#vegan afternoon tea

[misusyaya-vlog]

🫖 London Travel Vlog: Old Spitalfields Market, Brick Lane & Vegan Aftern...

[vanillaweirdo]

Standard Savory menu on the right. Plant-based option on the left.

[0jeej0-too]

Snack Photoshoot

November 14th 2023

Mr Cooper's Coffe House, Whitby.

Carrot cake and an oat Whitby Smog.

[rafaelmaxlove]

My first afternoon tea (vegan of course) in great company. Always wanted to have one. Thank you to all who made it happen: A&B, A. xo

P.S. Bad angle, photo doesn’t show all there was.

[formeryelpers]

Sugarbird Café, 3407 Ocean View Blvd, Montrose, CA 91208

I’ve been a fan of Sugarbird’s scones for a long time. They’re baked by a Japanese woman and they aren’t too sweet, plus the flavors are interesting. Sugarbird recently opened a tiny, charming café in Montrose that offers tea, scones, other baked goods and sweets (e.g., meringues, brownies, pate de fruit, marshmallows) made in-house, cheese plates, and tea sandwiches. They also sell tea accessories like tea pots, cups, jams, tumblers, etc.

The scones are the highlight. They have a wide variety of classic scones (regular and mini size), filled scones, wheat-free scones, vegan scones, and vegan & wheat-free scones. The most popular scones are chocolate chip and lemon blueberry. Their teas are made with loose leaf teas from around the world.

Tea service for one ($15): Pot of tea (your choice of tea), scone, clotted cream & jam. I chose the Karina tea (Earl Grey vanilla with a blend of Darjeeling) with a black sesame white chocolate scone. The tea came in a big pot, with the loose tea placed in a tea bag. There was no mention of how long the tea had been steeping or how long it should steep. It was served with cream but no sugar. Hmmm…the tea was nice though – slightly sweet and fruity. It was nice of them to offer to refill the water but the water wasn’t hot enough and most of the tea flavor had steeped out of the tea. The scone was lovely even though the black sesame flavor wasn’t strong; it did add a nuttiness. The texture was the best part – crunchy edges but moist interior. Also, it wasn’t too sweet. The clotted cream was dense, rich, and lightly sweetened.

I was curious about the tea sandwiches but they sold out. I guess they can’t make them to order.

The shop is adorable but only has one small table inside. They normally have outdoor seating but I went on a rainy day so the tables weren’t outside.

4 out of 5 stars.

By Lolia S.

[cutestkilla]

Tea for (more than) Two

So, in a delightful turn of events, I recently got together with some pals who are also TOTALLY NORMAL about Carry On. And we did our best to replicate afternoon tea at Lady Ruth’s house. And I thought it would be kinda fun to share the results (and some recipes, which are at the end under the cut). So, here they are, featuring:

Scones! (Sour cherry, ofc.)

Cake! (Chocolate with Chocolate-Orange Buttercream featuring a super respectful remembrance, Lemon Drizzle, and Classic Victoria Sandwich.)

Lavender Earl Grey shortbread cookies!

Finger sandwiches! (Egg & cress, Lemon and prawn, Caprese on focaccia, and Coronation chicken - all on freshly baked bread.)

A selection of teas! (Including Simon's Sour Cherry looseleaf blend, Simon Snow Tea, some proper English Breakfast, and of course Earl Grey.)

A giant slab of butter! (Fancy butter.)

A basil plant!

A crucible!

A sword through the table!

Special cameos by a Watford goat (wings hidden) and Prof. Minos (tiny fluffy edition)!

Sadly, no tea trolley, but we did our best to provide glamorous staging anyway.

It was pretty much the best, guys! Highly recommend. Recipes (including dairy-free versions for many treats) below the cut.

Chocolate cake with chocolate-orange buttercream (dairy-free)

Using this recipe for the cake, and this one for the frosting (instructions at the end for a chocolate variant). A hot tip is to use egg whites instead of aquafaba (they whip up much faster) and of course to add orange zest, per AWTWB ch 89.

Lemon Drizzle Cake (dairy-free)

Using this recipe, using vegan butter and replacing the self-raising flour with some flour/baking powder/salt ratio from the internet. Garnish with Kellogg's ICEE Cereal or any other weird cereal you saw at the store and couldn't resist trying, for a little visual flair.

Classic Victoria Sandwich (dairy-free)

Using this recipe, substituting butter with vegan butter, milk with a non-dairy milk alternative (ideally soy but in this case oat milk was used), and replacing the self-raising flour with the same flour/baking powder/salt ratio from the internet as above. Regular old granulated sugar can be used in place of caster sugar. Garnished this with some black raspberries, but any attractive fruit (or weird cereal) could be used.

Sour Cherry Scones

This recipe from the Joy of Cooking does the trick! Use the GOOD butter.

Lavender Earl Grey Shortbread Cookies

You can find the recipe here

Overnight Focaccia Bread

Lemon and Prawn Sandwiches

This recipe came from @cookingmywaythroughcarryon and there are tons more there for tea party inspiration, including alternate versions of some of the above, so definitely check it out!

[nomilkinmyteaplease]

The Terror's first dates

George Hodgson - invites you to a naked yoga session, followed by a meal in a vegan restaurant. Vaguely mumbles something about traumatic experiences that turned him ‘pan religious’. He wants you to be "yin to his yang" on his next meditation retreat. 

Francis Crozier- a true gentleman, suggests you plan the date; based on his profile you arrange spirits tasting only to find out he is now a teetotaller.

Graham Gore- invites you to a first date at his bootcamp. As you land face first in mud during an obstacle course and struggle to get up as your arms give in, you hear his cheerful motivational shouts from afar. "You will soon get a hang of it, I know you will!".

