By: Jaymie Leighton
Title: Leave It to Cleaver & No Grater Danger
Series: Vintage Kitchen Mysteries
Author: Victoria Hamilton
Website: Victoria Hamilton Mysteries
Hi! Welcome to Queensville, Michigan's annual Tea with the Queen event, held every year on the weekend of the Canadian Victoria Day weekend. Look at all your wonderful hats... are you wearing them in honor of the royal wedding? Aha, I thought so! How many in your party? Five? I've got a table for you right over here near the lilacs on the lawn of our beautiful Stowe House... the last time we'll be holding it here! Next year the event will be moving to the lawn of Queensville Heritage Manor. What's that you say? Oh, yes, wasn't the royal wedding wonderful? Meghan Markle... I mean, Her Grace, the Duchess of Sussex... was so lovely; her dress was really simple, but it made her the star, and I liked that. Harry was so happy and handsome! I did wonder if he'd keep the beard, and he did! Loved the gospel choir, and the American touches. But still so British!
Right... tea! We serve tea in individual pots with a variety of real bone china cups that you can buy after tea, if you like, and you have the option of a full on tea for the whole table, with macrons, cookies, finger sandwiches, lovely Tansy Tarts butter tarts - you Canadians know all about butter tarts! - and my own cranberry lemon scones with... pardon me? Oh, yes, well... we don't have clotted cream, exactly, but a lovely creme fraiche. No, I agree, not the same thing, but we have to make do. No one was willing to make the clotted cream; too much trouble. You can also just have the tea and scones, if you like.
Yes, that's Mrs. Trelawney Bellwood playing the part of Queen Victoria today; yesterday was Imogene Frump's turn. They've started trading off now. The little tiny girl with her, dressed in the frothy white dress, who is playing one of Queen Victoria's granddaughters, is my daughter Jocie! Isn't she the most adorable little girl? Yes, I'm very lucky. Let me leave you to read over the menu and decide.Wow... we're so busy! I have a moment to speak with you, but just briefly... we've got more people coming by buses, and the ferry from Canada is due any minute! More thirsty Canadians... those folks sure drink a lot of tea!
This royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, now the Duchess of Sussex, has created quite the fervor for our Tea with the Queen event, and we've had national coverage from the media, even! Don't get Mrs. Bellwood... I mean, Queen Victoria, started on the wedding, or she'll talk all day. It's actually one of our two biggest fundraising events of the year for the Queensville Historic Society.
We also have Dickens Days in December, when Victorian garbed carolers stroll the village; we have a cider booth, and treats for everyone! Every town has history, and it's all important, the good and the bad. Did you know that the founding father of Queensville, Jonas Perry, was a spice magnate? He imported nutmeg, cinnamon, pepper, coriander... all kinds of spices.I'd better get back to my customers... Hello again! Okay... complete tea for the whole table, wonderful. It'll be coming in just a few minutes. By the way... after you enjoy your tea, head on out to the Queensville Heritage Manor for a tour; I designed the kitchen, and sourced all the vintage kitchen implements. Directions are on your complimentary menu, and entry is included in the price of your tea!
You're done? Thank you so much for coming to Tea with the Queen, and we hope we'll see you back in December for Dickens Days in downtown Queensville!
BTW... did you enjoy your tea and treats?
~::~
GIVEAWAY!
Comment here to win one of three EBOOK editions of Leave It to Cleaver.
1 - Leave your first name and an email address: yourname (at) yourserver (dot) com2 - Enter by Midnight, May 23rd - Please note... if you comment after midnight May 21st your comment won't show up immediately, but will go into moderation. I'll approve it bright and early the next day!
And that's all there is to it!
No Grater Danger - Coming June 19th!
In the brand-new Vintage Kitchen Mystery from the author of Leave It to Cleaver, someone out to spice up their life means to crush a helpless victim . . .
“Delightfully entertaining, well-written, and an interesting and exciting plot. Literally keeps you guessing right to the end.” —Goodreads on Leave It to Cleaver
Vintage cookware enthusiast Jaymie Leighton is thrilled at the prospect of meeting an elderly descendant of her town’s founding father, not least because she’s known to possess an enviably large collection of antique spice graters. But the curmudgeonly woman also has substantial real estate holdings, and at the moment she’s engaged in a fierce battle with a property developer who wants her to sell off her old buildings in the name of progress. When Jaymie goes to visit the woman and discovers that there’s been an attempt on her life, she polishes up her sleuthing skills to find out who was behind the foul deed.
