Honey Bees, Beehive Kettles, a Recipe and (whisper it) Christmas!!!
Honey Bees.
Honey Bees are an important piece of the environmental jigsaw as they pollinate flowers and crops as well as provide honey for human consumption. A Honey Bee is responsible for pollinating around 10% of the UK’s pollination crops – which translates to pollinating approximately £69m worth of crops per year…for free! Not only do they (and other pollinators) provide such a fantastic free service, an average UK beehive produces 35 – 40lbs of honey per year which equates to approximately 17kgs.
Unfortunately, there is a very real concern about the declining numbers of these wonderful creatures due to habitat loss, pesticides, disease and climate change. Thankfully, governments are looking to redress the problem with long term strategies and plans. How can we help? In terms of encouraging pollinators, plant more flowers, increase space for wildflowers and, for honey bees especially, buy more honey! The fact that there are nearly double the amount of beekeepers managing somewhere around 63% more colonies now than in 2008 is encouraging and this trend needs to continue.
Beehive Kettles.
Many of these colonies live in the type of beehives known as skeps that are the inspiration behind our recently introduced Beehive Kettle. Beehive Kettles are available in Copper or Chrome with models suitable for electric or gas stoves. They combine the Edwardian handcrafting techniques that are synonymous to the Richmond Kettle brand with the style and class fit for high tea with the finest of visitors. Made in the heart of England the kettles have a whistle song and high gloss finish that provide a magnificent accessory for any gas or electric stove top.
Recipe:
With honey, tea and kettles in mind, here’s the perfect recipe to use as we rapidly approach autumn and cosy nights by the fire.
Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon of lemon juice;
2 Tablespoons of honey;
1/2 cup or more of hot water;
Optional: add a sliver or two of fresh ginger.
Method:
Put your Richmond Kettle on the stove to boil!
Put honey and lemon juice into a tea cup or mug;
Add a sliver or two of fresh ginger (optional);
Add hot water and stir;
Add more lemon juice, honey or hot water to taste.
Christmas!!!
Sit back, relax and start thinking of your Christmas List as you while away a well-earned break! Did we mention Christmas? Yes, we did as the last thing we want you to do is miss out on ordering any of our range of Richmond Kettles in time for Christmas delivery. Our art is a joy to behold but quality – beautiful handmade Great British quality – takes time to come together and, to avoid disappointment, ordering early will ensure a Merry and Happy Christmas for you and yours!
Don’t forget to keep in touch via our Facebook page for all the latest news about Richmond Kettle Company.
Cream Teas – A Great British Tradition – And Your Chance To Win A Tea Towel!
Summer is here, British schools have just closed for the 6-weeks holidays and the crowds are already flocking to the seaside to relax and enjoy family time together. Two popular counties where you can find many holidaymakers are Devon and Cornwall. Both have beautiful coves, beaches and crystal clear sea water with coasts to both North and South of the counties. Although renowned for surfing and gorgeous sunsets they are both home of a very British tradition – the Cream Tea.
A cream tea is a form of afternoon tea that consists of tea taken with a combination of scones, clotted cream and jam. History suggests that the tradition of eating bread with cream dates back to the eleventh century at Tavistock Abbey in Devon but finding a cream tea as an item on the menu of quaint, local tearooms belongs to the 20th Century. Perhaps the tearooms were inspired by Richmond’s wonderful tea kettles?
In the past, there has been a subtle difference in the type of bread used – Cornwall Cream Teas were served with a type of slightly sweet white bread roll, known as a “Cornish Split” rather than a scone. Nowadays, the consensus has been the scone but the burning question – and one that is often discussed and mused over – is which do you spread first, the jam or the cream? In Devon, locals prefer to split their scone and cover each side with clotted cream and then add the jam on top(a Devonshire Cream Tea). Whereas, in Cornwall, locals prefer to split the scone, spread with jam(usually strawberry) and finally top it all off with a spoonful of clotted cream(Cornish Cream Tea).
Either way, at Richmond Kettle Company, we know that any combination of lovely scones, jam and cream will be better off accompanied by a beautiful pot of freshly brewed tea boiled by a handmade Richmond Copper Kettle!
With this in mind, it’s Competition Time – here’s your chance to win one of our wonderful Richmond Tea Towels via our Facebook page. All you have to do is post a picture with your Richmond Kettle and share the photo to our page. The three we feel best capture the essence of Summer and Richmond Kettles will receive a Richmond Kettle Company Tea Towel before they go on general sale. Competition closes on Friday 10th August, 2018 and a winners will be announced on Wednesday 15th August, 2018.
Top Hats, Tails and Afternoon Tea – it’s Royal Ascot week!
