Tea with your grandparents

I only knew one grandma and if we visited her in east London on a Sunday whivh meant a train and bus we had bread and butter with winkles which you picked out with a needle . Then peaches with evap milk.
We went home on the sat and I loved seeing the houses by the train tracks with all the lights.
She never took me anywhere or bought me anything other than a small gift for birthday and Christmas but I really liked seeing her.

We went home in the dark ...

We lived with paternal grandma she was a hard woman who didn’t show any affection. All she ever seemed to say was leave my tablecloth alone and go and play. But to be fair I was one of eight children sharing her house we had our own little parlour as it was called.
Our maternal grandma was a kind tiny affectionate woman and lived about two miles away in a much smaller house. She would always have a homemade bun loaf or tea bread on the little table for us just a slice each no more.
Both of my grans had front parlours that were ‘no go areas’ we were never allowed in there. My mum told us these rooms were for visitors only so obviously not us lot then!

Our special treat was to go to the Wimpy Bar where Nan would have Tomato Soup and we would have a portion of chips between us to dip in her soup. She had high blood pressure so would only have a couple of chips just to get the taste of them. We also went to go to the post Department Store and have a pot of tea with some cake. She would demonstrate how ladies should behave for us to learn. She didn't have 2 brass ha'pennies to rub together but had champagne tastes! I adored her so these trips were really special to me.

No grandparents so no nice memories of teas.

My nana had 13 children and when I was growing up and visiting her there was always stottie cakes rising all over the house. (stottie are round flat breads here on Tyneside).

My paternal grandmother brought me up. It’s only looking back that I realise how special those times were. She didn’t have much but always tried to make sure I had what I needed and perhaps a bit extra.

Never knew my grand-parents, but Sunday tea at my Mums was always salmon sandwiches, toasted fruit buns (with cheese an option) bacon and egg pie, and mandarins in jelly.

my gran brought me up till i was about 5/6 then i went back to her when i was 12, she would make me fritters or crinkle cut chips for tea along with jellied veal sandwiches, mince pie was a favourite as she made it in a long tray and cut it into squares, there was always cakes and pancakes and when my uncle came over she made salmon and cucumber sandwiches cut into triangles and served tea with jam and cream scones. she always had crispbread or oatcakes and cracker barrel cheese in the house and it is something i still love.

We used to stay at my nan's during school holidays. The house was always cold and she had lino down in the bedrooms.

We used to run downstairs through the cold to the living room in the morning to sit by the fire and she always did us hot buttered toast - with the butter (proper Butter) thick and melty.

Ive tried but i just cant do it the same!

Here in Wales we call Barm Brack Bara Brith. Lovely with a cup of tea.

I was lucky to know both sets of grandparents well. I was 48 when my maternal grandmother passed. My favourite tea with either grandmas was a piece of cake and strong tea which I made. Just sitting in peace together, looking into the fire (a real one) was a perfect afternoon.

Ginny was your gm Welsh? That's the way my dh mother always cut her bread.

When I was at infants school my parents had a restaurant in a seaside town which kept them very busy. On a Friday teatime I would catch a bus to my maternal grandmothers (having to change buses halfway). I would get off finally a few blocks from my grandma's house and run all the way there, The meal I remember most was our Sunday lunch. My grandmother had only a coal fired range for an oven.. She used to roast a joint, beef, lamb/mutton or pork plus a huge yorkshire pudding and sometimes a rice pudding. The rice pudding always had a baked almost crispy skin on the top and was creamy and delicious.+ Sometimes we had yorkshire pudding with the main meal then afterwards as a dessert with golden syrup or jam on it. They were absolutely delicious meals, cooked to perfection with minimum facilities and I never forget them.

My maternal grandmother lived in the same Victorian home a separate self contained apartment. She often made tea for us. Nothing tasted as good as her hot egg and tomatoe sandwiches washed down with copious amounts of tea. I have tried for years to replicate her sandwiches but I never get it right, they were extremely hot and mine are Luke warm at best when I make them. She also made Victoria sponge also the best I have ever tasted. Oh to be able to tell her now how I felt about her teas.

