Allen and Grace to host Tea Party
THE unlikley duo of chef Rachel Allen and comedian Brendan Grace are teaming up to re-create the more famous tea party in Irish history, at the Kennedy Tea Party on Thursday, September 6.
Rhubarb tart may not be on the menu of delectable treats being served up during the annual Kennedy Summer School event, but plenty of bellylaughs are promised.
Guests will be treated to an array of sweet delights made by the experts at Ballymaloe including butterfly buns, miniature meringues with strawberries and cream, gingerbread, sweet white scones with raspberry jam and cream, lemon drizzle cake, salted cameral cupcakes and of course a traditional fruit cake, which is what President John F Kennedy, along with his sisters Eunice Shriver and Jean Kennedy-Smith, were served by his cousin Mary Ryan during his visit in 1963.
During his visit, the President cut a slice of the cake, which he ended up giving to Mary Ryan, his second cousin once-removed. He thanked her and her friends for doing all of the cooking and offers a toast, ‘a cup of tea to all the Kennedys who went and all the Kennedys who stayed’.
At the 2018 Tea Party Allen will be on hand to discuss the sweet delights on offer to guests and the top tips for hosting a tea party. Comedian and entertainer Brendan Grace will be providing his trademark entertainment during the afternoon.
Commenting on the upcoming tea party, Allen said: ‘I’m delighted to host the Kennedy Summer School Tea Party this year. It was such an iconic occasion and a real tangible piece of Ireland’s social and hospitality history; welcoming family home into the kitchen regardless of their status for tea and cake is something that will always be synonymous with a warm Irish welcome. We look forward to welcoming lots of guests to the 2018 Kennedy Tea Party to sample many delicious sweet treats and to enjoy our hospitality.’
Tea party tickets are now available at €15 tickets see kennedysummerschool.ie or call St. Michael’s Theatre on 051 421255.
The annual Kennedy Summer School is set to host a number of expert discussions and is billed as ‘A Festival of Irish and American, History, Politics and Culture’.