Rose Tea Cottage

Where tea is served at half past four





While on holiday, I visited my dear friend Kate who lives in a charming farmhouse with her adorable daughter Mia, two Persian cats, Darling and Delight and her Welsh Corgi, Duchess. Yes...Duchess!! One of the most enjoyable aspects of my visit with Kate was helping her pick fresh fruits and vegetables she grows in her magnificent garden. The day I arrived, Kate prepared a scrumptious feast using a variety of her Heritage tomatoes (or Heirloom as they are known in the US), grilled aubergine and fresh cheese straight from her farm. Dinner was fabulous and so was the rest of my stay. I had a marvelous time. Thank you, Kate darling!!


Kate is a fabulous cook...her masterpiece…our supper!!

Heirloom tomatoes are open-pollinated rather than hybrid or genetically modified varieties of tomatoes. They are grown from plants and seeds that have been handed down from generation to generation. With such lineage, there’s generally a name and a story behind each delectable variety.

Heritage tomatoes are best enjoyed in their most natural state, unadorned and unfussed, sliced and tucked in between fresh Mozzarella cheese and basil with a small drizzle of olive oil and sprinkle of sea salt.

Heritage tomatoes come in a variety of shapes and colors. Their texture is softer than the average tomato with an acidity and tartness and yet delicate sweetness which makes them a delight to eat.

A summery heaven on a plate!!

The Peony of the vegetable garden!!


The Isles Heritage are yellow in color and have a pleasantly sweet flavor with a hint of citrus. The Sir Winston varieties are orange in color, juicy, and spicy in flavor.

Lord Greenish is a brightly green and yellow English Heritage with an evenly round shape and a smooth flesh. Small in size, huge in flavor!!

Grilled Heritage Bruschetta is a delectable summer meal!!

The Black Krim is a Russian Heritage with a rather large and malformed body and a savory, smoky, delightful flavor.

Grilled Portobello mushroom, topped with red Roma tomato, goat cheese, shaved fresh garlic and a sprig of basil with a sprinkle of aged balsamic vinegar.


I sincerely wish I had packed all of you in my pink cases and took you along with me.

I
truly missed each and everyone of you!!

49 comments:

debra@dustjacket said...

Missed you too! ;)

There is nothing better than a real tomato, I will definitely be putting some in our new place ~ whenever that happens!

Beautiful photo's made my mouth water.

xxxx

diana said...

Wonderful blog!

Anonymous said...

Welcome home, sweet Duchess! Oh how I love fresh tomatoes~~what an informative post on these delicious fruits! Beautiful photos, too.
Thanks so much for sharing...
Hugs,
Lynn♥

~Let FREEDOM Ring!~

Anonymous said...

Glad to have you back - good to hear you had a good time. Those tomatoes look delicious. How loverly.

Girl With One Eye x

Lola said...

Wonderful to have you back, Duchess! And such scrumptious pics!


See you again soon!

xxxLOL LOLA:)
PS link to you, my dear, in my latest post -an interview with myself (no, don't ask!)

Unknown said...

What stunningly presented salads! I wish i could find all of these beautiful heirloom tomatoes at my supermarket.
welcome home :)

parTea lady said...

Welcome home. So glad you had a lovely visit with your friend Kate.

The Heritage tomatoes sound great and I enjoyed all the luscious pics. I will be making pasta sauce today with a large basket of tomatoes that were a gift from my neighbors garden.

Unknown said...

So wonderful to see you back and even, more importantly, to know that you had such a wonderful time!Your beautiful post is the best proof of that.The pictures of tomatoes and delightful dishes made out of them made me so very hungry!!! Thank you for sharing this wonderful experience with me :-)))

Lynn said...

Morning Duchess, great to hear about your visit with Kate, I would love to have come along :)
She really knows how to eat healthy too doesn't she, these dishes are mouth watering.
My inlaws are Italian and have a large vegetable garden where they grow the same tomatoes, only with all the rains we have had this summer they are not doing well at all. The zucchini which I believe the British call them something else are doing wonderful, and they have a special seed which makes almost a tomatoe shaped zucchini. My aunt took some seeds home to Britain so I know they are over there somewhere, they are wonderful carved out and stuffed. Maybe Kate has some :)

Wendy said...