This week sees one of the highlights of the Summer sporting calendar – Royal Ascot. Off the back of what has been a very busy 2 months for the Queen – a Royal Baby, a Royal Wedding and Trooping the Colour – she will be heading down the racecourse at Ascot in a procession of horses and carriages which is a timeless British tradition that dates back over 300 hundred years. Ascot Racecourse was founded by Queen Anne in 1711 and this meeting became officially known as Royal Ascot during the Edwardian period; a romantic golden age of long summer afternoons and garden parties.
The Queen has been present at Royal Ascot for the last 64 years and the last time she missed one of her favourite Summer events was in Coronation Year, 1953! We here at the Richmond Kettle Company think that was one clash of Royal dates that couldn’t be avoided. The Royal Family’s love of horses is so great that they have their own racehorses, trainers and jockeys. The Queen is the owner and breeder of many thoroughbred a number of which have won at Royal Ascot, the last time being Estimate’s Gold Cup victory in 2013.
This most popular of horse racing meetings is also full of fashion as designers of the latest Summer wear get high exposure as the great and the good parade around the grandstands and lawns showing off all kinds of beautiful dresses, hats and shoes. There will also be top hats, tails and, no doubt, plenty of afternoon tea on the Ascot lawns that are so exquisitely mown. The meeting lasts from Tuesday through to Saturday with members of the Royal Family in attendance throughout as well as those who love to wear Great British fashion.
Weddings, Windsor and wishes
First of all, many congratulations to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on the birth of their baby boy, a new addition to the Royal family, to be closely followed by another addition by marriage in less than a month’s time.
Celebration time
The Royal wedding is fast approaching; at the time of writing this there is less than 4 weeks before Prince Harry and Meghan Markle get married at the royal Chapel at Windsor Castle on May 19th.
while most of us will be watching from our sofas the elite few who are in the royal inner circle, will have been made aware of a wedding gift list, whereas the couple have asked for donations to non-profit charities from the rest of the 600 or so invited to the celebrations.
After the ceremony the Bride and Groom will leave Windsor castle for a carriage ride through Windsor while the congregation await the happy couple in St George’s Hall, for the first of two receptions.
The first, more formal afternoon reception for some 600 guests, will be hosted by the Queen. The 180-ft long room, traditionally used for state banquets, seats up to 162 people and was redesigned in a modern Gothic style – with walls lined with suits of armour – following the fire at the castle in 1992.
The second evening reception, for 200 close friends and family, will be thrown at Frogmore House by the Prince of Wales.
Standing about half a mile south of Windsor Castle in Windsor Home Park, Frogmore House has been a Royal Residence since 1792.
We here at Richmond Kettles think that one of our tea kettles would make a wonderful wedding gift, or a copper tea kettle for a copper anniversary- seven years for those that didn’t know, so if there were any ‘itches’ then perhaps they could be discussed with a great tasting cup of tea, made from a Richmond Kettle!
Spring Has Sprung!
At long last, after the Beast From The East has departed – hopefully not to return- we can now look forward to the Spring. With the Spring Equinox passed and the start of British Summer Time last week, we can now look forward to lighter evenings and more outdoor activities. More time to sit in our gardens in the evenings enjoying a refreshing drink or two.
A recipe is listed below to try out.
The equinox marks the moment the Sun crosses the celestial equator, the imaginary line in the sky above the Earth’s equator. This is the time the Northern Hemisphere marks the first day of astronomical spring and the Southern Hemisphere marks the beginning of autumn and the end of summer. The Spring Equinox was observed on March 20 this year, although it can occur as early as March 19 or as late as March 21.
The clocks in the UK adjust twice a year, and the last weekend in March is when they ‘Spring Forward’ to allow lighter evenings. As we are all aware in the UK this happened last weekend, so we were deprived of an hours sleep but have been gifted those lighter evenings to compensate!
Easter
We also have Easter this weekend and hopefully, the weather will be kind to us with little ones on egg hunts in gardens and parks, then maybe a hot cross bun and a well-deserved cup of tea as a reward for all the hard work done getting our outside spaces summer ready.
Across the UK, spring plants start to show through the soil, bringing swathes of colour to our countryside and gardens, and that along with a bit of sunshine warms nearly everyone.
Salted Caramel Iced Green Tea
Ingredients
100ml Salted Caramel Green Tea
Caramel or Fudge Sauce
Apple Slices to Garnish
Ice Cubes
- Infuse the Salted Caramel teabag in freshly boiled water for 3 minutes and remove the bag.
- Stir through the caramel or fudge sauce and leave to cool.
- Serve over ice.
- Garnish with apple slices.
- Finally, enjoy!