Edward Little- takes you for an afternoon tea at the Ritz, but spends most of it on his phone replying to work emails. You tell him about wild haggis being an animal living in Scottish Highlands and he believes you.

Solomon Tozer- you expect a pub date, but he surprises you (and seemingly himself) by inviting you to a science museum to talk to you about some experiments he heard of at work; most of his sentences end with “...or something to that tune”.

James Fitzjames - Unprompted, treats you to a talk on "Everything you ever wanted to know about bird guano, but were afraid to ask". You’re not sure if his frequently mentioning size of (his?) cherry should be taken at a face value or whether it is some weird sexual innuendo.

Stephen Stanley - boasted about his BBQ skills, but most of his meats ended up charred beyond recognition.

William Gibson - Cooks for you, but barely notices you're there; spends the whole evening moaning about how much he hates backstabbers at work, his panna cotta leaves a bitter aftertaste.

John Irving - invites you for a walk around Hampstead, arrives late because “the mass overrun”. 

William Pilkington - was supposed to be Netflix and chill, but his mum walks in on you and you end up having tea and watching a Murder, she Wrote marathon in the living room with his whole family.

Cornelius Hickey - may have turned out a foot and a half shorter than his profile stated and looks totally different to his photo, but you totally forget all about it when he takes you to a 3* Michelin restaurant with a nice view of the London canals. He sweeps you off your feet with compliments that make you blush and impresses with knowledge of fine wines he orders, you start thinking he may be THE ONE. He leaves to go to the gents, and 30 minutes later you finally realise he will never come back and end up having to pay the full bill yourself.

Harry Goodsir- An evening of “fun, quizzes and puzzles” turns out to be you helping him put together his Ikea furniture.

Thomas Jopson - takes you on a hike in the mountains, you overpack but seeing you struggle, he offers to carry your heavy rucksack for you. You have a picnic, admiring the sunset from the top of the mountain. Awwww.

Henry le Vesconte - takes you on a hike in the mountains, you overpack, seeing you struggle he shoots off ahead just as it starts dawning on you that the whole time you were also carrying HIS rucksack.

Follow up of the Dating Profiles, for the 'free space' of the Fronk Birthday Bingo.

[lesuccube]

➚ 𝐋𝐎𝐂𝐀𝐋 𝐃𝐈𝐒𝐊 𝐃 : ᴀᴜ-ᴄᴛᴏʙᴇʀ — ꜱᴡᴇᴇᴛ , ꜱᴡᴇᴇᴛ ʟᴏᴠᴇ

𝐒𝐘𝐍𝐎𝐏𝐒𝐈𝐒 — a treat for you and your lover .

𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 — fluff infection

𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓 — not beta'd , constructive criticism is welcomed . reblogs and comments are appreciated .

𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐃 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐓 — 0.5k

baker!steven who loves making you treats and sneaks them into your lunch bag without you knowing.

baker!steven who makes the most of his goodies gluten free but will occasionally (read: every time you ask for baked treats) indulge your request to make them sugary and sweet.

baker!steven who would spend sleepless nights in the kitchen concocting new recipes.

baker!steven who, with enough encouragement from you, opens up a shop after his sudden unemployment from the museum.

baker!steven who cried upon hearing that you had used up most of your lifesavings to get him a quaint spot downtown with a busy enough street that guarantees him a steady flow of customers.

baker!steven who promised to pay you back for your investment and won't take no for an answer which in the end resulted into agreeing to open a joint account so his 'debt' would be put to other uses like your shared responsibilities like rent, groceries and for emergencies.

baker!steven who absolutely adores his shop, making sure to keep his customers saitisfied with quality food (he has two menus, separating gluten free items for the vegan options).

baker!steven who makes friends with his regulars, chatting up with the old ladies that come in for afternoon tea and crumpets, helping college students to the best he can but absolutely enjoys it when they ask help for history subjects and entertains little children with ancient egyptian trivias and gives them tiny trinkets for free.

baker!steven who refused to serve donna when she came in for coffee after the horrible treatment she had given him when he used to work at the museum.

baker!steven who closed shop for a few hours to call you up looking for comfort because seeing donna so suddenly after finally recovering from what he had endured from her before shook him.

baker!steven who would most definitely close the bakery after lunch rush to personally visit you at work to hand you a basket full of extra baked goods to share with your co-workers.

baker!steven who loves when fall arrives because he gets to decorate the shop in fall amd halloween themes and gets to experiment baking with different pans and cookie cutters.

baker!steven who eventually experiments with learning how to make drinks so the equipment you had gotten him will be put to good use until he learns the hard way that brewing coffee is not good for his autistic brain.

baker!steven who would hire a barista instead to make the drinks and gets along with them, gives them free treats during lunch break and gives them leftovers from the day's batch.

baker!steven who eventually joins the farmers market after getting enough recognition from customers in his street and encouragement from aunties from the neighborhood.

baker!steven who had to close his stall after just a few hours because he had sold out all of his baked batches for the day.

baker!steven who 100% loves his new career path.

baker!steven who would drop by the street act he used to talk to after work hours from the museum to give him a goodie bag and a big tip just because.

baker!steven who waits for you before closing up for the day so he can dance with you between counters and tables, murmuring sweet, sweet love to your ears in between laughter and feeds you a small fresh batch of your favorite cookies before walking back to his place hand in hand with you.

[princess-of-thebes-1995]

Bia Tu

Chapter One

Come, You.

Yandere! Hannibal Lecter x Female Bipolar! Reader. Reader Chan was a former Afghan Citizen currently living in America.

