Tuesday Cuppa Tea, Shelley Harebell, Orange Marmalade Cake

Here it is, the last week of March! Amazing!  Welcome to Tuesday Cuppa Tea! With the time change, it is really seeming to be changing to spring quickly...

I have had all my favorite ooks out in the afternoon in the sunroom for tea, and so enjoy browsing through them... 

Many of you have Edith Holden's Books, but this is a contemporary of hers that is another lovely journey...

The book The Seasons by Louis Lawrence, an artist and lover of poetry who compiled and illustrated the book in the 1880-1890s, although it wasn't published until 1981 in Canad by a descendent....

The illustrations are charming...like these sweet spring lambs...

And lots of other flora and fauna and famous poets...

It's always difficult to photo a framed art piece, but I did this spring cross stitch from a Victorian pattern in 1998 and was deciding where to hang it...I tend to move them around...so it was a temporary tea back drop...

A favorite book and some favorite Shelley china items...

The book is Victoria's Heart Of England from 1999.  This one lives in my sunroom and is perused often. 

I do have several others left at Antiques And Teacups. We sold cases of them when we had our bricks-and-mortar antiques and tea items shop, bt when we closed it in 2003 the few we had left went into storage.  About a year ago I found about 10 in a forgotten box at the back of the warehouse, and listed them on my website...I have 3 left. They are gorgeous!

This teacup is the Harebell pattern of Shelley China, England in the Low Oleander pattern number 13590, made between 1950 and 1960 when the pottery closed.  In the 1980s, this was one of the most popular Shelley shapes, but that goes in fads. Currently it's the Footed Oleander shape that is more popular. In a few years...who knows???

I especially love the molded flower petals of the design...so tactile!

My teapot is by Sadler in a design called Ivy House in the line called English Country Cottages.  They are all so cute, but I just heard from the pottery that they have discontinued making all the cottage shapes...so sad!

My tea today is a blend of Darjeeling from Wedgwood. I got this from an English tea supply store in the UK, but Judith at Lavender Cottage says it is also available in Canada. I have had several blends, but I do love Darjeeling!

I also am using another of my Shelley Teacups...this a teacup trio in the Primrose Chintz pattern with a solid cobalt blue exterior. Love the sweet spring primroses inside. You can see more on the plate below...

And for tea this week I made an Orange Marmalade Loaf Cake....recipe follows...from The Times originally...

  Orange Marmalade Loaf Cake

INGREDIENTS

·                2/3 cup  coarse-cut orange marmalade, divided

·              12 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, plus 1/2 tablespoon for glaze, and more for     greasing pan

·             3/4 cup granulated sugar 

·            2 teaspoons grated lime zest

·           ½ teaspoon grated orange zest

·           3 large eggs, at room temperature

·           2 tablespoons fresh orange juice

·           1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 

·           1 1/2 tsps baking powder 

·           3/4 tsp grams fine sea salt 

·           4  tablespoons confectioners’ sugar 

·      PREPARATION

1.      Heat oven to 350 degrees. Coarsely chop any extra-large chunks of peel in the marmalade. Grease a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan.

2.      In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together softened butter, sugar, lime zest and orange zest until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until incorporated. Beat in 1/3 cup marmalade and the orange juice.

3.      In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Fold dry ingredients into wet until just combined.

4.      Scrape batter into prepared pan. Bake until surface of cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center emerges clean, 50 to 55 minutes. Remove from oven and transfer pan to a wire rack. Cool 10 minutes; turn cake out of pan and place on rack right-side up. Place a rimmed baking sheet under rack to catch the glaze.

5.      Heat remaining 1/3 cup marmalade in a small pot over low heat until melted; whisk in confectioners’ sugar and 1/2 tablespoon butter until smooth. Slather warm glaze over top of cake, allowing some to drizzle down the sides. Cool completely before slicing.

Thanks so much for joining me for tea!  Here are the blog parties I am joining...

 Tea Cup Tuesday 
 Bernideen’s Teatime, Cottage and Garden
Home Sweet Home

And here is the Tuesday Cuppa Tea linky for your tea related posts...please remember that it is SSSLLLOOOOOOWWWW but if you are patient...it's there! Depending on my health…I am so looking forward to visiting you!

An InLinkz Link-up