Literary Tea Party by Alison Walsh is a wonderful book based on beloved, quality literature. This cookbook is full of lovely photos and many, many delicious looking recipes that correlate with your favorite books. Inside this book, you'll find intriguing recipes like Miss Marple's "Pocket Full of Rye" sandwiches and 'Turkish Delight," such as the one from The Chronicles of Narnia. In addition, the author has grouped recipes together into menus that are perfect for themed tea parties. Overall, this is a wonderful book to share with your family. I have always found that food makes literature come alive, both with my students and with my son. This cookbook is the perfect way to hook young readers and make literature meaningful and fun. Don't miss this book! I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher. These opinions are entirely my own.

Some of the best memories that avid readers have are those from childhood and reading classics. Most readers have also read classics such as the mysteries of Agatha Christie and Sherlock Holmes. And in those classics, there are always dozens of mentions of food. According to Alison Walsh, in her cookbook, A Literary Tea Party: Blends and Treats for Alice, Bilbo, Dorothy, Jo, and Book Lovers Everywhere, this is because “Food can provide insights into our favorite heroes, heroines, and mischief-makers…It can evoke smells and flavors that bring a setting to life and stir up emotions that deepen a reader’s connection in the story.”

There is something magic about having formal tea, and the sandwiches, baked goods, and tidbits in this cookbook just add to the magic. Most of the recipes are quite simple, so they can be prepared by beginning cooks, but they are appealing enough that even more experienced cooks will be tempted to make several of the recipes. The recipes are well-written and have easy-to-understand instructions. Most of the tea treats have photographs, which are very nicely done. Before each recipe, there is a quote from the book that the recipe is supposedly from (the author developed these recipes, but she obviously is familiar with the books, and did research on the foods served in the area and time period). There are also excellent instructions and recipes for various tea concoctions, and well as hot chocolates and lattes.

Reading and cooking from this book will evoke memories from books read in the past, and inspire readers to not only pick up those books again, but to have a nice tea party at the same time.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

Very interesting and highly original book. I have been a reader all my life and yes, food is a big part of books and sometimes I found myself eating something mentioned somewhere, just for fun...but I heve never thought of actually trying to recreate the foods in my favourite stories. This is a perfect gift for bookinsh people with culinary inclinations and themed parties. I will certainly try the Apple of Life Bites and the beautiful Savory Apple Rose tartlets

A charming but fun cookery book which inspires the reader to hold themed tea parties whether with children or a book club meet. Lovely colour photographs to accompany the recipes plus a few construction photos. Simple enough recipes but inspired and many very suitable to make with children whilst introducing them to both literature and baking, even very young children. The book is obviously American but luckily there is a Conversion Table at the back which gives us equivalent measurements in ounces and grams and some of the ingredients may need substitutes. I found funny that in 'Sword in the Stone Cheese Bites' recipe that there was a reference to a 'perfect British combo of Camembert and Cheddar' as Camembert is a much loved French cheese.
It takes me back to my own (50s) childhood where we often had Queen of Hearts Jam Tarts for tea or Crumpets whilst my mother read passages from Alice in Wonderland or Charles Dickens respectively before my sisters and I were old enough to read for ourselves. A cosy wintertime memory sat in front of a roaring fire. I shall probably buy this book for my daughter to inspire her with her own children and my book clubs too should be in for an unexpected treat.
I hope this book gets published in the UK.

he premise behind this book is simple: selected passages from different literary works were pair with dishes and tea blends inspired by the quote. As someone who's brewing a fresh pot of English Breakfast while everyone is having their morning coffee, who enjoys reading, and who likes to bake, I found this book delightful. The book has four main sections - Savories, Bread & Muffins, Sweets, and Homemade Tea Blends. I found the Tea Blend most interesting as I don't remember any other cookbooks listing recipes for creating your own tea blends.

I haven't tried any of the recipes (yet), but they look reasonable (no weird ingredients or using 4 cups of sugar for a dozen 3" cookies). And the resulting treats look enticing. I especially like the Queen of Hearts' painted rose cupcakes where a drop of red food gel is used to create delicately swirled frosting. The Savory Apple Rose Tartlets are another favorite.

There are a few formatting issues which maybe due to the fact I was viewing a pre-release ebook. For example, after each recipe, there's a tea pairing surrounded by a box. In the tea blend section, there's a food pairing, but just as plain text - no surround. The surrounding box is also displayed inconsistantly; for one, the tea pairing is after the ingredient list, but before the written instructions, and on the next, it is displayed after the accompaning photo, before the recipe title.