Chapter Summary. It is 2020 and you are on the brink of taking your life during the Pandemic. You need help. Lonely and middle-aged, Docter Hannibal Lecter, a psychiatrist, wasting time till retirement and he needs help to fill the void in his chest. Drugs and women were not helping. He needs your help. His stubborn and moody patient of all people…and a Vegan. Ugh.

Warning: Age Gap. Older man with much younger woman. Cannibalism. Yandere. Language Barrier. Obsession. Stalking. Crude Language. Mental Illnesses. Gas Lighting. Manipulation.

No.

Once more, your mean-spirited joke called Father said “No”. Again. He hardly said yes to your wishes. Your elderly friend in community college recently passed away due to Pneumonia.  His daughter on Facebook announced his condition and posted the location and time of his funeral one city away.

You were only nineteen and came to America age seventeen. You did not know how to drive on freeways. Your dad would not teach you or let you travel far on your own.  The City Village you came from was Baghlan, Afghanistan. A rural place in the mountain farms. Not as educated as the capital city of Kabul.

Your dad was close minded and rude. He was plagued with toxic masculinity and was suffocating you. The Virus made life more difficult. Your best friend passed away and the shut down of your school did not help. Your father would not let you step outside the house. And you were lucky to go to school in public. You hated online classes.

Tears trailed down your rosy cheeks and your fat lips reddened from being bitten. Oh, how you hate your Father! Damn him! Sexist Swine! Misogyny stenches came from him.

You leisurely took out the cell phone out of your purse and typed “suicide” on google images.

Is Everything All Right? Need help? Call us?

You licked your lips.

“Save me.” You whispered to yourself.

Doctor Lecter did not say anything as a client of his almost knocked the tray of snacks he placed on the coffee table. Ian was a womanizer who finally got his punishment. He got his heart broken and now was seeing Doctor Lecter for his “depression”. Lecter told him that he was not depressed. He was just mad and did not need medication. But, Ian being a spoiled and entitled Prick he was, he insisted. So, Lecter decided to write a report. Hannibal does not want to give medicine freely. As it was illegal.

“Mr. Kermif. Please leave.” Doctor Lecter firmly stated. Ian glared at the wrinkled face of his doctor. Hannibal was not backing down.

Ian clenched his jaw then slammed the door shut as he finally left the wonderfully decorated office of Psychiatrist Hannibal Lecter.

Another day. Another headache. Lecter was in college when SpongeBob came to television. He thought Squidward was pathetic and a born loser. But, as much as Lecter hated to admit it. He became a Squidward himself. How embarrassing that life defeated him. He is a late middle-aged man almost a grandfather age and yet single to the tea.

No wife or kids. He spent his days being a womanizer like Ian. But, he never cheated. He told all the women he has been with he does not want a relationship.

Regret filled the cold and voided heart of Doctor Hannibal Lecter.

His phone chimed to let him know that a new patient will see him first thing tomorrow at one in the afternoon.

As Doctor Lecter read the name of the patient. He cocked his head to the side and furrowed his wrinkled eyebrows in confusion. What a peculiar and odd name. He never heard of that name once. Not even in movies or fiction books. It was effeminate so he knew the new patient was a woman.

“Afghanistan.” He murmured. The profile said that English was your second language and Pashto was your first. How strange indeed. He met Pakistani and Yemeni people. Never an Afghani. Thanks to the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001, Afghan citizens found it difficult to get VISAS in America.

Doctor Lecter can refuse to see you and assign you to another Doctor. He decided to see you tomorrow.

What could possibly go wrong? He has treated over thousands of patients for twenty-eight years of being a psychiatrist. What will make you special and different?

[tinydeskwriter]

CINEMA {Chapter II}

A/n:  know that Anne announced her father’s passing on the 23rd, but a little digging on the internet pointed out that Brian passed on the 21st of August of a infection at 86 years old. I don’t thing they would announce it before a funeral and service have already been held due to media and public interest in Harry. Also, quick note that London is 8 hours ahead from LA. word count:2425

CINEMA | Previous Part

TONIGHT IS GOING TO BE THE LONELIEST

The 21st of August was the saddest day of 2021 for Harry. 

Perhaps one of the saddest of his life.

It started early in the morning, on their daily video-call Anne had commented that Grandpa Brian was not doing well—a mixture of his Parkinson’s disease, diabetes and the poor health that plagues old age—that they had better start preparing for the worst.

He was clearly shaken after the call, pensive, if not a little catatonic with the news, grandpa Brian was one of Harry’s people in the world, and after meeting the old man in 2013 it became clear to Y/n where so many of Harry’s’s most endearing personality traits came from. 

Y/n tried to distract him by taking him out of the house, ‘enjoy the last days of summer’ she told him. They went to the beach in Malibu and enjoyed iced tea from their favorite little coffee shop sunbathing on the golden sand, her head on his lap as they talked about their next few months and plans to visit each other while his tour was on the road, and they had lunch in a nice vegan place. No paparazzi to bother them and they just got recognized on three occasions by Y/n’s far more controlled fans.   

It was shortly after they got back to the house that Harry received Anne's second call that day to inform him that grandpa had passed away a few moments before.

Apart from all the grief, the saddest part was that Harry wouldn’t be able to attend the funeral to pay his respects and say a last goodbye to his beloved grandfather. 

Y/n’s heart broke for him.

There is something truly heartbreaking about seen someone so full of life and love, so sad and grief stricken. His grandfather may have been frail for a while now, but nothing never truly prepares you to lose someone you love so much. 

Harry and Y/n have been at each others side through some amount of grief and loss over the years. Harry had been with her when she lost her grandmother in 2013, and again in 2018 when her beloved grandfather passed away—the only family members she had been close to, with her parents to busy with their careers, and older half-siblings that didn’t care much for her—, and she had being with him after Robin’s passing in 2017, getting in the first flight back home from Canada just to be by his side as they buried his stepfather. 

