How To Throw A Themed Tea Party: A BREAKING BAD PARTY

This blog contains a theme of an adult nature - So as not to offend! 

Before you read this "How To" guide, I want you to get into the mood, check out my Spotify account with my very own "Breaking Bad" playlist to get you in the right mindset. 

What is "Breaking Bad" I hear you ask? 

It's a TV series about a Chemistry teacher who is diagnosed with terminal cancer, so he quits his job (in awesome style I might add!) and decides to team up with an unlikely partner in an ex student (a low life who will surprise you as a viewer, without giving away too much!) to cook up Crystal Meth (yep, this isn't my normal afternoon tea ramblings, no apologies provided, I like to get my geek on from time to time!) which will support his family financially once he pops his clogs - That pretty much sums the story line up without spoiling it!

Of course, along the way, he gets into all sorts of japes and bants with drug lords, his family, police and even a local fried chicken restaurant owner. I can't tell you any more than this, you have to get addicted to this like we did to find out more - it's sheer brilliance. 

Yes, I truly get THIS geeky when I plot a themed event, the music has to set the scene... ; ) 

I spent hours on Google looking for food ideas for a "Breaking Bad" themed party for a birthday party a few months ago and it took a lot of very geeky research to realise that there
were so many food ideas, both for a "TV Party" with friends, but also as a tea party, so I was in my element planing & plotting a secret themed party for this evening. 

This was to rival all parties and I don't usually enter into "Themed" parties for family, but this 
was at the time that we were well on our way to finishing our Season 4 Box Set of the hit TV Show "Breaking Bad" - So it seemed right! 

And he LOVED it just as much as I loved plotting it. 

I dreamt this menu up purely for the love of our fave Series --- If you love "Dexter" or "Sons of Anarchy" then you will love this show!... I have my lovely colleagues at the time to thank for getting me into this as it was driving me crazy wondering what on EARTH they were waffling about over my head every Monday morning (It didn't take me long to realise just how fab this series actually is!), yes boys, you know who you are ; ) 

Even Edible (Sweet) Crystal Meth was lovingly made for this unique Party!  Simply made from crushed up Fox's Glacier Mints, using a rolling pin and a zip lock bag and a teaspoon of liquid blue food dye... no pansying about making coloured sugar blocks, it's very simple ... and minty fresh too hehe. It looked just as good as some other homemade *Edible* Crystal Meth that I had found recipes for online, so British readers, take note ; )  

So. 

How to throw a Breaking Bad themed tea party. 

These are simply my thoughts on how to do this... but make it work for you and more importantly, have fun with it! 

Once you have your music on, guests are invited and you have a stress on to get creative, start with the basics. 

What food can you bring from the show to your table? 

My first brain wave was "Heisenburgers"...

Minced Steak, mixed with salt, pepper and made into tennis ball shaped burgers, cooked on 
the Lean, Mean Grill to drain the fat. I served these with seeded rolls and a stake through the burger with a "Heisenburg" cartoon sign on them for comical effect. 
They were easy and great fun on the table!

Los Pollos Hermanos Fried Chicken...

I made my fave Chicken Goujon recipe, served with ketchup as well as making up a sweet chilli dip with mayo & sweet chilli sauce, placing the dip in cute little baby food containers to bring in the "baby" element of the show to my table. 
I labelled up my chicken bags with the "Los Pollos Hermanos" logo and just dreamt that Gus himself was there serving us, a girl can dream!

I also had Cheesy Puffs (couldn't get Cheetos in my local supermarket!) on the table for nibbles, in honour of Jesse's fave snack!
Without being in the US, I also couldn't get hold of Funyons, so these were the next best treat! I guess the next best thing would be normal Onion Rings in the UK... 

As well as cooking up my own edible Crystal Meth, which I placed in little pyrex beakers as an ode to Walt and his crazy lab, I surrounded it with "Breaking Bad" style paraphernalia such as yellow gloves, Hector's bell and a pink teddy bear. I tried to blowtorch the bear to get the desired effect (again, watch the series ; p ) but it didn't work this time! 

I told you... unless you have watched this show, none of this will make much sense!
Although I hope you enjoy this all the same hehe. 

In fact, I love this website where you ring Hector's Bell virtually 
- Even more geeky than me! Give it a go... 

Drinks were various coloured vodka shots, poured into test tubes for my lab-esque table. 
No "Breaking Bad" party is complete without a bevvie or two, so we toasted the birthday celebrations in true BB style. 
(You could even use this as a fun BB drinking game, should the mood take you!) 