I know these are minor quibbles; my real grip is that Ms. Walsh didn't select a quote from one of my favorite books and develop a recipe for "some decorated killer chocolate things with the density of plutonium."

This lovely collection of literary-inspired recipes for savories, breads, and desserts is inspired by familiar children’s and high school classics. Enjoy a hearty Deeper’n Ever Turnip’n Tater’n Beetroot Pie (served to the moles in Redwall), Savory Apple Rose Tartlets (a rose was The Phantom of the Opera‘s calling card), or Miss Marple’s “Pocket Full of Rye” Tea Sandwiches. Feast on Blood Orange Scones (for “The Five Orange Pips” in Sherlock Holmes’s fifth case) or Beorn’s Honey Nut Banana Bread (inspired by The Hobbit—though it does puzzle me where Beorn would have acquired bananas!) Finally, delight your palate with Jo’s Gingerbread (Little Women), Candied Flower Cookies (inspired by The Secret Garden), or Delicious Death Chocolate Cake (Agatha Christie’s A Murder is Announced.)

The food recipes are fairly clear, and range from simple (deviled eggs, bacon-wrapped dates) to more complex (lavender lemon eclairs.) While most can be made with commonly-available ingredients, pans, and utensils, a few require more esoteric tools, such as a mandolin, or ingredients you will only find in an upscale or gourmet grocery store.

There are a few tempting non-tea beverages included, from Hundred Acre Hot Chocolate (flavored with coffee, cinnamon, vanilla, and caramel sauce) to a nonalcoholic Raspberry Cordial such as the one Anne of Green Gables thought she was serving Diana.

Alas, the tea blend recipes may prove more difficult to replicate, particularly if you’re not already a tea aficionado. After reading the entire section, I realized that all or at least most of the ingredients are loose teas, but if you’ve skimmed past the first paragraph in the “Note about Tea,” that isn’t entirely clear. And unless you have access to a specialty tea shop or are willing to buy your ingredients online, you will find it nearly impossible to come up with some of the suggested teas in “teaspoon” form, though you might luck out and find teabags. The author does give a little guidance on brewing tea, but not nearly enough for a novice. However, longtime tea lovers (like me!) will have fun recreating the suggested blends.

Finally, cooks who prefer metric measures can relax; there are two handy conversion tables at the end, one for quantities and the other for oven temperatures.

All in all, while there are a few recipes that made me look askance—Hercule Poirot did love chocolate, but his teas were always “tisanes” or herbal teas, never maté—I heartily recommend A Literary Tea Party for anyone looking to throw a literary party, or just curl up with a cup of tea, a good book, and the perfectly-paired snack.

A lovely book of recipes inspired by famous novels. A range of easy to follow and delicious sounding delights. Looking forward to trying some of them.

This book came right on time because I am planning for a tea party for my daughter's birthday. it had yummy recipes we have already sampled a few and different types of tea that we are going to incorporate in our party.thank you for letting us review and I can't wait to purchase this book.

Fascinating set of recipes. I found them intriguing.. but probably not for daily use. :) Would be awesome to start a literary tea party book club though! These recipes would go so well in assisting folks who are wanting to host a themed literary party.

Such fun. Literary fan girls will be cooking and brewing up a storm in honor of their favorite books. I can't wait to buy a copy when it comes out. This book is a must have my kitchen library. I can't wait to try my hand at the chocolate earl grey truffles. I liked the vibrant photographs and simple step by step recipes. My only confusion came at the tea section. There weren't really directions for how to make your own blends, it was more of a which tea contains what guide.

I received A Literary Tea Party via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
There is nothing more comforting than finishing a long day with a good book and a good cup of tea. A Literary Tea Party is a literary themed cookbook with recipes and unique blends of tea that correspond to novels. Every time I would see one of my favourite books turned into a recipe, I squealed with delight. I was expecting this book to be primarily a book about tea blends based on books, but there are recipes for savory finger foods, desserts, breads, and other hot drinks. I can't wait to try the "cyclone cookies" from L. Frank Baum's The Wizard of Oz, or "raspberry cordial" from Lucy Maud Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables! This is truly a unique cookbook, and great for anyone who loves tea, loves to cook, and loves to read!