Due to COVID health guidelines it was impossible for Harry to attend the funeral, even if they waited the maximum period for the burial and religious ceremonies it would still not be enough time.

Y/n stood by his side, hands intertwine with his, as he talks to his mom and sister.

“They’re burying him tomorrow afternoon, there is no real reason to wait longer.” He tells her as he ends the call. “I will be attending the service through Zoom.” He says with a humorless laugh.

Y/n’s heart sinks as she sees Harry’s red, teary eyes.

“Oh, my Love…” She wrapped him in her arms, allowing him to mourn.

He remains in her arms for a while before pulling away kissing her forehead, their hands still intertwined.

“I need to call Jeff and the rest of my family.” he says sniffling, her thumb caressing the back of his hand.

His eyes dart out to where they're intertwined. Her elegant, small, pale hand intertwined with his larger, tanned hand.

“Do you want me to call someone?” She asks in an almost whisper.

His eyes return to her face.

“Can you call Mitch and Sarah, please? Let them know…” He asks looking her in the eyes. 

“Of course my love.” Y/n she agrees, nodding her head. “I will text Luis, ask him to bring mourning clothes for you from the rental.”

Harry looks at her gratefully and remains silent for a moment.

“I do not want to be alone.” He confesses after a while.

“I am here.” She assures him, her free hand travels to the back his neck and Harry lowers his head, touching his forehead to hers. “I will always be here.” She promises.

He agrees, kissing her forehead again and excusing himself to go make phone calls.

Y/n walked through the familiar long halls of her house, her office was right next to the music room, a space that did double duty as an office and library—she knew Harry was probably in backyard—two of the walls had floor-to-ceiling shelves with all the books Y/n had ever read, and the collection he had inherited from his grandparents, a Guglielmo Ulrich desk occupied almost all the space in front of the huge window overlooking the side garden, an Urban Outfitters desk chair and G. Zema's Anemone armchairs being the only places available to sit in the room. 

The actress closes the door behind her with her cell phone and address book. Before anything else, she orders flowers to be sent to Anne with a condolence note, and a wreath from the same flower shop in London that she had used years ago for her grandfather's funeral—the owner of the business was a discreet lady.

She sent a text message to Luis asking him to bring Harry mourning clothes, explaining that his grandpa Brian had passed away. 

Harry never really did well alone, he always needed to be surrounded by friends, so Y/n spends the next few hours talking to Mitch, James, and Glenne, inviting them to come for Harry’s grandfather’s service, she texts Gemma asking for as many photos of Harry with his grandfather as she can get, and order flowers to be brought to her house the next day. If Harry can’t go to his grandfather service, she intended to do something nice for him so he would be able to say goodbye.

Her Love deserved no less.

Y/n only realizes the late hour when Luis shows up at the house with Harry's clothes and a Nobu bag.  

“I figured dinner would be the last thing on your minds.” Says Luis as he passed everything to Y/n's hands and greets her with a kiss on the cheek. “Got H’s favorite.” 

“Thank you so much baby, I didn’t even notice the time.” The young woman smiles at him.

“How is H?” The assistant asks a little worried not seeing his boss anywhere around.

“The last time I saw him he was still on the phone talking to his family.” She says placing the suit bag on an armchair in the living room and carrying the bag of food into the kitchen, leaving it on the island. “Are you coming tomorrow?” She asked in a lower voice.

“Of course, totally.” The man nods, “Do you need me to bring anything?”

“I have everything under control, just show up for brunch.”

“Alright, Y/n/n, I need to get going, but text me if you guys need anything.” Luis squeezed her shoulder in farewell. “Hug H for me, will you?”

Y/n escorts Luis to the door and then goes looking for Harry around the house.

The first thing that struck her when she walked into the music room was the unmistakable smell of tequila and whiskey through the room. The second thing that struck me was the music. Harry was playing some messy, off-key blues that was both making her sad and also making her ears metaphorically bleed. He didn’t even notice Y/n ’s her presence until she was almost in front of him.

“Lovie!” He smiles drowsily, abandoning the piano keys to turn to her. 

Y/n's heart tightens in her chest as she takes in the sweaty hair and bloodshot eyes, there were tear marks on his face and Y/n just knew he had been crying. 

“Oh My Love! How long have you been here?” She eyes at the nearly empty bottle of whiskey, and the uncapped bottle of tequila.

“I love you, babe.” Harry said against the fabric of her clothing. “You are the fucking love of my existence.”

“I love you too H.” She lifted his face to look him in the eye. “You are the other half of my soul.” She says making him give a drunken smile.

“Why did we broke up?” He asks, his drunken smile suddenly gone.

Y/n sighs, feeling a little drained at the thought of having that conversation with a Drunk Harry.

Why did they broke up? 

He had broken up with her, it would be a better way to say, she had just accepted his choice so she could keep him in her life. They’re too young too be so serious about each other, was his reasoning.

“H, let’s go to bed.” Is what she chooses to says, there was no point talking about their past with him so drunk.

“Promise you won’t leave.”He demands.

“Never in a million years.”

****

Harry woke up alone in their bed—since when their bed became a synonymous for her bed—to the smell of fresh tea and sunlight streaming into the bedroom. His cellphone was charging on the bedside table along with a few tablets for his hangover—he smiled at that—he only had a few unread messages of condolences from other family members and some more close family friends, who are probably informed by either his mom, Jeff or Y/N.

He gets up stretching his back, deeply regretting having opened the drinks cabinet the night before. He showered and changed into the clothes left for him on an armchair—a Gucci double breasted black suit—.

