Royal Albert and Their New Country Roses

Royal Albert: A fine afternoon tea tradition. 

Perhaps most known for their pattern, Old Country Roses, a pattern launched in 1962 based on an older pattern, King's Ransom, Royal Albert has actually been around since 1896. Nowadays they fall under the larger company Royal Doulton which in turn is owned by WWRD (Waterford Crystal, Wedgewood, Royal Doulton).

Royal Albert prides themselves on being "dedicated to English grace, elegance, and romance since Victorian times," and thus, loves to emphasize floral motifs in their patterns, namely roses, England's national flower.

Recently, Royal Albert launched their New Country Roses pattern collection which actually encompass five different patterns: New Country Roses White, New Country Roses Pink, New Country Roses Polka Rose, New Country Roses Polka Blue, and New Country Roses Rose Confetti. All five patterns are refreshingly modern and playful, yet all hold true to the elegant tradition and form of Royal Albert. They are made up in pastel colors such as light sky blue, light minty green, pale pink and all have a similarly colored dark fuchsia pink rose motif throughout. Also, as is Royal Albert's tradition, they are all intricately rimmed in gold. While each of these sets look absolutely beautiful on their own, they are also very well suited to be mixed and matched together in anyway of your choosing.

Royal Albert New Country Roses White (photo via The Bowl Company)

Royal Albert New Country Roses White (photo via The Bowl Company)

Royal Albert New Country Roses Pink (photo via The Bowl Company)

Royal Albert New Country Roses Pink (photo via The Bowl Company)

Royal Albert New Country Roses Polka Rose (photo via The Bowl Company)

Royal Albert New Country Roses Polka Rose (photo via The Bowl Company)

Royal Albert New Country Roses Polka Blue (photo via The Bowl Company)

Royal Albert New Country Roses Polka Blue (photo via The Bowl Company)

Royal Albert New Country Roses Confetti Rose (photo via The Bowl Company)

Royal Albert New Country Roses Confetti Rose (photo via The Bowl Company)

I love every single one of these patterns. The Royal Albert New Country Roses White is just so classic and versitle while I love the Royal Albert New Country Roses Pink for the seeming contrast between the sweet pale pink of the body and the vibrant fuchsia of the roses. I think perhaps the Polka sets are my favorites though.

I love the playfulness of the polka dots: so sweet and so traditional, yet also so unexpected in a tea set! It seems that polka dots were very favorable on tea sets in the 1940's and 1950's yet it doesn't look like there's been many tea set with polka dots since. I am so glad that Royal Albert is now offering tea sets with polka dots as it appears they were doing back in the 1940's and 1950's! Out of the two polka dot sets, perhaps the Royal Albert New Country Roses Polka Rose is my favorite.

I love the light minty green color of this set as well as the small white polka dots showering the outside of the set. Four evenly spaced little roses garnish the lid of the teapot as well as the inside of the tea cup walls while one additional rose also adds a finishing tough to the inside bottom of the tea cups. It seems to me the quintessential of country charm and it has such an authentic vintage 1930's and 1940's feel. Though in my eyes Royal Albert New Country Roses Polka Rose is closely followed by Royal Albert New Country Roses Polka Blue!

What I love about the Polka Blue set is its youthful vibrancy. With this set the polka dots are combined with large roses tastefully placed throughout the pattern. While it has a very modern feel to it, it is also very reminiscent of the 1950's: clean-cut, darling, mannered, and manicured.

Last but most definitely not least is the Royal Albert New Country Roses Confetti Rose. This set features small roses throughout the pattern interwoven with small black outlined vines and leaves in a traditional chintz style. What I love most about this pattern is the cups and saucers which, contrasting with the tea set, has the rose chintz pattern on the inside of the cup with a fine solid pale pink color as the main body. This set exudes class and elegance.

