London Life 节选，讲述 Ritz Hotel 特色英式茶如何炮制。

Afternoon Tea at the Ritz

Afternoon Tea at the Ritz

F: Hello, I'm Anna Jones and I have been invited to talk in this programme about London life. And in today's programme we're looking at a very English custom. What do think this gentlemen is describing?

M: I think the whole art of tea-taking is a very elegant and a very English thing to do. This whole ambience of tea-taking makes you be elegant.

F: Well, that was Samuel Pitt, who is the director of press and public relations at the Ritz hotel in central London. The Ritz hotel is one of the most famous hotels in London and is celebrating its centenary. It opened 105 years ago in 1906. The Ritz is especially well known for its wonderful teas but taking tea at the Ritz is not an everyday event; it's usually reserved for a special occasion like a birthday or anniversary. Tea is served in the beautiful surroundings of the Palm Court. Displays of flowers and palms add to the experience of tea-taking.

Samuel says that the “whole ambience” of tea taking -- the whole character or quality of the Ritz -- makes you feel elegant, it makes you feel attractive and you behave in a very graceful way.

And it's not just a cup of tea either, it's almost like having a 3 course meal.Listen to Samuel as he describes the food served with a pot of tea. What do you eat with tea at the Ritz?

M: The actual food items on the tea menu come on a three-tiered cake stand. The bottom being the finger sandwiches, very traditional, and the waiter will explain what the fillings are. Then we do our scones in the middle and we do our cakes and pastries on the top. It's done almost like courses.

F: Well, we say that the food arrives on a “three-tiered cake stand - there are three levels, one on top of each other and on each level there's a plate for holding the food. And what food is there? There are finger sandwiches, these are small sandwiches filled with a variety of different things. This kind of sandwich is “very traditional”, it's something that has been going on in the same way for a very long time, so finger sandwiches have been a part of the traditional English afternoon-tea for a long time. In the middle of the tier there are scones which are small round cakes which are often eaten with jam and cream which is known as a cream tea. And finally, at the top of the tier there are various cakes and sweet pastries. Samuel say that tea is its almost done like “courses”, a part of a meal which is served separately from the other parts of it.

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