The ‘Watermelon Sugar’ crooner found Y/n in the kitchen, in front of her custom sage green Aga Stove—after buying her dream mid-century house in LA, the model turn actress decided to renovate her entire kitchen and made it more ‘English’, it was the only thing she did really change at the house—in a black 'The Vampire's Wife' dress, he recognized because Olivia had the same dress in another print, Y/n had an apron on, protecting her clothes from anything that might fall on her, Dorothea, her cook, was nowhere in sight, Rebekah and Luis were sitting on stools by the island, both with their iPads in hand and coffee mugs in front of them.

Luis was the first to notice Harry in the kitchen entrance, getting up and offering his condolences to his boss on his grandfather’s passing, followed by Bekah.

Y/n takes the fry pan off the stove, spreading the vegan sausages and beacon onto a platter, before taking of her apron and going around the island, opening her arms to hug Harry.

“What’s this?” He asks, noticing for the first time what looks to be a full English breakfast spread arranged in porcelain plates around the kitchen island.

“This is comfort brunch… for you.” She says with a small smile, feeling a little silly with Harry looking at her so intensely and the two PA’s watching their interaction. “I want you to feel loved during your grieving moment, so…” Harry cut her off with a peck, cupping her face in his hands.

“Thank you, Lovie.” He thanked her with sincere honesty, hugging her.

“Why?” Y/n she looked at him confused.  

Harry just smiled. That was just something so very Y/n to do…to do something just so caring and gentle, and just not seeing that it wasn’t simply what ‘anyone else would do’.

“Simply by being you.” His green eyes traveled across her face.

“Babes, why don’t you take H to the backyard?” Bekah interrupts them. “Luis and I will take the food.” Y/n gives them both a grateful smile taking Harry’s hand in hers and leads him to the backyard.

There’s an energy of intimacy that you wouldn’t tell they’re anything other than a couple, it was something in the way he followed her with blind trust, his eyes on her the entire time, or how her head was leaning slightly on his shoulder and she had his hand between hers. And to any of the thirty people in the backyard, they looked like some sort of beautiful quirky couple straight out of a Tim Burton movie.

His eyes are still following her across the lawn when they are separated by friends who wish to greet Harry and offer their condolences on his grandfather's passing.

Harry felt loved with so many of his friends showing up to support him. His whole band was there, James with his family, the Azoffs and the Gerbers, Tom and Jenny, Tyler, Jeff, Molly, even Nick and Lily, Niall showing up had been a surprise, but that was Niall.

Olivia was an unexpected presence, as they were in an awkward place in their relationship, she stayed close to James, Julia, Nick and Lily as he greeted them, Harry wasn't sure who had warned her, if it had been Jeff or James—he was pretty sure Y/n wouldn't have been, the two hadn't even said hello. 

Of his close and dear friends, those not in attendance made themselves present with flowers and heartfelt messages. He was admiring the arrangements with Glenne and Jeff when he noticed what appeared to be papers hanging by ribbons from the English oak that Y/n had been given by a director years ago.

His band were admiring whatever it was with smiles on their faces. Harry's eyes again turned to the other side of the pool where Y/n was talking to Kaia.

“She organized everything yesterday.” Harry turned to Glenne who was looking in the same direction as him.  “Have you seen the tree yet?” 

“What are those hanging things?” He asked with some curiosity, heading towards the tree without even realizing it, Glenne beside him.  

It was only when he was close enough that he realized they were photographs, most of him and his grandfather, some of the whole family, framed and hung from the tree with colorful ribbons. He glanced briefly at where Y/n stood before his gaze returned to Glenne. 

“She texted Gemma yesterday, spent a few hours printing everything out, and this morning while you were sleeping, Jeff and I helped her frame and hang it up.”

They were interrupted by Y/n advising everyone to take a seat in front of the big screen that the service was about to begin, and they would be reunited virtually with the rest of Harry's family.  For a second their eyes met, Harry smiled despite the moment, 'Thank you' he said mutely, to which she smiled back at him.

{next| coming soon}

Taglist: @slutforcoffein ; @lilsiz ; @pandxthings ;

@ameerakane20 ; @angywritesstuff ; @dzastinocha

[romanarose]

My Hero

Steven Grant x Fem!Reader

Reader is just me. What can I say.

Summary: You work at the coffee shop of the London Museum, and you're used to guys being a bit weird, but when one gets a bit handsy, your work crush steps in to help you

Warnings: Guy being creepy, inappropriate touching (just the shoulder) slight aggressive behavior (grip on arm), anxiety attack, references to past trauma but I promise this fic is pretty light, mostly about Steven being a sweety. Breif refernce to Linkin Park and Chester Bennington's suicide, just a fair warning.

A/N: Like most of my fics, this is based off of something that happened to me while working at a cafe in San Diego, except I didn't have a Steven Grant to save me, I had to try and override my freeze response to get out of it, and cry outside alone. Like everything in my life, I process it though writing, to allow myself control over the situation. I was pretty proud of myself for being able to get out of it without help, when for years, I would just freeze.

Italics are Marc, bold is steven, red is jake.

****************

Christ, he was handsome. Disarmingly so. Steven Grant, your coworker at the gift shop, was just the right kind of dorky. You didn't mean dorky as an insult, ooohhhh no. You were a huge dork. You had a baby Yoda Shirt on right now, and a Simple Plan tattoo from your emo phase that you never quit grew out of.

'It's not a phase mum! This is who I am now!'

And it wasn't a phase! It was who you were!

And Steven seemed to enjoy it, although he may not fully understand it. He came to your register one day, looking absolutely dead tired, not looking at you as he said hello and mumbled something about 'Whatever has caffeine' You gently explain that since this is a coffee shop, almost everything has caffeine. He looked up at you like he was about to break down crying if he had to make a single choice.

