"Tea to the English is really a picnic indoors。"― Alice Walker， The Color PurpleI had been given the opportunity to get my hands on an advanced copy of the cookbook "Tea at the Palace" I had expected a nice foray into British cuisine made by a masterful chef， and I was not disappointed。 All the recipes in this book are executed with deft precision， and nothing in the book is extraneous。 Author Carolyn Robb is an expert cook， and it shows in the deftly written menu offerings that make up this wor "Tea to the English is really a picnic indoors。"― Alice Walker， The Color PurpleI had been given the opportunity to get my hands on an advanced copy of the cookbook "Tea at the Palace" I had expected a nice foray into British cuisine made by a masterful chef， and I was not disappointed。 All the recipes in this book are executed with deft precision， and nothing in the book is extraneous。 Author Carolyn Robb is an expert cook， and it shows in the deftly written menu offerings that make up this work。 Presents sumptuous recipes for teatime， lunch， or dinner。 The recipes in this book are inspired by the signature dishes served at 12 of the most popular and luxurious palaces in England。Each chapter is a dedication to the recipes that were created for a Palace。 We are treated to a culinary travel guide to such sports as Buckingham Palace， Sandringham House， Kensington Palace and more。 The book is awash with recipes suitable for a Garden party， Children's Birthday Party， food to serve visiting guests， and desserts that will make your family go "wow！"The chapter featuring the food of Buckingham Palace has some marvelous， sweet treats that pull out "all the stops" The inventive and colorful Tangerine and Passion Fruit Melting Moments offers a few alternative versions for the adventurous cook and the classic Little Scones with Raspberries and Clotted Cream offers anyone a standard that they will want to learn and use repeatedly！ The glorious Strawberry Bunting Cake will have you finding the choicest strawberries in spring to make this for your family or guests。The chapter that has the food of Sandringham House offers some substantial Fall fare in the form of Glazed Apple and Pecan Cake ， an inventive holiday time take on the "Bakewell Tart" in the Gingerbread Bakewell Tartlets and an simple but elegant recipe for Bramble and Apple Jam with Cinnamon that would be at home on scones， buttered biscuits or even to raise up the humble slice of toast。The Menu of Kensington Palace offers a children's afternoon tea menu with recipes that would be delightful used in a children's birthday party。 The simple yet inventive Gingerbread Soldiers in Sentry Boxes are jaw dropping and the neat simplicity and clever finger food of Jam Pennies and Banana Sandwiches offer something in your repertoires as a parent or grandparent that you can use often。 The "more-ish" chocolate pastry cream sandwiched Giant Bourbon Biscuits are something that will delight child or adult alike。The decadent sweets that are featured for Hampton Court Palace features a feast for Chocoholics。 Not for nothing as this palace hosts a kitchen dedicated to the art of Chocolate。 The masterful Chocolate Fudge Cake boasts a vanilla chocolate buttercream。 The delightful The Ultimate Hot Chocolate will forever change your 'Hot Chocolate" game and the Chocolate and Salted Pistachio Cookies are an adult sophisticated cookie that will please any die-hard chocolate fan。The fruit filled delights that are resplendent in the recipes for Brighton Pavilion are the stuff of summer by the seaside。 Sunny favorites like Raspberry Swirl Merengues will get those of us who are terrified of working with Merengue to get past our fear and embrace the new！ Classics like a citrus inspired Almond Cake and a colorful Apricot， Cherry and Pistachio Nougat create colorful treats for any warm weather soiree。The herbal delights of Highgrove House reflect the gardens of this abode of Prince Charles。 Many of these offerings evoke the green of spring and summer。 The colorful Lemon and Thyme cake and the savory bites of the Goat Cheese Zucchini and Chive Muffins seem to beg for inclusion in a lawn side picnic or lunch in the garden。 Garden Herb Pesto Primavera are nibbles worthy of a great cup of tea or to my way of thinking a wonderful Gin and Tonic。 （Gin and It to my friends across the pond！）The classics that are included in the recipes that are included in the Blenheim Palace chapter are based on favorites that we all know and love。 A spin on the classic tea biscuit， Glazed Ginger Shortbread takes us beyond the normal and infuses it with the warmth of ginger。 The classic apple hand pies take a turn with decadent Caramel Apple Turnovers， and the standard breakfast treat Marmalade gets reinvented into Seville Orange Marmalade Cake。The Scottish influence is strong in the recipes that are in the chapter for Balamoral Castle。 Some offerings like Potted Salmon might be unknown to American cooks， but once tried this dish might well become a favorite。 Items like Mini Oatcakes with Gravlax and crème fraiche offer homey elegance and there are also many creative recipes like Tartlets of Hot Smoked Salmon with Green Onions， and Ruby Chard that sound delicious and perfect for guests or a party！Additional Scottish offerings are highlighted in the chapter on The Castle of Mey。 There are Mouthwatering traditional Scottish Tea fare like Scotch Pancakes， alongside recipes for the traditional breakfast pastry Butteries。 The classic crisp Shortbread Highlanders are featured with the classic soda bread that is called Selkirk Bannock。Kew Palace on the grounds of Kew Gardens features festive floral items that are perfect for any garden party！ There are some adorable recipes here like Mini Vanilla， Ginger and Buttermilk Loaves， and tart and tangy Chilled Lime Tartlets （these really look delicious！） and the festive "Bunch of Flowers" Biscuits。 The cap of this feast is the Rose and White Chocolate Cupcakes， which could be a life saver for times when you need a pretty centerpiece to a dessert table。Stately Windsor Castle requires stately food for its guests and the offerings here are no exception。The resplendent Lemon and Elderflower Cake would not be out of place at a wedding or anniversary party。 The sublime Coffee and Hazelnut Macaroons have a combination of flavors that would pair well with tea or a cup of coffee。 As a fan of Rhubarb， I was overjoyed to see the delicate Rhubarb and White Chocolate Tartlets， and was mystified as to why I had not thought of this killer combination？ I loved the adorable Mini Cornish Pasties and cannot help thinking how wonderful these would be to freeze and make ahead when guests quickly visit。The Welsh landmark Caernarfon Castle had representation in the last chapter。 I was overjoyed to see some of my favorites here。 As a fan of Welsh cakes， the recipe for Little Cinnamon and Blueberry Welsh Cakes did not disappoint。 This is one of the best recipes for Welsh Cakes I have seen and if you try these once， you will be making them for the rest of your life。 If you have not tried Welsh Rarebit you will love this authentic take on the dish and be enamored of how easy this is to throw together while still impressing。 The traditional Welsh Tea Bread Bara Brith could not be missed here， and I am glad it was included。 The delicious Leek and Caerphilly Tartlets round out this cookbook and make it perfect for any collection that really wants to include the best of the British Isles。I loved this cookbook and really enjoyed getting to delve into the inventiveness and experience that Robb has to offer here。 I really think that anyone would be thrilled to have this in their collection and know that this will come into handy when you need inspiration to entertaining or the holidays。 Do yourself a favor and get a copy of this， you will feel like you have the royal stamp of approval on all your tea parties！ 。。。more