If hosting your own "Breaking Bad" themed party, why not ask your guests to dress up in their fave get up, be it Walt, Jesse, Walt Junior, Skyler, Hank, Gus, Marie, Saul, Mike or any of the other awesome characters, you will be sure to chuckle amongst yourself if 
you go the whole hog - boiler suit an' all! 
This would be about one of the only parties that you could tip up in a pair of white pants, a scruffy shirt and a fake pistol in hand... It's perfectly acceptable here ; ) 

Ricin Lights...

As decoration for this table, there needed to be a few odes to this series, one of which was a pack of faux smokes with a picture of walt and a nod to Ricin. 

Yep, I did warn you there were some dark and adult themes to this blog post... I promise no smoker was harmed in the enjoyment of these treats ; ) 

- they were simply fake candy smokes from the sweet aisle in Morrisons... I didn't have time to make up some fake ciggies, but a russian roulette game would be fab here 

( NB - make the one off a chilli chocolate filling, not a toxic one, please note!) 

I'd also added my vintage till to the table, as a nod to the superb resignation scene in the car wash... I couldn't resist! 

The Fly...

I couldn't resist adding the fly to the table. Walt becomes obsessed with one in an episode during season 3 and I won't ruin it for you, but I had to make a cake with flies adorning it, as no party is fit for purpose without cake... naturally. 
I made a vanilla & caramel layer cake with sugar paste flies to sit on the buttercream swirls on the very top of the cake, it got the right geeky laughs, so it worked well, hurrah. 
This, washed down with a cup of strong coffee after our meal was the perfect way to end the party, snoozing around the table as we did - the old timers that we are!

The sunset over Cambridge on this evening was also one to rival any sunset seen in the Mexican Desert!... It couldn't have made for a more perfect setting for the event, it's rare to see a sight so beautiful in this region, so what a treat in itself.       

Other Suggestions...

I had originally wanted to host this as a *Civilised* afternoon tea, however it didn't work time wise on this occasion. 

If I were to do this again in the future, I would include Jam and peanut butter sandwich, crusts off - It wouldn't be an afternoon tea without them!

Perhaps even a pancake stack for breakfast, Walt Junior wouldn't have a birthday treat any other way! 

Or how about purple cupcakes as a tip of the hat to Marie, the purple-loving, tiara stealing sister in law - she's my fave BB woman! 

  
I also love the fact that Aaron Paul (Jesse) and Bryan Cranston (Walt) are notorious for going a bit crazy when it comes to the wrap parties at the end of filming each series... they have been known as dressing up as each other, as well as other characters, such as Skyler and Jane (their better halves throughout the series) on one occasion - I just love this and can imagine people throwing their own parties and going just as weird in their dress sense - if you do, send me pictures haha, would love to see them!

Are you a big fan of "Breaking Bad" too? 

- Do share your own BB party ideas in a comment below!

Miss Sue Flay

PS - You can see my full Facebook Photo Album for this event here. 


If you enjoyed this how to guide, why not take a look at my other party ideas?: 

How to host a "Tarantino" inspired tea party - Click here. 

How to host a "Jubilee" themed tea party - Click here. 

How to make the perfect cucumber sandwich - Click here. 

How to make the perfect egg mayo & cress sandwich - Click here. 

The not so glamourous side of being an Afternoon Tea Hostess - Click here. 

How To Dine Like "Downton"

Have you ever wondered how to eat your food correctly at a British dinner table, how Lord & Lady Grantham might have dressed for their guests at a formal dinner at Downton Abbey, or even why Lady Mary would have worn a tiara to dine, but poor old Lady Edith wouldn't yet have done so?

Well, our table of 22 guests at our "Dine Like Downton" event this weekend had all of these quandaries answered, plus many more besides. 

Co-hosting this event with me was the gorgeous etiquette expert, Mr William Hanson who acted out the role of our very own Lord Grantham to my Lady Grantham for the evening. We treated our guests to an evening of great food, fine wine and entertainment in the form of a traditional (and at moments, an ever so slightly tongue in cheek) lesson in traditional British etiquette around the formal dining table. 

We even had our very own "Mr Carson" serving us throughout the evening, 

a Butler to do us proud. 

After our last event together last September, we got talking about our passions and William told me about his blog rants on The Huffington Post on the etiquette faux pas in the hit TV series "Downton Abbey"... of course, my mind went overtime and conjured up an idea...

This event gave me a chance to air my best pearls (earrings and necklace darlings!) and my gorgeous "Johnny Loves Rosie" headband, worn around my fringe curls, for a little Downton glamour, whilst William got to wear his Midnight Blue Dinner Suit and bow tie for the first time. I'm not entirely sure who was most excited or even who took the longest to get ready for the occasion... Hehe. 

