Afternoon tea is a peculiarly British custom, but one that has become popular and is now practiced all over the world. As a meal, it didn’t really appear until the mid 1800s, when the Duchess of Bedford created a fashion for it. At our Harlequin Cafe at Kilver Court in Somerset, we serve loose tea in a random selection of mismatched vintage china with the most scrumptuous spelt cakes on floral cake stands.
Cakes and pastry really showcase the lovely nuttiness of spelt, adding an extra dimension to the flavour. I love including walnuts or almonds to increase that nutty crunch. Walnuts have been a staple at Sharpham Park and the Glastonbury area for over 500 years, and we’ve planted 300 trees to continue the tradition. Here, the nuts help to create a spectacular Carrot Cake (see page 103), as well as the Walnut & Coffee Cake with Streusel Topping (see page 106). And I can never resist anything with almonds, whether it is our Plum & Frangipane Cake (see page 104) or the Summer Raspberry Cake (see page 108).
And once the summer and autumn fruits are no longer in season, you can enjoy our Mince Pies (see page 116) for a very festive Christmas treat.