Tea party

Tomorrow is the last session of our English conversation class before the summer break; we shall start off with a lesson, some grammar points, some working in groups, a language game, a presentation, and then instead of the normal coffee break with drinks and biscuits and maybe some nuns, we are having a tea party.

The teachers and volunteers are bring different typically English cakes and treats so we will be having flapjacks, and Battenberg cake, and a Victorian sponge, and some fruit cake, and because we live in the west country of course we will have a cream tea – scones, strawberries, jam and clotted cream. Clotted cream is very thick cream which can be spread like butter or put on scones in dollops. (Scones by the way are little raised unyeasted bread buns, which are split in half and buttered and served with whatever you fancy -sometimes they have dried fruit in the, or cheese) Because we live in Somerset, cream tea eaters can put either jam or cream on the scone first – there is a fierce debate between Cornwall and Devon about which should be applied to the scone – cream on the scone then jam, or jam on the scone and then cream!

Having a little celebration like this isn’t just an excuse to eat lots of nice things, it is also a good time for conversation to flow naturally as people socialize. Over the years we have had students from more than thirty different countries, and at social times like this English is often the only language they can communicate in; the teachers and volunteers circulate to make sure everyone is included in a conversation, and the topic is often what delicious items are on offer to enjoy with tea or coffee!

I must remember to take my camera to make sure I capture the occasion!