authors to all fans of tea.

The Only Afternoon Tea Book You Will Ever Need:
I have been collecting books on afternoon tea for the last twenty years. This outstanding book, against which I judge all others, is a must have for anyone interested in afternoon tea. I have made almost all of the recipes many times and several items, particularly the Victorian poppyseed cake, can be found waiting in my kitchen for guests any day of the week. Every recipe has consistantly turned out delicious and beautiful. The text is invites repeated reading by its gently lyric style and the photographs are at once dreamy and alluring. You will return to this book time and again.

Delectible Reverie!:
This is an outstanding book with beautiful pictures and delicious recipes. I have been collecting books on tea for many years and this is by far my favorite. I have made almost every recipe in the book (several countless times), and all have come out tasting and looking better than expected. This book is worth owning for the Victorian Poppyseed Cake recipe alone. If I could only own one tea book, this would be the one!

But does it taste good?:
Sure, the photos are pretty but are the recipes any good? I tried the raisin scone recipe - it was very dry and the salt needs to be reduced by at least half if not three quarters. I wonder if any recipe testing was done before this book went to print.

Average at best:
The photos in this book are lovely, and some of the theme ideas are nice, but honestly, the recipes didn't do much for me, for the most part. If you want some inspiration, and you want some photos for ideas on creating ambience for a nice tea party, then this is a good book; if you're looking for a cookbook, best keep looking.