A Unique Gift For The Important Lady In Your Life This Mother’s Day…
Celebrated almost everywhere in the world, Mother’s Day is one of those special events on the calendar that is celebrated around the world.
This celebration honours Mothers and Motherhood across the globe, not always on the same date and sometimes celebrating simply ‘Mother Earth’ or ‘Mother Church’.
Mothering Sunday though is universal in that the act of Mothering is to be celebrated and in the UK falls on March 11th this year.
Here in the UK, typically we try to make the day a special day for our Mothers.
In America it seems to have all started with Ann Reeves Jarvis who was a social activist, she was founder of Mothers’Day Work Clubs. Ann had a friend called Julia Ward Howe, who had first advocated in 1870 for the idea of a Mother’s Day as a call for mothers throughout the world to work together for peace.
The celebration of Motherhood was at the core of creating the idea of recognising, appreciating and celebrating at least one day in the year all that being a mother represents.
There cannot be a more special start to the day than perhaps Breakfast in Bed accompanied by a lovely cup of tea.
Whilst Ann Jarvis did not like commercialism, I think she too would be in favour of a nice cup of tea to start the
day. Such an easy pleasant way to start a day, just one of those simple moments we can share with a loved one.
Life is all about the moments.
The moment our kettles whistle leads to the moment you enjoy a break, share time with friends and family and a hundred other moments, savour each one – At Richmond, we believe we make the finest ‘Copper Tea Kettles’.
The perfect way to start the day and it all starts with how we prepare the tea, boiling the water in a hand-made copper tea kettle is the best!
Using less energy and creating a better flavour too. Our kettle designs have a place in any kitchen.
We are pleased to present our Richmond Kettle Company Collection, helping people enjoy lifes’ little moments… in style!
We at Richmond Kettle Company would like to take the opportunity to wish all Mothers a very Happy Mother’s Day.
Christmas, Royal Engagements, Reviews and New Kettles!
With Christmas fast approaching, the long nights and chilly days we are cheered and delighted to have received a wonderful review of our kettles by ‘The Proper Bostonian’.
We have worked extremely hard here at Richmond over the past 10 months to ensure we are offering the very best, solid copper, handmade, seam-free kettle available.
The review was welcomed and makes all the tweaks, changes and hard work worthwhile. It also means we have accomplished our goal.
An exert from the article is shown below as a comprehensive, unbiased review may help with your decision making:
In a nutshell:
I think the Richmond is a terrific kettle, and I recommend it. It has features that I feel improve upon the Simplex’s design. According to the manufacturer, in England, Richmond kettles have been evolving and improving with small but telling tweaks made over the past year. Judging from my most recent kettle, I’d say they’ve definitely got it right. Their chrome plated kettle is louder, sturdier, and has a more elegant, Edwardian-style look than my original 2007 Simplex.
Read the full review, especially if you are undecided about which make kettle to buy.
The other good news is, of course, the Royal Engagement of HRH Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. In celebration of this we have produced 100 limited Edition, Silver plated over solid copper kettles, and they are just beautiful! I know this as I have the prototype here on my desk.
Other exciting news here is that I also have prototypes for 3 additional models to add to our range. The first is the new ‘Beehive’. This will be available in copper or chrome for both electric and gas stoves.
Next is the Induction Kettle – in copper only.
Lastly, the ‘Dome’ kettle This is also available in copper or chrome for both electric and gas stoves.
All 5 of our main kettles, No’s 1/2/3/4 and the Jubilee are all in stock, ready to despatch in time for Christmas. For those of you holding your breath for the ‘Care Kits’ … we are nearly there, it is simply a shipping issue that should be cleared up very soon.
We also have a fabulous Richmond Tea Towel in wonderful quality cotton due in stock any day, pictures will be on our website and Facebook page soon.
Finally, Richmond would like to wish each and every one of you, our wonderful readers the very best of Seasons Greetings and we look forward to sharing with you again in 2018!
The Heritage of the Heritage!
Whilst pondering what might take our followers fancy this month I came across the delightful piece below about the history of the tea kettle. I thought you would all enjoy it as much as me. It really is a lovely read.
Few things more readily evoke the cosy comforts of the cottage kitchen than the image of a burnished copper kettle singing and bubbling on a hob or range. When tea came to Britain in the second half of the 17th century, it was a luxury only the rich could afford. The price steadily declined throughout the 18th century and took a sharp dip in the 19th century when the removal of importing monopolies opened up trade with the Orient. By the time Victoria was firmly seated on her throne, tea was served above and below stairs.