"Okay! Okay uuuhhh do you like drinks more sweet, or earthy taste?"

"Er, sweet I supposse. But I'm vegan" He perked up a bit at your bright, patient smile. Get it Steven

"Yeah no problem! We have a vegan caramel, it's a $0.50 upcharge, so are the milk subs, is that okay?"

Cheapest date we've ever had

"Right, of course, no problem there, do you have oat?"

"Absolutely!" There was no line, so you went ahead and made his drink, vegan caramel macchiato two double espresso. "Here, try it!"

Steven, this isn't coffee this is sugar

The man took a drink, and looked almost relieved. "Oh it's wonderful, love! How much do I owe you?" You finally smiled at you, and you felt like your heart would fly out your chest.

God dammit, she's trouble.

You shake your head. "No charge today, call it a taste test"

Okay, now this is the cheapest date we've ever been on

"Oh no! No, I can pay! I don't want to get you in trouble"

You reassure him. "You won't, I'm the morning manager, just come back for more sometime, yeah?"

Damn right we'll be back.

Steven put 5 quid in your tip jar before promising he'd be back. And he was. Every morning for coffee, and usually again in the afternoons for tea. You had taken to visiting him in the gift shop if he was too busy to come to your side, which eventually turned to you bringing him a tea every afternoon, to which he'd respond shock every single time you handed him the cup. He'd take it with a "Oh love, you shouldn't have!" Every single time, as if he was surprised someone was continuously showing him kindness.

In turn, Steven would listen to you talk about your music interests. Even though he had never heard of the music you talked about, he kept a mental cataloged of everything you mentioned and actively participated in the conversation. "What? My Chemical Romance released a new song?! How long was that hiatus, 10 years? How they kept that a secret, I'll never know"

You had to admit your little work crush was turning into something deeper, as the months drew on with him, and yet you couldn't make a move. You weren't afraid of asking men out, much to your traditional parents' horror, but Steven was different. You had a friendship you cared deeply about, how could you risk that. What would you do if you didn't see his face int he morning, disheveled but smiling? What else did you have going on after work, other than to wonder the museum with him as he explained the niche facts he knew? Who would sit with you on your lunch break and tell you about the bullshit things Donna would say to him about his autism, and then insist you not report her because he doesn't want to cause problems? Sweet Steven meant the world to you. And you knew damn well that shy man wouldn't ask you out if he even was interested.

So here you were, waiting for him to come see you for his morning coffee where you never upcharged him, so you can show him the video's your friend took of Matty Heely at the concert they went too.

The playlist in the coffee shop right now was yours. You were allowed to play your music as long as there wasn't swearing or too much screaming, so you have found a playlist of lighter emo/rock songs. However, you had failed to check it all the way through, and Leave Out All the Rest by Linkin Park came on, a song that you could no longer listen to after Chester Bennington's death on your birthday. You set down the latter you were working on as the espresso dripped into the cup, going to go skip the song.

But this slight detour in making coffee in order to prevent you from crying at 8 am on a Tuesday was simply too much for the man who was waiting on his stupid overpriced latte as you reached for your phone.

"Ma'am" He stepped into your work area behind the counter as you walked past, grabbing your arm. "How much longer on the coffee?" He asked.

Your entire world focused in on the man's grip on you, and the music playing overhead threatening to take your back to the place you had been in when he died. His grip was light, so you tried to take a step back, muttering 'excuse me', but his grip tightened harsh enough to cause bruises as his fingers dug painfully into your skin. "You should take care of customers before playing on your phone"

You froze, as he started yelling about needing his coffee, but not letting you move. The music was too much and the emotions the song brought mixed with the memories the man's grip on you triggered, you found yourself unable to move, your young coworker standing by in shock, unsure what to do.

The next thing you register is slightly being yanked forward as the man was pulled away from you, and Steven Grant stepping between your near-hyperventilating form. You have enough thought to turn off that godforsaken song with the phone in your hand, realizing then that Steven hand his arm out beside you, in case the man tried anything further. "Alright mate, lets back away, yeah?"

"She's supposed to be making my coffee" He argued, taking another step to move behind the counter, but Steven's other hand pushed him back, his body blocking the man's accesssto you and the 18-year-old you were working with.

"You'll get your bloody coffee, one more step and it'll be on your face instead."

You couldn't imagine you're sweet Steven throwing hot coffee on someone, but something told you that even if he didn't follow through with that threat, the man wouldn't touch you again, nor poor McKenna, who was just trying to pay for college.

The man stared at Steven like he was assessing the situation. Steven wasn't tall by any means, and it wasn't like he was jacked, but he was deceptively strong, and you had a itching feeling the passive man would go absolutely unhinged if the need arose. There was spark in his eyes, a passion that said he knew right from wrong and he would defend it if he could.

The man must've seen it too, because he took a few steps back, raising his hands in defeat and suddenly acted all innocent. "Alright mate, no trying to start anything, just want me coffee"

"Here" McKenna handed him the coffee and he left.

Steven watched him leave. The absolute nerve of him, thinking he can go around harassing girls just trying to do their jobs. Everyone complains about a lack of service workers, but Christ can you blame them? I wouldn't want to do this shite either with twits like that hanging about!

Steven, he's leaving, go check on her Marc reminded him, knowing how Steven can get distracted

Oh! Right, thanks mate What Steven saw broke his heart.

You were staring off into space, shaking as your coworker tried to comfort you, but you looked like you were about to cry. Steven rushed over, careful not to touch you lest he overwhelm you right now. "Hey love, you would like to step outside? Or maybe walk around for a bit?" He turned to McKenna "You can handle it here for a bit, yeah?"