Her first instinct is to suspect the developer, but as she digs deeper into the case she learns that her older new friend has purportedly been the victim of numerous criminal acts—all of which point to different suspects. Unsure if the stories are true or simply the confused ramblings of a senior citizen, Jaymie sifts through the clues hoping to expose the culprit, but she knows that if she keeps stirring up trouble, she’ll be next on the would-be killer’s list.
Includes a vintage recipe!
Posts
It would be amazing to have tea with the Queen. Congrats on your releases.
Replydebby236 at gmail dot com
What fun it would be to attend a tea like this! I do love this series! Thank you for the contest! Looking forward to reading the new books!
Reply[email protected]
I love this series. I do need to catch up. I'm not much of a tea person but I would fake it. Congrats on the new release!! pgenest57(at)aol(dot)com Paula
ReplyI haven’t had the privledge of reading any of these books at this time. Hope to be able to in the future. Love the book covers, the artist side of me feels happy when I look at them.
ReplyFrom a friendly librocubicularist, Eileen [email protected]
I would love to have tea with the Queen! Can’t wait to read. Angie [email protected]. Thank you
ReplyTea with Queen sounds lovely! [email protected]
ReplyTea with the Queen would be wonderful!! Can’t wait to read your new book [email protected]
ReplySusan [email protected]. Thank you for the giveaway!
ReplyI love your books, and imagining tea with the Queen is such fun! Thank you for many hours of entertainment, and I look forward to reading your new releases. Michelle mmdrayson(at)gmail(dot)com
ReplyI loved seeing the bone china teacups! I inherited my mother-in-law's collection of them and they were all packed up when we renovated the kitchen and removed the built-in china closet. I'll have to have someone find them for me so I can display them again! Linda - [email protected]
ReplyThank you. I love tea and these sounds very interesting. LuAnn: lsum1258 (at) aol (dot) com
ReplyCongrats on your release. Tea festival- how cool.
Replykckendler at gmail dot com
Sounds like a wonderful read. Thanks so much. kellyreece@hotmail dot com
ReplyDelightful!
Replylibbydodd at comcast dot net
I would love to get a start on reading this series. I am a huge tea and tea things lover. I have enough tea to last me at least another 20 years, and tea mugs, cups and saucers, and sets to be able to go a few months without washing if I had the space. I drink tea all day and evening. Besides water, and juice/pop when out, tea is my main beverage. Good luck with the release! Kristin - [email protected]
ReplyThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyCaroline Yay! :) [email protected] <3
ReplyI enjoy this series. I also drink lots of [email protected]
Replywish I could be there to have tea with you Carol [email protected]
ReplyLoved reading about Tea With the Queen event. Sounds amazing, I really enjoy this series, looking forward to reading the new book. Dianne
Replydiannekc8(at)gmail(dot)com
Love high tea.
Replyjtcgc at yahoo dot com
Sounds like a great read. I attended a Jane Austen tea party last summer. Lots of fun!! ematov(at)comcast(dot)net
ReplyWe hold Victorian Teas regularly- loads of fun.. Cheers (at) MarjimManor (dot) com
ReplyWouldn't it be amazing to sit with the Queen in one of her beautiful gardens and have tea and
Replyscones or tea sandwiches. Thanks for the opportunity to enter your giveaway. It would be so
great to win a copy of Leave it to Cleaver.
robeader53(at)yahoo(dot)com
Thanks for the chance to win this book & start reading this series. doward1952(at)yahoo(dot)com
ReplyWould so love to read this book! You can reach me At: LaFonRC(AT)aol(DOT) com
ReplySounds like an interesting tea. Thanks for this opportunity. Nancy Luebke at jluebke(at)frontier(dot)com
ReplyI love ☕ tea...And I am a royal watcher. Tea,with QE2!
ReplyGreat post. I enjoy tea. The event sounds great.
ReplyMichelle - catbooks72(at)gmail(dot)com
Thank you all for entering! The winners have been notified by email.
Reply