And here are some pictures of these patterns mixed and matched:

Royal Albert New Country Roses 3 Tier Cake Stand featuring NCR Pink, NCR Confetti Rose, and NCR White (photo via The Bowl Company)

Royal Albert Giftware Napkin Rings featuring NCR Confetti Rose, NCR Polka Rose, NCR White, and NCR Polka Blue (photo via The Bowl Company)

Royal Albert Teaware Set of 4 Mugs featuring NCR Polka Blue, NCR Polka Rose, NCR, Rose Confetti, and NCR Pink (photo via The Bowl Company)

And for those interested in this pattern but who don't desire a full tea set, there are also tea for ones available.

Royal Albert New Country Roses Polka Rose Tea For One (photo via the Bowl Company)

In actuality, there are all sorts of things available in these patterns from dinnerware, trays, tablecloths, kitchen towels, tea strainers, tea holders, candles... the list goes on. Looks like Royal Albert knows a good thing when they see it. :)

And here is the Royal Albert Polka Blue set and Polka Rose set in action. I just newly acquired the Royal Albert Polka Blue set from The Bowl Company and I love it every bit as much as I thought I would and more! The pictures truly do not do these sets justice!

Royal Albert New Country Roses Polka Blue Tea Set with Sandwich Tray

Royal Albert New Country Roses Polka Blue with Royal Albert New Country Roses Polka Rose

Royal Albert New Country Roses Polka Blue with Royal Albert New Country Roses Polka Rose

A fine day for a tea

Saturday, January 25th, sun is out. It's an unusually hot day in January in Northern California... 71 degrees! Clear blue skies. It's a fine day for a tea and I'm glad my friends and I have reservations just for that! 

This month Lisa's Tea Treasures in Campbell is having a special Downton Abbey tea to celebrate the new season and return of the show. I figured it would be a great time to check out this tea location. I've been to the Lisa's in San Jose, and the one in Menlo Park before they moved but not to this one in Campbell. Lisa's in Campbell is in the posh biggest little shopping center, the Prueyard which in a way was a treat in itself to go to. 

Upon entering Lisa's we were immediately surrounded by beautiful colorful tea wares and tea accessories galore, giving a taste of the extravagance that awaited us. We had reservations for 11am, right when they open which is when I like it best. They sat us right away. We were the first ones to enter the room we were seated in. It was a lovely little room with 4 tables well spaced out with fun feminine floral wallpaper and lace curtains. The room was very bright and cheerful because of all the windows yet it felt a world away from the parking lot which was just outside. We were seated at the table just next to the window which was bright yet very private because of the lovely lace curtains. The table was already set up beautifully right when we came in with ginger cookies in the cookie jar, lemon curd at the table, and Royal Albert New Country Roses Rose Confetti china already awaiting us. When a tea place serves you with Royal Albert china you know you will be in for a treat! My friend and I both ordered the Downton Abbey tea while our other friend opted for something on their regular menu. The Downton Abbey tea was absolutely delicious and just as pretty as it was tasty. I was so impressed with both the taste and the appearance. I've been to a lot of teas but this one was definitely special in that it was one of the most beautifully presented, well thought out, and creatively paired creations.   

The first course was a warm baked current scone baked to perfection. Wonderfully crunchy on the outside and soft and moist on the inside, it was so full of flavor it was almost a shame to put Devonshire cream, preserves and lemon curd on it... almost but not quite! hehe. This was also served with blackberry and brie salad on a bed of mixed greens artistically drizzled with blackberry jasmine vinaigrette. It was almost too beautiful to eat! For the second course, there was an artichoke chicken florentine soup which was delicious, as well as smoked salmon tea sandwiches, chicken and mint tea sandwiches, and the very unexpected pairing of pear and herbed cream cheese tea sandwiches. Once again the items were presented like works of art and their beauty was on par with their taste. For the last course, there was sticky toffee pudding which was absolutely heaven on a plate. It was served with whipped cream and pairing the warm sticky toffee pudding with the buttery sweet pecan toffee sauce with the whipped cream... it was a taste that was like sugary creamy goodness that melted in your mouth! Sooooo good.