This is a fun cookbook with sweets and savories from many favorite childhood and/or classic books. Even though I'm not familiar with all of the books mentioned, the recipes stand on their own and many of them sound (and look) quite tempting.
For example, the "apple of life bites," which consist of apple disks, bacon, creme de brie, and pecans...yumm!! Or the sweet potato bacon pastries inspired by Little Women. Or the poetical egg salad sandwiches from Anne of Green Gables. Or the blackberry lemon sweet rolls inspired by A Little Princess. I am making myself quite hungry...
Anyway, it's a very nice book with great pictures of most of the recipes. I think anyone with a flair for themed parties would love it. Or anyone who loves yummy food in general!

Great photos to correlate with the recipes, but there aren't that many recipes that sounded good enough for me to try. The mini cherry cakes look great and not too difficult.

I think this would make a nice gift for those who like to do theme parties.

This little cookbook is amazing. I IMMEDIATELY went to the store so I could try the Apple of Life bites. My inner little girl squealed with glee at the idea of a future tea party catered specifically to literature. I can't wait to show off these recipes to my tea and book loving friends. The easy to follow instructions made this a fun and quick activity in the kitchen. This book will surely make the the "most often used" shelf in my kitchen.

Scrumptious looking photos of food paired with clever recipe names, book quotes, and tea pairings make for one of the best cookbooks I have had the pleasure of reading. Now I want to throw a tea party!

I received a DIGITAL Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely love the ideas in this book. I am a book lover, but also a lover of the ideas and scenes in books. Cooking can be a great storytelling tactic. Everyone has to eat, and many memories can be shared over tea or scones, or scotch eggs for example. Recipes whose sole purpose is to transport you back to a specific scene in a novel that you found evocative is such a fantastic idea. Many of the recipes are from well-loved children's' books. This opens up such a wonderful opportunity to share something special with your child and make a memory. The recipes are easy to follow, and the pictures are lovely and well framed. The writing is concise and easy to understand. I thoroughly enjoyed the ideas and writing in this book and look forward to testing out some of these recipes with my own daughter when she is older. For now, I will have to make some Winnie the Pooh Hundred Acre Tea with her and watch a movie.

The ideas for the food given in these tea parties are taken from literary works, and short quotes are shown so that readers have an idea of how these foods/meals were presented within their original novels. These ideas are for tea parties, so the recipes are very short and simple. Great book to have handy for book clubs. However, as I was looking throughout the list of literary works and being this a tea party book, I thought that this will be a wonderful book to give as a gift to a mother or a daughter. A Literary Tea Party offers readers an opportunity to bond with those we love as we work our way through the different tea parties full of food and great discussions. Each tea party recipe is accompanied by its picture so that readers can see the ending product. At the back of the book, there is a conversion table, a reference list, and an index. Please, have this book in mind as a gift one might give to someone with the goal to spend time with them. Beautiful book that can make a wonderful gift. I received a free copy via NetGalley.

Could I love this book any more than I do? Well maybe, but only if it was more of the same. Fabulous concept. I will be purchasing this book. Loved it!

7 bookish themed menus with scrumptious recipe & tea pairings. A must for planning a mad tea party.

A Literary Tea Party by Alison Walsh is a wonderful literary cookbook filled with fun and easy-to-follow recipes inspired by all your favorite books.

I love reading about what characters are eating and drinking and I’ve always fantasized about how I’d recreate their meals. Thanks to this unique book, I can fulfil my literary foodie fantasies! The book features recipes which are inspired by classic and much-loved literary works like Little Women, The Hobbit and Winnie-the-Pooh.

The recipes range from really simple to fairly complicated. The cookbook is helpfully organized into sections on savouries, bread & muffins, sweets, homemade tea blends and tea alternatives. Another really great feature is that the book has themed tea party ideas so you’ll never be uncertain of what combinations of goodies to have at your party. I especially love that Walsh includes tea pairings with the recipes. She even has some recipes for making your own homemade tea blends. I also really like that she provides recipes for other drinks like cider and hot chocolate in case you’re not a fan of tea.

This book is so charming and well-thought out. I love the little details: each recipe begins with a quote from the book that relates to the recipe and I especially love the cute recipe names. Just imagine yourself enjoying Quoth the Raven tea inspired by Edgar Allan Poe and Anne of Green Gables’ Poetical Egg Salad Sandwiches.

I would definitely purchase A Literary Tea Party. The recipes are well-detailed and look absolutely delicious. I haven’t tried any of the recipes yet but I have many bookmarked for later experiments. This book would be perfect for the tea, food, and book lovers in your life. Or, snag a copy for yourself and have your own extravagant tea party! I really hope that Alison Walsh will put out more cookbooks just like this because I can’t wait to read and eat some more!