My maternal grandmother pulled out all the stops for Sunday tea - the table would always be groaning under the weight. It was always served on the best china and there would be tongue, egg and tinned salmon rolls (my favourite) with sausages that we had individual sticks for plus crisps. Next, there would always be a trifle for the adults and a jelly or blancmange for the children. On rare occasions, there would be arctic roll, which we never had at home. This, believe it or not, was followed by the choice of several different cakes, many homemade, but often bought Battenberg would be included, and chocolate biscuits.
My paternal grandmother could bake beautiful cakes but I remember her savoury food best - Lancashire Hotpot being my favourite. However, I have never tasted better apple pies than she made.

My great - grannie always had a huge pan of 'Scouse' cooking at the weekend so we'd sit in front of the fire and have that, it was wonderful.
She'd also have a glass of Guiness every day and swore that it was for her health, when we took the dishes out she'd hold out the glass for me to have a sip and whisper 'shhh don't tell anyone!'

My paternal grandmother lived near the sea and I went every day until I was eleven . For tea, we had pickled herrings, skate, potted shrimp, mackerel, and pea soup with a piece of gammon cooked in it.
My paternal gran lived in the country and we visited every Sunday with other aunts and cousins. We had a salad with home-cooked ham and boiled eggs. homemade bread, jam and really rich butter from the local farm and the forbidden-bought Battenberg cake. We sat and listened to granddad's tales about WW1 and where he had visited, the pyramids Iraq. Then a very special ice cream van came and we all had ice cream in an oyster wafer shell.
Where I grew up we did not say grandma and grandfather but called them mother and father and added the name of their village at the end. Some even called them Mud and fad but I wasn't allowed. Happy nostalgic memories.

Grandmadinosaur that sounds just like Sunday tea at my great aunt's. When I was young age used to let me help her get the tea ready and I remember we used to slice a swiss roll, put one or two drops of sherry on each slice, then a pineapple ring. The hole in the pineapple ring would then be filled with cream and topped with a glace cherry. Delicious!

My maternal grandma we used to visit for tea on Sunday, we used to have tinned salmon with salad, brown bread with real butter and followed by jelly and cream or carnation milk. From age 11 I used to go for lunch every day as she lived near the school I went to, every Wednesday she would bake so there'd be meat and onion pie followed by apple or apple and blackberry pie. We lived round the corner from my paternal grandparents and as I had an aunt just two weeks younger than me I was at their house plenty playing so often stayed for tea.

I got tea and biscuits but only ate there perhaps twice? Always anniversary parties. Wasn't invited otherwise, nor were my children.

At my paternal grandparents we always had cockles and winkles with bread and butter, followed by fruit cake. My maternal grandmother used buy eels and jelly them.

Sunday tea at nan's house, ham salad, i.e a couple of lettuce leaves, tomato and cucmber, potatoes and salad cream with bread and butter. Then tinned fruit and evaporated milk for 'afters'. lovely

We never went to either sets of grandparents for afternoon tea as they didn't live near enough; we went to stay with them for holidays but the meals weren't special occasions as we were staying with them just normal meals.

I remember 2 plates of different sandwiches would be brought in (egg/tinned salmon/ham or sometimes just cucumber). We had to clear all the sandwiches off the plates before Grandma would bring in the scones and cakes. Plain home baked scones, already buttered in the kitchen, she served with them with her homemade raspberry jam (no cream, this was Glasgow!)
After the scones, she brought in her forte - a plate of what I think she called English Madelaines, I called them Tower cakes. They were moulded sponge cakes, covered in the raspberry jam, rolled in dessicated coconut and topped with a glace cherry. All washed down with tea for the adults and Irn Bru or Ginger Beer for the littlies. Proper linen napkins and pretty china. Paper doilies involved. And I too, was given the button box to play with while the adult chat took place!

ginny

Maternal g/mother… tinned pink salmon with vinegar. Slabs of cake, usually fruit or Maderia.

Paternal g/mother… very thin slices of bread and butter which she sliced holding the loaf under her arm with jam. She didn’t make blancmange. but made a set dessert using cornflour .

Ginny my grandmother sliced the bread like that too. Perfect thin slices every time.