This text is part of the special Pleasures notebook
We thought it had been relegated to oblivion, frozen in the outdated image of bigoted old ladies discussing the latest gossip while having a cup of tea and some appetizers, their little fingers in the air. But the famous afternoon tea, created around 1840 by Anna Maria Russell, Duchess of Bedford, has managed to defy time. Better yet, it is now an element of heritage for some, and a source of inspiration for others.
Would the Duchess of Bedford have suspected that the fashion she launched in the upper echelons of Britain would become a tradition adopted by countless people all over the world?
In Quebec, theafternoon tea — and tea itself — apparently became popular in the decades following its dazzling success in England. This was particularly the case in the Eastern Townships, where part of British immigration was concentrated. “This tradition was anchored in families until the 1950s. It is part of Sherbrooke’s intangible heritage,” says Julie Marleau, deputy director of the Uplands Cultural and Heritage Center.
A preserved tradition
If the younger generations of the Eastern Townships no longer know what to do with the porcelain and silverware inherited from their ancestors, the Uplands center has built its mission on this piece of the region’s history. In addition to its museum component, the institution, located in a beautiful heritage residence, notably organizes immersive tea hours during the summer period. There we find waiters in period clothing and a vision at the crossroads of gluttony, socialization and education.
Obviously, during this activity, we are talking about the essential codes of tea time. From the arrangement of the porcelain cups and plates on the table to the order in which you mix your Pekoe orange tea with a splash of milk and sugar, including the layered presentation of the savory and sweet bites of theafternoon tea“everything is designed so that the guests feel good and learn things at the same time,” relates Mme Marleau.
Which does not prevent the cultural center from making some departures from the tradition of yesteryear. While “no-crust” cucumber sandwiches and scones with jam are still popular, “we now vary the bites served, as long as they remain small and delicate. And we no longer curdle in the oven clotted cream [une sorte de crème fraîche épaisse] which goes with the scones,” says M.me Marleau.
Some would say that such an experience has run its course. Nay! Inspired by TV series like Downton Abbey And The Bridgertons Chronicle, visitors flock to the Uplands center to experience their English tea. “We are full two weeks in advance!” » confirms the deputy director. She takes the opportunity to invite interested parties to participate in the 4e edition of the Cantons Tea Festival, which will take place on June 22 and 23.
The jubilant “tea time”
It’s not just traditional tea time that’s in vogue. Across Quebec, theafternoon tea gets back on track. In all Fairmont establishments, for example, it is back on the menu, with even a pink Barbie concept at the Queen Elizabeth. It also comes in the form of tea-dessert pairings at Sabayon by Patrice Demers and Marie-Josée Beaudoin, or a life-size doll’s house filled with porcelain and artisanal pastries at the brand new Lady Porcelaine.
And for several weeks, it has been celebrated in a fun, festive and resolutely gourmet way in Paparmane, in Montreal, the latest addition to the founding duo of Régine Café and Janine Café. “It’s a 12-year-old dream,” admits its co-owner Pierre-Luc Chevalier. In 2012, the restaurateur loved his experience in a tea room so much funky Londoner that he wanted to create one here. “I even found the pink and green armchairs that gave the establishment its name. But they ended up sleeping for a decade in my loft, until I found the space that would accommodate them,” he says.
When the Paparmane finally found its nest, a superb building in Old Montreal, Pierre-Luc Chevalier transformed it into a place of celebration. Theatrical curtain at the entrance, birds and candelabras hanging from the ceiling, crazy paintings, rococo accents, accessories on the employees… And, of course, tables richly furnished with English-style tableware, in addition to a personalized tiered tray for each guest.
In addition to its experiential side, the tea room offers a range of menus: classic, vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, as well as a special menu for children. Each tray contains three layers, namely one of savory bites, one of scones and one of small desserts. “We kept this format, but adapted it in our own way,” explains the restaurateur. For example, we changed the no-crust sandwiches for canapes, including one of chicken béarnaise salad on brioche bread, or another of salmon-cucumber-miso tartare. »
The scones are also revisited in the American style, flakier and sweeter than their English counterparts, while the traditional clotted cream, which accompanies them, is replaced by a sweet clover mascarpone cream. As for the desserts, they are salivating: macaron, chocolate and sponge cake, pink (griottes) and green (pistachio) checkerboard cake, etc.
“I needed to feel that people would be satisfied when they left here, so the formula was designed to be somewhere between a snack and a meal,” says Mr. Chevalier. The tea menu, designed with tea sommelier Élise Perreault, is also full of interesting offerings such as an oolong tea “that tastes like a butter biscuit”, or even a bubble gum tea. A menu of alcohols, including bubbles and cocktails, is planned to complete the festive nature of the concept, as well as a boutique section to bring back a favorite tea as a souvenir.
Feminine only? “You would be surprised by the number of men who get caught up in the game and want to come back. Le Paparmane really is for everyone,” Pierre-Luc Chevalier answers us with a smile. We believe it!
This content was produced by the Special Publications team at Duty, relating to marketing. The writing of the Duty did not take part.