If In Doubt....Bake
Sometimes baking is the best stress relief. Not only do you get to beat eggs and whip cream which is satisfying, you also focus and concentrate on the present moment and ignore the worries of the past and future. Afterwards, you have the added pleasure of a beautiful cake which you can share with others, and that helps you to feel better too. 
Luckily I received my brand new book in the post at exactly the time I needed it:

So now I can't think of any reason to leave the safety of my kitchen for a while. You know where to find me.... 
Until next time....xox

"Sex In The Ci-Tea" @ The Montagu, Hyatt Regency Hotel

This is the most non-traditional tea I've had so far but it was fabulous. Along with a 'Cosmopolitan' or 'Flirtini' cocktail we indulged in other food that was based on ''Sex In The City or on New York itself. As well as sandwiches the savoury aspect included mini hot-dogs, bagels with smoked salmon and cream cheese, and mini burgers, and my friend and I were impressed with the vegetarian option that was available. The sweet aspect of the tea eschewed the traditional scone with jam and cream option, instead basing four desserts on the four stars of the show. Carrie inspired white chocolate Stiletto shoes flavoured with strawberry, Miranda was glazed mini-doughnuts, Samantha was mini martini glasses containing apple-vodka jelly, and Charlotte was strawberry cupcakes. Similarly, there was a large tea menu with four selected specifically to symbolise the four ladies: I chose Earl Grey (Charlotte) and my glam friend went for White Needle Tea (Carrie). Both were delicious.

It was a very indulgent experience, definitely more costly than other teas I've been to (and there was a bit of a mix-up with the bill at the end) but totally worth it. 
However sometimes, it's the fact that you can have a real conversation over afternoon tea that makes it so appealing, and I had fantastic company! We could have sat there drinking 'Cosmopolitans' all evening but it may have cost us more than a package week to Marbella (yet been infinitely more preferable..!)
I highly recommend the swanky surroundings of this hotel, and this particular tea for a bit of post-shopping indulgence, but make sure you go just after pay day ;-) 

"Sip"-tease Rating: ***

Pa"Tease"erie Rating:****

Boudoir or Boring? Rating: ****

Service with (Nothing But) a Smile Rating:***

Cheap or Chic Rating:* (Especially because of the bill mix-ups)

Keep Calm and Eat Cupcakes
I'm back from my travels and a stint in the Convent with a new outlook on life:

It's amazing what hanging out with nuns does to help improve your perspective! So I've drunk my body weight in Horlicks while in the convent...it just seemed like the right thing to do. 
But now I'm out and ready for afternoon tea, so keep checking in for the next review from your favourite 'Tease Maid. 
Until next time xox

More Tea Vicar..?
So as research for a book I'm writing, and for some of my own personal enquiries, I'll be living in a convent for a while... As I said, this is probably a good thing because I need to lay off the sweets (and cakes, and Turkish Delight, and chocolate...) for a bit. But it's definitely going to be a unique experience for me...

In preparation I've been watching 'Sister Act' and 'Father Ted', so I think I know exactly what to expect ;-)
In all seriousness, I am an avid reader so I will be taking advantage of their library as well as re-reading some of my favourite books:
"A Book of Silence" by Sara Maitland 
"Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer
and doing a lot of writing. 
So don't worry if I'm not on here for a while. When I'm out, the first thing I'll want is a massive afternoon tea and you'll be able to read all about it here. 
I also got asked if I'd like to go along to 'Burlexe' - a theatrical project starring Javine Hylton about the amazing women who created Burlesque. So keep checking the blog for a review.
Until next time...
xox

'Operation Cupcake'

I may be a bit behind because I've been in Belgium with no access to English papers. (And my French is OK but I don't know how to say 'cupcake' or 'bomb'...maybe I should learn...) However, if you haven't seen this, read it:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/terrorism-in-the-uk/8553366/MI6-attacks-al-Qaeda-in-Operation-Cupcake.html
xox

Afternoon Tea...'Turkish Style'

The recent lull in my partaking of afternoon tea is due to the fact that I decided to go to Istanbul. Agatha Christie would have you believe that Stamboul (as it used to be called) is full of ex-pats and Poirot-esque, upper-class travellers wearing white gloves in grand hotels. They may well be here but I haven't seen them. Of course, her stories are set during the golden age of the Orient Express and having afternoon tea on there is definitely one of the top 10 on my bucket-list. 
But for now, I've settled for afternoon tea traditional Turkish style which doesn't just involve the famous apple tea but also cups of strong, sweet cardamon coffee.

It also doesn't only occur in the afternoon but 7-10 times a day depending on how many carpet shops you get dragged into :)
Middle Eastern hospitality is some of my favourite in the world, and I've experienced it in Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia and Turkey. And when Turkish Delight or baclava are added to the mix, it can definitely rival any English high tea. The only downside is my teeth might start falling out of my head. I can hear my blood sugar rising as I type...

To make things worse, I'm actually writing this from Belgium - a place full of more chocolate than I've ever seen in my life... I thought it was a cliche but there were even some on my pillow and in the foyer of the hotel when I arrived. I never thought I'd say it but I'm actually craving salad.
Luckily, I'll be staying in a convent next so there'll be no excessive sugar consumption there - just good old austerity. Thank goodness, or the name of this blog would've been changed to afternoon-diabe'tease'.com ;-)
Until next time xox

'Angry Cakes'....Part 1 of many...
Admittedly I'm a bit stressed out at the moment, trying to make some huge decisions about moving/studying/working etc. But there's one thing that clears my head and relaxes me....baking. However, for me, it's never just any cake. I like to make cakes depicting pictures from t-shirts or artwork of my favourite bands. So here's my latest offering :)

It's in honour of one of my favourite bands, Brutality Will Prevail, who are coming to play in London this Saturday (Come and check them out at Underworld, Camden.)
So now I feel a bit less stressed, as all I need to do is put the kettle on and cut myself a big slice :)

Until next time... xox

Mad Hatter's Tea Party (2)
You can probably see down the side of my blog I've added another link to my new website. I've been selling artwork for about 6 months, mainly 3D shadow boxes, via folksy.com and also via a shop in Camden called 'Alienate'.
They mainly consist of genuine antique miniatures and taxidermy pieces, and are inspired by dark fairytales and literature etc, particularly Alice In Wonderland. Below is one of the more 'pretty' pieces I've made:

 As you can see, there's a genuine Royal Doulton tea cup and saucer in here, and a lot of my work contains small cups and saucers. Check it out at memento-mori-carla.blogspot.com or click on the pic to your right. The pieces have all sold now but I'm in the process of making new ones which will be available via myself or from 'Alientate' in Camden
xox