What a scrumptious holiday, truly worthy of you Duchess!
Wx

Magdalena said...

Welcome home dutchess. Sounds like the loveliest time and the heirloom tomatoes look divine!! (I want to thank you again for the lovely blog award and I will be linking and writing about you this week my dear!!)
xoxo
Bunny

Rose said...

Happy to hear you had a lovely time Duchess! I wish u would have packed me in your pink case so i could try those amazing tomatos! I have always wanted to try a yellow tomato. and I love bruschetta!
It looks like your friend spoilt you with all those lovely dishes.
Love this post and the gorgeous photos too.

Rose

Dumbwit Tellher said...

So happy you had a fabulous time. You rightly deserved it.We all miss you as well.

Who knew so much about lovely tomatoes? The photos were unreal. Thanks for sharing dear Duchess & glad you made it home safely!
Xxdeb

Selba said...

Welcome back, Duchess!

Have been missing you a lot!

Those tomatoes look so delicious and fresh.

Unknown said...

wow just look at all those tomatoes...so glad your home and that you enjoyed your visit

Country Wings in Phoenix said...

Good Morning Sweet Duchess,
Glad you are back. Wonderful looking meals today. I would say you had a wonderful time for sure. I wanted to stop over and let you know that you want to visit my blog, and please remember Amy in prayer. They are at this time transporting Amy to Oklahoma City where she will be having her surgery in less than 3 hours. She is in so much pain. Thank God the Dr/s moved the surgery up a week, God knew it was going to be needed, as she was unable to tolerate the pain any longer through the night. She was taking pain medication every hour through the night. They are having trouble keeping Amy comfortable. Debbie and I talked throughout the night. She nor I could sleep. Very restless night. I am not going in to work today. I decided to stay home and wait for news and pray. These things I can do. Work will be there tomorrow. I will post messages as Debbie calls me throughtout the day. Love, Sherry

koralee said...

Welcome Back...I missed you! Looks like you had a yummy holiday...I love love tomatoes...ripe off the vine...great images! Happy week to you!

Anonymous said...

Mmm, that looks sooo good. I have this favorite dish now: tomatoes with basil and sprinkled with a sweet balsamic. It's gorgeous.

Madeline's Album said...

Glad you are back safe and sound. You really did have a good time. All the tomatoes look so good. Thank you for your visit and comment on my blog. Have a wonderful day.

Anonymous said...

Welcome back dear Duchess. We missed you. It sounds like you had a lovely time away. I just love fresh vegetables and especially tomatoes. Everything you posted looks incredibly delicious. Thank you for sharing. I hope you have a most beautiful day.

Pomona said...

Yummy toms, Your Grace - much better than all those nasty F1s.

Pomona x

Simply Colette said...

Welcome back! Glad you had safe travels. Farm fresh cheese and homegrown tomatoes, sounds like you had a wonderful time!

My little Sage loves your post! Can you believe my cat's favorite food is tomatoes? She can smell them when I leave them on the counter, and if it's the middle of the night... well I can't tell you how many half eaten tomatoes I've found on the floor in the morning. I do it sometimes just to test her...because it's so cute.

xoxo

tea time and roses said...

What a lovely time you and your dear friend Kate must have shared together. I absolutely love the name of her kitties!:o) Everything looks absolutely delicious! Your photos are simply beautiful. Enjoy a lovely week.

Smiles...

Beverly

Unknown said...

oh my, those dishes all look delicious, particularly the one with eggplant. YUMM!! i'm ready for supper now!

Unknown said...

Glad your back! Beautiful photography, making my mouth water! x

Linens and Royals said...

Welcome back Duchess, my mouth is watering here after seeing those delicious plates of food. Kate sounds the perfect friend for such an elegant lady as you to have, love the cats' names too.
So pleased you have seen the regal award you presented displayed so prominently, I am so proud of it.
Thank You again Dear Duchess XX

Anonymous said...

Hello there!☺

So glad to have you back!

Our local grocery usually has a bin of heirloom tomato's but they are so expensive that I've never picked one up. For sure I will be picking up more fruit & produce in the coming days for my health purposes!

Have a wonderful evening!

JamaGenie said...

