Well another of the big themed Teas has come and gone and now to look back behind the scenes and the review.
As i said in my post i funnily enough timed it exactly one year after i managed to get my hands on a Mrs Potts Teapot in Primark on 20th October
I remember being on a late shift on my way home and then on my way down the escalator outside Primark, i spotted a box from afar and it looked like the coveted Mrs Potts teapot. I went in and it was! after searching in multiple places and times i got 2. The guy must have been tired as he scanned it 3 times. These at the time were going for some money on Ebay as people resold them for big money £40-50 when they cost just £12 to buy.
Primark was fundamental in the supplies for this Tea with the majority coming from there.
- Mrs Potts Teapots
- Chip Trinket dishes
- Cogsworth Clock
- Lumiere tea light candle holder
- Rose bell dome
I did have the Chip Cups but as mum got one and the Gold trim all washed off i sold mine and managed to get the Paladone ones. Even better as i paid £2 each in the xmas sale!
I managed to get 3 in the sale as the 4th was ironically “Chipped” i ordered one off ebay to make the 4th cup and what a fiasco 2 went missing one after the other the 3rd one arrived damaged and the 4th one intact.
I also wanted to get some Plates these seem to be only available through Aliexpress. They come from Tokyo Disney resort and £15 each ! so needed 4 to avoid import charges i ordered from 4 different sellers got 3 and the 4th turned up as a Chip Cup so had to get a refund for that. i used my Try the Grey stuff plate i got in the Disney Sale plate for the missing one. I did also get a great Ballroom backdrop and Sugar pot from Ali express
I got the 2nd Lumiere from Menkind as the Primark was also hard to find this was different as it was battery operated rather than holding Tealights. I got the slightly bigger Mrs Potts Tea pot also from Menkind when it went on offer.
The Disney store brought out a Lumiere Cake stand and i got that asap and was perfect for holding treats on the table, also sold out very quickly.
PLANNING THE MENU
For me planning the food is as important as the scene setting and being as authentic to the theme as possible with references. I watched the film twice and made notes and took inspiration from ideas i had seen online.
- Earl Grey Mrs Potts Tealoaf – reference to Tea
- Gastons Custard Tarts- reference to 4 dozen eggs
- Rose Meringues
- Dark Forest Black Forest cakes with Wolf chocolate heads – reference to Belle running away into the Forest and also Wolfs chasing Maurice to the Castle
- Grey Stuff mousse pudding with Biscuit spoons – Reference to Try the Grey stuff
- Apple Rose Pastries
- Beef Ragout Pies – reference to Beef Ragout
- Twice baked Cheese& Chive Souffles – Reference to Cheese Souffle
- Croque Monsieur
- Pan Bagnat
- Beef Horseradish watercress Sandwiches
- Teapot shaped Scones with Rose petal jam & Clotted Cream
TEA
I did have a few Tea varieties including Rose Tea and several others with Rose aromas alongside the traditional Breakfast Tea and Assam and Ceylon. I had brought 3 Mrs Potts loose leaf tea infusers in the Debenhams sale at xmas but did not use them
LIVE AS IT HAPPENED
I had no camera issues this time after making a hybrid tripod with my new and old one. just need to find a way to make the sound better. I brought a Beast costume of course to be Prince Adam as i am Adam after all. This was a little snug Asian sizes are never easy to judge even when you get the bigger one. My dad donned a red top and Black wig to everyone’s surprise to be Gaston mum had a gold dress for Belle.
REVIEW
For these bigger Teas they do require a lot of planning and nearly 2 days of food prep. I was slightly late to my 4pm deadline whilst i did the savoury selections last minute. I did buy a few bits extra which i didn’t use. I had Cheese/Ham Croissants planned but left them out. I was very happy with how everything looked and tasted so minor changes to make
- Make Rose Meringues smaller
- Toast Croque Monsieur little longer to be crispier
- Remember Tomatoes for Pan Bagnat ( Tuna Nicoise)
- Put Musical Rose dome on table as forgot to put it out.
- Order a bigger size of my costume
- Plate for used Teabags
- Different recipe/ recipe tweak for the Grey stuff pudding as tasted a bit artificial with the oreos added.