We hosted this event as part of Cambridge's very first food festival titled "Eat Cambridge" as one of their "Fringe" Events at the Hotel Du Vin on Trumpington Road. The staff for the evening were superb, from helping to setup the table and the main rooms we had booked through to making suggestions and talking through our ideas to help us make this the night it deserved to be, it was a real team effort in this sense, so can't thank them enough for their support and helping to make my idea a reality from the start. 

William sat with me and showed me how to fold the napkins (which had been starched prior to our arrival) into different shapes, settling on a simple square fold to place at each setting. With water and wine glasses to the right of each setting, this would allow the staff to serve and clear from the right of our guests, as they would have done so at Downton. 

A simple flower arrangement adorned the table, candelabras sat at each end of the table to help set the scene and tea lights twinkled in the adjoining library ready to welcome everybody. 

What I loved most about setting up for this event was that William and I got to natter and put the rudeness of our world to rights, we had some serious conversations about modern manners, mixed with some celebrity gossip and he even feels comfortable enough in my company to have me adjust his braces for him in the middle of the dining room, much to my amusement - Which made for some amusing behind the scenes photos too!

I just adore working with him on our events and I'm glad there will be more to come...!

We had arranged for 3 members of staff to be in the library with us for a 7.30pm start, one to take coats, one to hold the sherry tray and one to pour the non alcoholic options for our guests should they prefer. It's rather amusing that our guests were keen to get to us, not following our advice to be there fashionably late by ten minutes (which is the done thing to do for a formal engagement) ... They actually were all in the library sipping on their sherry, enjoying our background music (with tracks fitting to the 1920's era we were celebrating) and mingling by 7.30pm which amused and calmed us equally. 

The table plan had been a tricky element to put together, as we had so many couples coming along, however William had advised me prior to the day that long term or married couples would have been separated at the table, to give them a rest from one another. Well, I loved this little detail and emailed my guests to check that they would be ok with this... Needless to say, there wasn't a single no! 

So guests were split and sat mostly with an unfamiliar face to either side of them, which helped conversation from the start, everybody made a huge effort to get to know one another and so much excitement had built that by the time they sat down, they were nattering away without a care in the world - perfect!

Part of the etiquette lesson at "Dine Like Downton" had been how to converse with the guests to both the left and to the right of you, it was great fun, as we do this for our Afternoon Tea Etiquette lessons. It also helps to make sure that guests who came alone weren't left to feel out of place, it works perfectly for this reason too.

As the food and wine flowed, William regaled stories of international, as well as British and even Royal etiquette and Downton geekiness, which of course often took over (he can quote scenes from particular episodes of a particular series...impressive!) throughout the evening. 

We were taught everything to become the politest dinner guest, covering challenges such as how to hold and place your cutlery when still eating, through to how to place it once finished eating, how to hold your drinking glass, what you would and wouldn't have spoken about with your fellow guests as you enjoyed your evening and how to place your napkin when leaving the table. 

William does seem to be in his element when teaching all things Downton and with the amusing questions and comments from our guests throughout the evening, we ended up discussing topics such as why the common dinner knife is now flat and rounded, not sharp and pointed (we can thank our French diners for this fact, we learnt) and we even raised a toast, not just The Queen, but also to John Lewis. 

Yes, the great British institution that is John Lewis, of which we had two employees of this high street department store at our table. They were fabulous guests and after a rant about their very modern and almost "American" queries about what his plans were for the rest of his day whilst paying for an item, William had smiled as he ranted about this new service in shops. 

As his apology for such comments, he asked us all to raise a cheeky toast to this fabulously British store, as we all chuckled and did so. 

To read the full list of topics we covered, you will find them visiting my last blog post here, I won't repeat them. 

We managed to get through them all and then a few more besides which I think educated our guests as much as they entertained. Even I was a little concerned that I wasn't taking my vegetables from the platter served to me correctly, so Williams assurance made it a little easier for everyone. We even had a guest there who had been serving and waiting her entire working life and she was here to allow the tables to turn on her for a change, what an honour to help provide this experience and pamper her for a treat. 

Two other guests had been booked onto the experience by their son as a joint birthday gift to them both and they had also been booked to stay the night in a suite at the hotel, what lovely company they were too. They even joined me the next morning for another event I was taking part in (for my very first published recipe in a book launch at Waterstones), they were a pleasure to meet, truly. 