From the first, kettles were an indispensable item of tea-making equipment. Originally, the word kettle was used for any flat-bottomed, lidded pan used for cooking, as opposed to the round-bottomed cauldron. Kettles as we know them today evolved alongside tea drinking. Before tea became the national drink, water had always been heated in large iron cauldrons suspended over an open fire. Since nobody could be bothered to hang about while a cauldron came to the boil when they fancied a cup of tea, special water kettles were developed. They had spouts for pouring and to let out steam so they didn’t boil over.
Since tea was originally only for the wealthy, so were the first kettles, which were usually made of silver. As 18th-century tea drinking was a fashionable social habit, kettles weren’t confined to the kitchen, and usually came complete with stands and heaters so they could be used in the drawing room. While the lower classes were eventually able to afford tea, their funds never stretched to silver. Copper was used instead because it was cheap, bright and an excellent conductor of heat. Copper kettles were flat-bottomed to stand on the newly developed hob grate or range. Their shape was subject to experimentation.
Wide, low kettles were tried at the end of the 18th century. As much more metal was in contact with the heat, they boiled quickly, but they were unwieldy and difficult to pour. Semi-circular half-kettles were put on a trivet with their flat side snuggling close to the grate, but their sharp angles made them difficult to air. Neither type caught on.
What we think of today as the traditional kettle shape, with its rounded shoulders, cylindrical or pot-bellied body and spout shaped like the neck of an advancing angry goose, proved hard to beat.
Early copper kettles had all-metal handles since some people still hung them over a fire to boil. Sometimes the handles were hinged. Later ones had handles with grips of wood or bone to protect the user’s hands from burning.The lovely warm patina that comes with age adds value and isn’t easily faked; ideally, copper kettles should glow quietly, not shine with metal polish.
To read the whole article, see the link below.
http://antiques-art-collectibles.com/collectible/copper_kettle.html
So, I hope you enjoyed that and with that in mind, I have included a picture of one of our very own ‘Richmond Heritage’ kettles being spun in our spinning barn using the same technique’s of old.
HALLOWEEN SWEET TREATS AT RICHMOND
Halloween is on the way and this year Richmond will be celebrating with a Halloween themed afternoon tea.
The story of Halloween has been passed down through generations. There are traditions and adaptations that still continue today that have their history in ancient ceremonies and superstitions. These have evolved into what we know and love today about Halloween.
At Richmond our favourite is this traditional recipe which makes 24 mini pumpkin pies. If you would like to try these yourself, here is what you need!
Ingredients
PIE CRUST (all ingredients should be really cold)
1¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup butter (chopped)
¼ cup butter-flavoured shortening
¼ cup cold water
PUMPKIN FILING
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup white sugar
4 tablespoons butter, softened
1 medium sized egg
½ cup heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon flour
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (can add more if desired)
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup canned pure pumpkin
Method
Preheat oven to 180°c
In a medium size bowl whisk together flour, sugar and salt.
Cut in butter and shortening until crumbly.
Stir in cold water.
Stir until dough forms.
Press dough into a disk.
Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
In a large bowl combine white sugar, brown sugar and butter until creamy.
Mix in egg, heavy cream, flour and vanilla until creamy.
Fold in pumpkin. Batter will be speckled.
When pie dough has chilled remove it from fridge and knead lightly a few times.
Flour a work surface and pat dough out about ¼ inch thick.
Use a small round cookie cutter to cut out 2-inch circles.
Place the dough circles into a non-stick mini muffin pan.
Press the perimeter of the pie dough so that they completely fill the tin. Use a fork to create ridges on the mini pie crusts if desired.
Place the batter into the pie crusts using a mini ice cream scoop.
Shake the pan or use a knife to level off the top.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the centre of the pie is set. Be careful not to over bake. Pie may be a little jiggly when it comes out of the oven but will set completely as it cools. Pies will be puffy when they come out of the oven, but will sink back down when cooled.
Cool pies on the counter, top with a squirt of whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon.
Of course, we must wash these sweets treats down with a nice cup of tea! If you have any Halloween inspired tea recipes, why not send them to us at info@richmondkettlecompany.com or share on our Facebook page – we would love to see your ideas!
Changing Seasons
At the summer solstice, the days are longest and the nights are shortest, with day-length decreasing as the season progresses after the solstice.
The date of the beginning of summer varies according to climate, tradition and culture.
When it is summer in the Northern Hemisphere, it is winter in the Southern Hemisphere, and vice versa.

Originally introduced as a limited-edition kettle, it proved so popular we have now added it to our main range.
The fact that it is silver plated and commemorates our Queens Jubilee makes it quintessentially English and exceptional both as a treat for oneself
or as gift for a loved one.
We hope you will love it as much as we do, and as the nights begin to draw in again, pop the kettle on, put your feet up and embrace the impending season