I was very impressed with Lisa's in Campbell. From their friendly, patient wait staff clothed in period costume of black maids outfits with lace aprons, the beautifully presented food, tea, and tea wares, to the rich feminine environment which helped usher in the mood of dainty ladyiness, attention to detail was everywhere! Also, the tea was very relaxing, a great place to sit and unhurridly chat with friends and sip tea while nibbling on treats. While their website says reservations are for two hours we were never rushed even after we stayed past the two hour limit. So far this is my favorite Lisa's Tea Treasures. I will be returning again! 

One of three rooms at Lisa's Tea Treasures in Campbell

Attention to detail is everywhere

My Lady's Respite earl grey floral blend tea in Royal Albert New Country Roses Rose Confetti tea cup and saucer

So happy to be enjoying my tea

 

A lovely tea with lovely friends Betty and Wendy

 And yet, the day did not stop there! 

While Wendy and I parted ways with Betty for the day, on the way back to Hayward we stopped at the super ritzy and glam shopping center, Santana Row. I love it there! We went to Anthropologie <3 and my new favorite store in Santana Row, Jest Jewels where I picked up a new fascinator I couldn't help but leave the store wearing. Jest Jewels has the biggest selection of the most awesome and most beautiful hats, facinators, hair clips and hair flowers I've ever seen under one roof! The girls in that store are always so friendly and bubbly, an inquisitive, attentive, and lovely bunch of gals! If you're ever in Santana Row this is a not to be missed stop for sure! <3

lol... like two little old ladies out for a day on the town! <3

 

 And yet, still the day does not end there!

 Before the end of the day was through, we were presented with the opportunity to go to Jack London Square to see comedian Pauly Shore at Yoshi's a venue for live shows well know for jazz as well as a Japanese restaurant and bar. Tim and I had been looking forward to seeing him that night but by chance the friends we were planning on going with couldn't make it so we had an extra ticket. The show was awesome! Pauly Shore was awesome. The comedians opening for him were awesome. And the food was awesome. Also... wouldn't you know it, the tea day continued into the night! Burnt Orange, please! Amaretto, hot earl grey tea, orange slice and whipped cream... tasted a little like a hot toddy.

And before I end this post for the day, let me introduce you to my lovely dress. 

My outfit of the day is a favorite from one of my favorites, Trashy Diva, the Streetcar dress in brown plaid. I wore this dress with my favorite flats, a basic, plain, but oh so comfortable pair of black flats I bought from the Gap outlet, as well as a purple plum leather Franco Sarto handbag with contrasting pink stitching my sister bought from Nordstrom Rack which I later got from her. 

Though they call the material on this dress brown plaid, it definitely is more of a purple plum color. It's a sleeveless dress which features a fully lined full circle skirt, self-lined bodice, high neckline with a matching bow at the neck as well as a self belt. This dress has a hidden side zipper and even has pockets! This amazing dress can be worn three ways: as worn this day as a 1940's style dress with the bow at the neck, you can wear it without the bow at the neck which will accentuate a low plunge slit at the chest which I feel gives the dress a more 1950's style, or with the the bow tied as a head scarf and the neckline unbuttoned which gives the dress either a 1950s or 1970's style depending on how you look at it. Though to note, I have noticed that it seems the 1970's loved to copy the 1940's as much as the 1980's loved to copy the 1950's, so maybe the open collar look is a 1940's look? This is definitely one of my favorite dresses. I love the color as well as the easy wearing feeling of the dress. Also, I love it's versatility in being able to wear it different ways.

 

Trashy Diva Streetcar dress in brown plaid- whoops forgot the belt!

back view of Trashy Diva Streetcar dress

right view of Trashy Diva Streetcar dress

bow detail of Trashy Diva Streetcar dress

Trashy Diva Streetcar dress with bow as headscarf and open at collar

Headscarf detail Trashy Diva Streetcar dress

C.C. Cookie wants to pose too!