We also had an etiquette expert from the Netherlands joining us, he had flown all the way to us for this evening which was equally as exciting and we enjoyed meeting his special guest, who was in fact a Baroness. I was very nervous about meeting them both to start with, but my nerves left as soon as they had arrived, they were lovely and great fun with their own stories and tips throughout he evening. 

The food was amazing, with the etiquette lesson being equally so. William is what I like to think of as a well spoken “Ross Noble” - He likes to go off on tangents, much to our amusement and he never did come back to us on how one would eat Asparagus (with your fingers, hollandaise sauce on the side of which you would dip, just so you know ; ) and we also learnt that you would NEVER shovel your peas with a fork (should your host be as terrible as to serve such a thing with your meal!) but to spike each one onto your fork, perhaps sticking to some sauce or gravy if you could get away with it. 

We should have finished the evening with a game of charades in the library with our coffee (the gents would have changed into their smoking jackets and taken to a different room at this point), however everybody was so busy talking and laughing that we didn’t want to interrupt them, so William touched on it with his final words instead and I think guests may have been a little relieved not to have to embarrass themselves in this very British game! 

 Carriages at 11pm meant that guests could leave, following our lesson in the art of outstaying your welcome at Downton, highly amusing, but very interesting to know how to do this for future dinner parties nonetheless.

 Needless to say, we will be planning to do more of these events in the not so distant future, so watch this space. 

Or why not contact us, should you require your very own private “Downton”esque etiquette experience, we would be thrilled to be able to help you put together a memorable event for your very own celebrations, acting as your Lord & Lady with your guests as our guests of honour for ANY ocassion or just because you fancy some educational fun with your friends, family or colleagues - It's an evening to remember. 

And don’t forget, we have our “Etiquette of Afternoon Tea” event on Saturday 6th April, which follows a similar tone, however, we provide you with an afternoon filled with gorgeous Afternoon Tea treats and a relaxed day time table for this event, with open conversation and recipe swaps and ideas, it’s a tremendous amount of fun, so why not book yourself or a loved one as an Easter treat?...

Simply Book Here. 

Miss Sue Flay

PS - See our full photo albums for this event through my Facebook page, of which you can follow my pursuits through on a day by day basis, just hit the *Like* button!

For the behind the scenes snaps - Click Here

And for the photos from the full event - Click Here

And one last thank you to Liz and Rob at Duke House B&B in Cambridge for their fantastic hospitality and a well earned rest the next day, it's worth the money, amazing accommodation and friendly service!

I'm Off To "Dine Like Downton"...

I am off to spend my Friday afternoon playing Lady Grantham with my fabulous co-host, William Hanson. 

Together, we are going to spend the afternoon geeking out about Downton Abbey, folding starched napkins, laying the table and lighting the candelabras in readiness for our table of 22 guests this evening for a 5 course event. 

Our guests will learn everything from how to dress for dinner and navigate around the British place setting, including using different cutlery, glassware & linens as well as how to conduct polite table talk as you dine. 

William will also be on hand to coach our table through how to deal with tricky foods and even what to do when Mrs Patmore ruins the dinner...

Guests will be joining us from all ends of the country and beyond and we can't thank them all enough for their support in advance. 

We look forward to filling you in on the fun and games (and oh, there will be games ; ) 

 later in the week, once the indigestion has passed. 

Until then, we leave you with some Downton Abbey-themed entertainment to kick start your weekend!

Read all about "Dine Like Downton" with Miss Sue Flay & William Hanson. 

This event is part of a week of *Fringe* events for local food festival, Eat Cambridge. 

Check out William's blog on the Huffington Post with Downton Abbey Etiquette Faux Pas!

Why not book yourself a ticket for our very next Afternoon Tea Etiquette Event on 6th April?

And to leave you with a smile, watch this video of Downton doing One Direction ; ) 

(Thank you Marie-Anne hehe!) 

Have a fabulous weekend and if you are joining us for Downton this evening, 

we very much look forward to seeing you there. 

Miss Sue Flay 

x 

Tea Guest: Charitea Begins At Home

Introducing a Guest post from a friend of mine, the lovely Marie Heyes, Director of  The Redbush Tea Co. 

The Redbush Tea Co has been around for 15 years or so and are the only tea company in the UK that sells purely rooibos teas. 

Rooi… what? I hear you say. Rooibos, (pronounced roy-boss), or literally red bush in Afrikaans. This tea has been offered at Miss Sue Flay's events for the last couple of years now and has been enjoyed by many guests not wanting a caffeinated beverage with their cake. Marie talks to you a little more about rooibos tea and her passions on the subject. 

Over to Marie... 

