Wednesday, February 28, 2018

St. David's Day Visit Post Reprise 3 Royal Ladies at Fortnum & Mason's

Hi there! It's a celebrating things Welsh, Wales and Fortnum and Mason's for St. David's Day.
St. David is the patron saint of Wales, which is a part of the United Kingdom. Prince Charles is the heir to the English throne and is called the Prince Of Wales...


In my post today, I include some parts of a post I did in 2012 which was very popular, for the Welsh National holiday of March 1st...a celebration of Saint David's Day, the patron saint of Wales.
Daffodils and Leeks are the symbols of Wales.

https://timewasantiques.net/products/shelley-wileman-dainty-creamer-arms-of-wales-dragons-jug

I didn't have a lot with a Wales theme for St. David's Day, but remembered I had this Shelley China, England rested China souvenir creamer...

https://timewasantiques.net/products/shelley-wileman-dainty-creamer-arms-of-wales-dragons-jug

The creamer features the coat of arms of Wales..so that is appropriate!
The creamer is in the Dainty shape, and is hand applied enamel colors on black transferware.
Crested China meant that it had some sort of o symbol, landmark of coat of arms. They were very popular Victorian and Edwardian souvenirs and were made by several potteries, although Shelley made the best quality items.

https://timewasantiques.net/products/shelley-wileman-dainty-creamer-arms-of-wales-dragons-jug
 
 
The mark identifies it a Wileman, which made Shelley starting a few years later. This creamer has the Rd#, or British Design Registry number for 1896, meaning that is when the design was registered, so we know it can't have been made any earlier than that.
The Foley China at the top means it was made at the Foley Pottery Wileman had in the district of Foley in Stoke-on-Trent...like Limoges isn't a specific pottery, but a city that potters worked in.


On Thursday (March 1, 2012), Queen Elizabeth II, Camilla Duchess of Cornwall and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge went to one of my favorite places in London for tea and to dedicate a new tea room at Fortnum and Mason's on Picadilly celebrating Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee.  Because of the day they were presented with bouquets of daffodils, jonquils and narcissus.


This was the first public engagement of the 3 ladies together after William and Catherine's wedding in 2011. The occasion was the unveiling of a plaque that will hang on Fortnum and Mason's commemorating the revitalization of the area of Picadilly and the renaming of the Fortnum, & Mason tea salon as the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon.


Fortnum & Mason for tea is always a must do for us. We stocked their wonderful tea blends when we had our actual antique shop and tea items business before going exclusively online. The company has been owned by the Weston family for over 300 years. My husband is a Weston, but pretty distant relatives of the tea part of the family. Sigh...


Fortnum and Masons has always been famous for over 200 years for their fabulous hampers or baskets that can be stocked to order with wonderful treats and were de rigeur for any type of a picnic, outing or travel. The royal ladies were each given a hamper with individually chosen goodies for the visit, many drawn form the new line of Diamond Jubilee limited edition food items  FandM created for the Queen's special year.



Catherine sampled tea and of course, the chocolates! She admitted to the tea sommelier that she needs to improve when dealing with tea leaves instead of tea bags.


Fortnum and Mason's is one of the several fab food halls in London that we go to every visit. Not only to pick up treats and have tea or find take away if we are staying in a flat, but just to marvel at the artistry of retailing like art and just to see what's there. The others are Harrods, and on a lesser scale the Marks and Sparks (Marks and Spencer's) as well. The photos here are from various visits.










 This was a display of Emma Bridgewater ironstone...a contemporary English potter I love!



 This is Burleigh Asiatic Pheasants, a famous English made pattern of transferware.

And of course, we always have tea. The tower was from a trad tea and the other is a smoked salmon plate with scones and clotted cream my husband had on one visit and I forgot to photo my Coronation Chicken with scones and clotted cream for dessert!


The photo above is from a tea time close to St. David's Day, and I don't know if you can tell, but there were Welsh Cakes along with the scones on the middle tier...
My husband had the smoked salmon appetizer as well...there are lots of choices besides the regular normal English tea menu...

I hope you enjoyed our teatime for St. David's Day!
Have a wonderful week!
I am joining
Tuesday Cuppa Tea 
Friends Sharing Tea

3 comments:

Bernideen said...

That Afternoon Tea Tray does look delicious! I would love that! You have been blessed to visit so many places Ruth! Thank you for sharing!

At Rivercrest Cottage said...

Thanks for the tour of that wonderful place and seeing Kate. She is like a breath of fresh air.

Antiques And Teacups said...

One of my most favorite placed ever! Thanks for sharing and linking to Tuesday Cuppa Tea!
Ruth

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