So glad you're back! What a wonderful time you had, and what wonderful food! All of the Heritage tomatoes look divine, and thank you sooo much for explaining how they differ from "regular" tomatoes. I never would've known otherwise!

Anne said...

Glad to see you back Duchess! It looks like you had a fabulous time with your friend.

Mary said...

So glad you had a good visit with friends...it's nice to get away. The tomatoes look wonderful! My favorite fruit/veggie...we grow them as well, but they often disappear just as they ripen. We've caught our dog nibbling on them, but we think we have some other visitors late in the night as well! Welcome back! Mary

Sierra said...

What a wonderful holiday Duchess, you were missed! Those tomatoes look so fresh and yummy, what a wonderful cook your friend is! Thanks for entering into the giveaway, xoxo!

Anonymous said...

Welcome back dear...Really missed ur beautiful posts.Happy to hear u had a nice time.
Amazing pics!!!

yyam said...

Awwww...gorgeous pictures...I love tomatoes! Thanks for sharing! :)

love home|life|style said...

Glad you are back!
I am now so hungry its untrue, they all look delicious!
yummy yummy in my tummy!

Creations by Marie Antoinette and Edie Marie said...

Hello my dear Dutches of tea...
I'm so glad your back and had a marelous time.You were missed.I know I missed you.
Those tomatoes look devine.I can taste them now.
I love tomatoes.We eat them almost at every meal.
Slow down and smell the roses sweetie...XXOO Marie Antionette

Tiff said...

I'm so glad your back, and quite happy to hear you had such a wonderful mini vacation. Did you take any photos of your friend's farm?

I adore heirloom tomatoes....tomatoes period but especially the heirloom type. Lovely pictures. I'm thinking a super sweet, chunky, cool, summer salad for dinner is in order.

Elizabeth and Gary said...

So very happy you are home. What a sweet and gracious friend and such a beautiful and healthy meal she prepared for you. The tomatoes are just outstanding and the colors are amazing. A great post.
Take care and enjoy your day,
Elizabeth

Mimi said...

HI!!!
I LOVE TOMATO'S!!!!!
Always have!!!!
so yummy in so many ways!!! Love fresh salsa made with real tomato's!!!!!
hugs,
jamie

mimi charmante said...

What an absolutely delicious post! I love tomato season - especially heirloom tomatoes~

Sanghi said...

I Love roses.. and expecially pink.. Ur blog simply attracted me! I came form aysha's blog..! Do check mine! I'm following!

Marilyn Miller said...

Welcome back. Love the tomatoes.

Faiza Ali said...

Welcome back dear.Missed your lovely posts and amazing pics. I have fallen in love with your blog :)

And wow! look at the varieties and so many colors of tomatoes. The food looks yummy and mouthwatering :)

The Prodigal Tourist said...

Your Grace, how lovely to sample your lovely toms, Prodigal Wife and I are growing some heirlooms and can't wait to annoint them with the cold-pressed oil and freshly torn basil leaves and perhaps a little balsamic vinegar! I trust your royal progress was a complete success. We are pleased you are safely back in the stately home enjoying a delicious cuppa.

beachvintage.com said...

Wow, glad you made it back ok, loving all that food darling.

Abatevintage said...

Duchess, I am sorry I have not been able to blog in a while, life's been hectic. I wanted to say first welcome back. I also wanted to say thank you so much for your thoughts and prayers with my cousin Amy, your warm words are wonderful to read when I am feeling down. Thank you so much for visiting I will try to keep the blog updated, it's just hard to snap out of the darkness sometimes.

Congratulations on your blog award that is wonderful.

Take care and many blessings,
Heidi

Muneeba said...

are u kidding me??!! how have I missed your blog?! It's a sin that must be remedied tout suite! Your pics are amaaaaazing, the food looks divine ... and I'm going gaga for your friend's hats!

The Feathered Nest said...

What a wonderful, yummy post!!!! I love each and every photo and you've made me incredibly hungry!!! Sounds like you had a wonderful time too ~ thank you so much for visiting my blog and I'm so glad because I was able to find you!!! xxoo, Dawn

CAKE Creative Co. said...

i love these beautiful presentations of heirlooms. makes me want to eat some caprese salad! glad you had fun on vacation- welcome back!

Poppy Cottage said...

These look so yummy!

Sharon

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