She nodded. "Yeah, go take a breather"

You nod in return, gaze not focusing on him yet. "Uh, yeah, yeah can we step outside" you grab your purse.

You took Steven's hand, not caring if it was too bold. You had been really scared, and he made you feel safe.

"Stevie!" Donna had bellowed as he guided you past the gift shop. "Just where do you think you're going?"

"Having a smoke break, Donna!" He called out.

"You don't smoke!"

"Let me have this, or I'll start" He threatened, looking at Donna challengingly. When she didn't argue, he continued "Right then, cheers" and took you outside to breath. "Hey there, are you-" But he was cut off with a strong hug and quit cries. He wrapped his arms around you, feeling your chest rise and fall in his arms. He didn't speak, merely opting to rub your back appropriately high and allow you to cry to out.

When you pulled back, sniffling, you realized how gross and wet his t-shirt sleeve had gotten. "oh god, I'm sorry Steven" You said, looking defeated in a way he had never seen you, usually so alight with excitement and in love with life.

"Huh?" He looked at the tear covered sleep that may or may have snot on it. "Oh, please, don't worry about that, I didn't even like this shirt" it was his favorite, but that didn't matter.

You were mumbling fuck and shit and goddammit into your purse as you dug through, getting tissues and blowing your nose before using the clean ones to wipe off his shirt as best you could. "Bloody hell, I'm fucking disgusting" you say to yourself more than anything as you frantically try to clean him.

Steven grabs your hand "Darling, no, you aren't disgusting" He catches and holds your gaze for the first time that day. "You just had a scary time, that man was horrible, and I hope he forgets to put his seat down on the toilet, then wakes up in the middle of the night to shit and falls in."

Finally, you laugh and grace him with the smile he loved so much. "That's... a bit out of pocket"

"Yeah" He breaths out a laugh, shrugging a bit, nervously.

"Here" You take off your oversized jacket and hand it to him.

"Oh! No love, it's fine-"

"Steven, my snot is on your sleeve, please allow me this little bit of dignity"

Steven graciously accepts the jacket, and you can help smile at how cute he looks with Baby Yoda on the breast pocket. Having felt pain in your arm when you took the jacket off, you pull up the sleeve to find bruises forming on your arm, and wince.

Steven took your arm in a carful hold, frowning deeply as he examined it Hijo de puta I'll fucking kill him "Bastard's banned, I'll have JB pull up the security camera footage, he won't be allowed back after this"

You wipe tears from your eyes with your arm, and try to explain yourself. "I... know that was a bit of a, erm, an overreaction" you sniffle. "There's been guys who... well I've been in some scary situations... um..." you hesitate to open up about that part of your life.

Steven sensed your discomfort. "It's okay, you don't have to tell me anything you don't want to" You smile. You weren't ready for that yet, but you knew he'd listen if you were. He continues, justifying your reaction for you. "I would be scared too, if someone did that too me. He hurt you, love. And the song that was playing, that was Linkin Park, yeah? That song that always upsets you? I'm certain that didn't help"

You pause at that. "Since when do you listen to Linkin Park? Since when do you even listen to music?"

Steven looked like he had been caught. "Oh... uh... Well, since you told me they were your favorite band, I suppose. Can't say I understand all the appeal, but I've found some I liked." He said shyly, knowing he was letting the cat out of the bag.

You blink at him, eye wide with disbelief. "You... you listened to my favorite band?"

Steven cocked his head to the side a bit. "Bands. I've listened to several you mentioned. I've found I rather like Panic! At the Disco, which I didn't see coming"

You burst out in a laugh and wide grin. "Steven, do you have any plans tonight?" You ask, taking his hand.

Say something smooth, this is your chance.

"Um... yeah, I'm cooking dinner for my pretty coworker" Steven smiled nervously, brown curls falling in his face.

You beam at him, leaning into his shoulder as you walk back inside. As you walk through the doors, you clarify. "The coworker is me, right?"

"There's no one else I'd rather spend the evening with"

***************

I know this was incredibly self-indulgent but I hope ya'll liked it anyway. When this happened, I had to deal with it alone, but after work I walked home with this coworker I had a crush on (he lived a block away so he always walked me home) and he saw I was upset after what happened so he asked me to explain star wars to him.

me "uh, like, what about it?"

him "I know the basics of the origenals, tell me the plot of the movies"

"which ones?"

"all of them"

"theres nine movies"

"and i wanna hear about all of them"

Even after we got to my apartment he sat outside with me as I finished explaining 8 and 9, and he activily participated and pretended to be invested, which significantly distracted me from the triggering even of the man at work grabbing me. I wanted to marry him so bad but I had to move out of that living situation XD so i left the state

Also: my birthday is July 20th. linkin park is my favorite band, which means on July 20, 2017 I woke up to the news that Chester Bennington had died on the birthday I shared with chesters friend and another artist i loved, chris cornell, who had killed himself earlier that year. it took years before I was able to properly celebrate my birthdy instead of mourning. I always find a way to remember chester and chris every year thought, an honor their memories.

anyway, hope you Steven girlies liked this! I think Ima drop another super short drabble tonight too, bc im going through it right now lol.

@my-secret-shame-but-fanfiction @welcometostayingawake @in-between-the-cafes @lucianadraven32 @milkymoon2483 @ahookedheroespureheart

[yukipri]

Today's International Tea Day!

So I wanted to share some reviews of the Star Wars-inspired teas that Friday Afternoon released on May 4th.

Friday Afternoon is one of my fav indie tea shops, and their teas are both delicious and full of fandom fun. Plus, the shop's super queer! Please give them some love if u want some tea! (no this message isn't sponsored. I just love them, and am ecstatic they finally have SW teas!)

