English Tearoom in Stuttgart prepares for the Coronation with a special “cream tea to go” and insights from Lynn Hazlewood.

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Scones, biscuits, and of course tea from Darjeeling to Earl Gray – fans of British tea culture have been finding what they are looking for in Lynn and Christian Hazlewood’s English Tearoom in Stuttgart’s Heusteig district for twelve years. In the shop on Weißenburgstraße, the Brits, who have been at home in the state capital for many years, sell everything for the typical British “afternoon tea”. Before the coronation of King Charles III. on May 6th we spoke to the British exile Lynn Hazlewood – about the new monarch, English “pomp and circumstance” and what is needed to ensure that the “Coronation Quiche” succeeds.

Ms. Hazlewood, in Germany we often think that all Britons are automatically big fans of the royal family. But do you care about the coronation at all?

Lynn Hazlewood: I’ve always been very enthusiastic about the Queen – to be honest, it’s still a bit difficult for me to have the same enthusiasm for King Charles. But “he is growing on me”, as we say: the more I read about him and hear from him, the more I warm to him. I think he did a great job in his speech in the Bundestag in Berlin a few weeks ago. I’ve liked him more and more since he’s king.

As a Brit, how do you view such a major event?

With mixed feelings. There are major political problems in Great Britain. For example, the healthcare system is really down. Many Britons are critical of the fact that so much money is then spent on the royal family, especially young people who have no connection to Queen Elizabeth II. On the other hand, the royal family also gives a lot back, is involved in social projects and brings attention to important social issues. And of course the Brits make such big occasions particularly great, the whole “pomp and circumstance”.

How will you spend Coronation Day? Are you locking up the store?

No not that. My husband and I will be in our store celebrating a bit with our customers. If it works, we’ll run the ceremony on the TV alongside. We have planned a “cream tea to go” for our customers on advance order: A selection of scones with clotted cream, biscuits and our “Coronation blend” – a tea blend that we have put together.

What is it made of?

Because more and more customers have been asking about it, I started researching it a few weeks ago. I found out that King Charles’s favorite drink is Darjeeling tea. So I mixed three different Darjeeling teas.

We will offer this “cream tea to go” on May 5th and 6th for pre-order and donate the proceeds. The money goes to two children in Darjeeling, whom we have been enabling to go to a boarding school in Darjeeling city for years. King Charles has emphasized how important it is to him that his coronation is also an opportunity to get involved. On Monday after the coronation there will therefore be the big volunteer day “The Big Help Out” in Great Britain. The fundraiser is our contribution to this.

The official coronation meal is the “Coronation Quiche” – Buckingham Palace has published the recipe for it. The quiche with spinach, broad beans and tarragon is said to have been created according to Charles and Camilla’s wishes. Will you cook them again?

I will definitely try it. Maybe I’ll also bake salty scones with tarragon – inspired by the “Coronation Quiche”.

For the recipe you need “double cream”. That does not exist in Gemany. What do you recommend instead?

I use “creme double”, it’s something like that. Or you can use “clotted cream” – that works too.

How will your family and friends in the UK celebrate the day?

There’s going to be a street party in my mother-in-law’s neighborhood in London. All the neighbors come together, everyone brings something to eat – like a squat in Stuttgart.

What is your impression – are your German customers very interested in the coronation?

Surprisingly yes. I actually only mixed our “Coronation blend” because many customers asked if we offered a special tea to top it all off. And I even had to remix it once because it sold out so quickly.

If you want to make yourself particularly comfortable and typically British on May 6th in front of the TV – do you have a suggestion?

How about an “afternoon tea”? You could arrange sandwiches, small cakes, biscuits and scones nicely on a cake stand. And the “Coronation Quiche” can certainly also be baked as a mini quiche. You can snack on something for hours while watching the coronation.

To person

Teeenthusiasten
Lynn (62) and Christian (60) Hazlewood have been running the English Tearoom on Weißenburgstraße for twelve years. They opened their store on April 29, 2011 – the day Prince William and Kate Middleton tied the knot in London.