Rooibos has been around for centuries. It is one of the few plants in South Africa that has made the jump from being a native or indigenous plant to being commercially cultivated. Something that happened in the 17th and 18th Centuries when visiting botanists noticed that the locals were making a tea from the plant. Dutch settlers who found importing black tea too expensive later commercially grew it. Historically the San or Bushmen used the plants as an herbal medicine; it really has been around for ages.

But back to the tea for now, there are two main kinds of rooibos tea, the regular one, which like black teas, is fermented giving the distinctive smoky red colour that most people identify with the tea. The other is green rooibos, which is unoxidised, but in reality has a more demanding production process, much the same as for other green teas. It needs to be cut more carefully as bruising can start the oxidization process involved in the red variant and will alter both the finished colour and flavour of the finished product. It makes it more expensive than traditional rooibos. It carries a malty and slightly grassy flavour somewhat different from its red counterpart. Both have an amazing raft of health giving properties, (more on this later). It really is an all round delicious brew.

Since it’s first discovery it has gone from strength to strength (if you’ll pardon the cheeky brewing analogy) and is now not only one of southern Africa’s most popular drinks but also one of the fastest growing herbal teas in the UK. 

These are some of more amazing things about Redbush:


* Naturally caffeine free
* Low in tannin
* Rich in antioxidants
* Contains 9 trace minerals
* Helps soothe benign skin conditions such as eczema and dermatitis. Babies in South Africa are often bathed in Redbush Tea.
* Calms the digestive tract – good for IBS
* Free from all artificial colouring, preservatives or additives.
* A cup of Redbush Tea is just that.

My personal favourite has always been Redbush Original, I guess because you can always add a slosh of something else to it, a slice of orange or lemon, a tot of rum when I have a cold, with a spoonful of honey. It just offers me everything I want in a cup of tea. Also as Redbush is so incredibly low in tannin compared to black tea (tannin can stop you from absorbing iron and 
some proteins so it is not all that great), it can be reheated or even chilled without a lingering bitter aftertaste. In the summer, I often mix 2 parts Redbush with one of juice, Pimms, ice and a slice for a stunning cocktail or iced tea.

But on a cold winters night, like the ones we are currently experiencing, you can’t beat a still warm from the oven slice of fruit and nut tea bread. And yes, you’ve guessed it; I soak the dried fruit in a teacup of Redbush before baking. taps side of nose, keeps it extra moist you know. If you fancy something more authentic and South African then why not try what they call a rusk, which is very similar to the Italian biscotti, only they dunk it first to soften it a little before eating. It’s a bit of an English dunker you might say, but with a South African edge.

But what sets us apart from the ever-expanding tea aisles in your local supermarket? Well it’s easy – we have the UK rights to a grade blended from the top 10% of the rooibos crop. You won’t find the same grade in any other box in the UK. That makes ours one of, if not the best one available.

Perhaps as important is our ethical stance, aside from the fact that we used recycled card in our boxes and chlorine free bag paper we also donate a percentage of our profits to support the indigenous peoples of the Kalahari – the Bushmen. The reason why I chose them is because historically they used Redbush as a medicine – we owe them a huge debt, not only for this but we are also through DNA descended from them.

Last year we were incredibly proud to be awarded the British BITC (Business in the Community) International Award, for our charity work. So every time you buy a box of our tea and sit down at home sharing a cup of this wonderful African brew you are helping us to provide the Bushmen with safe clean water, education and literacy projects. Towards the end of last year I had a panicked call from Botswana, to say that because the rains had come late the elephants were thirsty and had destroyed a borehole in their attempts to get a drink. We were able to send funds immediately to repair the well and importantly build a rock wall to keep elephants out. Protecting a vital water source for an entire village. 

We can’t do this without your help.


So you see, charitea does begin at home.

Redbush is sold in all leading supermarket chains.

To find out more our teas go to www.redbushtea.com

If you would like to try a cup of Redbush on us www.redbushtea/sample

To see our award winning work with the Bushmen http://youtu.be/ArjFwGhfgV4

NB - This is not an advertisement or paid blog post, it's purely support and love for fellow bloggers and business people that I allow them to post a "Guest Blog" post onto The Secluded Tea Party Blog. I love the diversity it brings and allows my lovely friends and followers to see and meet other passionate people who have the same love of tea, cake, blogging and business that I do. 

Should you wish to submit a blog post, so long as it's fitting, I would be delighted to chat, just email 

Miss Sue Flay at cake@secludedteaparty.com for a natter. 

Please note, no sales-like emails will be tolerated or replied to, only interested & engaging parties welcome.Many thanks - Miss Sue Flay.