Also wanted to show off the new Star Wars x Starbucks destination mugs too!

Descriptions, mini reviews, and links beneath cut!

First tea: Light Side!

Presented in the Coruscant destination mug.

Ingredients from their site: White tea, black tea, lemon peel, ginkgo biloba, sunflower petal, natural vegan cream flavoring

I usually don’t go for white teas, but this was a really nice floral, with a delicate aroma but surprisingly strong flavor! I enjoyed it both hot and iced.

Dark Side

Ingredients from their site: Aged dark tea, cacao nib, ginger, granulated honey, clove, natural chocolate flavoring

This one's much more the kind of tea that I usually gravitate towards! It's definitely dark, rich, and spicy, a little earthy, and it has a kick! I wouldn't necessarily call it sweet, but it tastes like the color "burned dark red so dark it's brown." I've only tried this one hot so far, but I really like it!

Both of these teas are NOT currently available on their site, but will return during their winter fandom rotation on 12/1. Here's the link anyway! They have a ton of other awesome teas currently available though, and I super recommend you check them out!

Lastly,

The Mugs

Past few years, Disney's always released 3 "destination mugs" on May 4th in collaboration with Starbucks. They're meant to look like the destination mugs at Starbucks stores sold around the world, except they're Star Wars planets! This year, they released Jakku, Coruscant, and Mustafar.

While I really liked the Jakku one too, these mugs are expensive, and I already have too many mugs. So I just got my two prequels ones! They're nice, big mugs, and I think the wrap around art and the variety of scenes depicted are very charming.

As of writing this post, Jakku and Coruscant are still available on Shop Disney, but Mustafar appears to have sold out. They're always limited edition and go fast! (hoping they do Kamino next year...!)

[mariacallous]

Along with the cans of macaroons, jelly rings and coconut marshmallows, every Passover supermarket display includes bags of Joyva sesame candy. It’s not terrible, but nothing compares to the deliciousness of homemade sesame brittle. 

Our Moroccan and Iraqi mothers and grandmothers always made batches of their own sesame brittle for Jewish holidays, hennas (a traditional Sephardic pre-wedding celebration), bris ceremonies and mimouna (a traditional North African celebration to mark the end of Passover).

The combination of toasted sesame seeds and honey originated with the Ancient Greeks, then spread throughout the Middle East and Southern Europe. In Greece and Cyprus, it’s called “pasteli;” in Arabic “haloua de jijlan;” in Spanish “aljalwas de ajonjoli;” in Italian “giuggiulena;” and “croquent de sesames” in French.

Sesame brittle is still very popular throughout the Middle East, Italy and Spain. European bakers consider it chic to decorate wedding cakes and cream puff towers with thin strips of sesame toffee. And while peanut brittle reigns supreme in the U.S., sesame brittle is growing in popularity  — not that it ever went out of style in our homes.

Rachel’s Spanish Moroccan family calls sesame brittle “halwa.” As a little girl, she recalls her mother, Rica, making it for all their family celebrations, served with a glass of fresh mint (nana) tea. Nowadays, her husband and cousins are so excited when she makes it. Sharon’s grandmother called sesame brittle “sim`isiyi,” and always had a tin of it on hand. She would serve it to her guests on long Shabbat afternoons with fresh fruit and a small glass of cardamom tea.  

The texture of this joyous, nostalgic dessert can vary from chewy to extra crispy, and the recipe may include roasted almonds. Vegan and gluten-free, it’s the perfect quick treat to add to your repertoire, coming together in 30 minutes.

Notes: 

When making sesame brittle, make sure to lay out all the utensils and have the ingredients pre-measured. Working with hot sugar means having to work quickly, before it has a chance to harden. 

The tricky part is to roll the brittle thin. We recommend using a stone countertop or a Silpat non-stick mat on the bottom and another on top of the syrup. Place the rolling pin on top of the mat, to ensure that it doesn’t stick.

Store in a tin or glass container with a tight lid for 4-6 weeks. 

[ramblingteadrinker]

It’s my birthday next week and I’m going to York (again lol) but with Ben and I can’t wait to show him my happy place and all my favourite places! I just really love hanging out with him & its going to be even better in the best city🥰

Booked to do the Van Gough experience, comedy horror bus, HP mini golf, vegan afternoon tea at Betty’s and the vegan Chinese! Also going to try and go to a speak easy for some tasty cocktails 😍 when I say about doing stuff he just says he just wants me to have the best time for my birthday so anything I want, we do😭

[morethansalad]

Avocado Afternoon Tea Platter (Vegan & Gluten-Free)

[cuppa-and-a-view]

Sunday afternoon

Cuppa: hot chocolate

View: boating pond, Queen's Park, Glasgow

This afternoon we had a wee picnic to ourselves, in the company of quite a lot of Glasgow. It was a fresh Spring day and everyone wanted to be in the park.

Glasgow looks smashing on a sunny Spring day. Did you know "smashing" comes from the Scots Gaelic "is math sin" (pronounced like "sma-shin")? A lot of Scottish terms come from the Gaelic. Glasgow has the largest population of Gaelic native speakers outwith the Highlands and Islands, and we say "smashing" a lot here. Related? Who knows?

We came into town to go to the Park Lane Market, one of a number of small craft markets that happen in Glasgow's streets, parks, and in this case, funny wee lanes.

Finished off a pleasant afternoon with an iced watermelon green tea and a vegan cinnamon roll at Hugs & Mugs. This is very much a vegan cinnamon roll type of area.

Glasgow's had a very rough few years for various reasons, but the city's still bonny. The Dear Green Place, just coming into its greenest season.