The Great Teacup Shortage

If there’s one thing you can not run a tearoom without, it’s teacups. That and scones. And the tea itself.

But teacups, proper china teacups with matching saucers are absolutely essential. I will not serve tea in mugs or glasses.

At Tea by the Sea, my place on Cape Cod, we serve a traditional afternoon tea, with all that entails. Fine china, silver cutlery, linen napkins and tablecloths, fresh flowers on the tables, silver or china tea stands. My food is traditional as well. Scones, tea sandwiches, delicate desserts. Everything made by me and using the freshest possible local ingredients.

Afternoon tea is meant to be a treat, an indulgence. It’s not cheap and it doesn’t attempt to be.

And so, I will NEVER serve tea in mugs. I have mugs in the cupboards, of course. Occasionally we get someone in who doesn’t drink tea (I know??) so we serve coffee, and also iced tea or lemonade in glasses for children and those who’d prefer a cold drink.

Somehow, this summer, I have been caught in the Great Teacup Shortage, and I suddenly found myself running short. Breakage happens in restaurants all the time, and we allow for that, but last week seems to have been a very bad week.

Fortunately help is at hand. Where do you find beautiful tea sets but at an antique fair, and the North Augusta Antique Fair is opening today. I love an antique fair even when I’m not desperate to buy. Nothing I love more than heirloom china. I grabbed Bernie, my best friend, and Rose, my grandmother, to come with me because someone has to help me keep my spending under control.

Oh, look at that absolutely darling Peter Rabbit children’s tea set. A full set with miniature cups and saucers, and side plates illustrated with characters from the Beatrix Potter books. Every piece lovingly nested into a silk-lined wicker box too.

I’ll take it! It will be perfect for serving the children’s tea at Tea by the Sea.

Such a lovely box. I’m sure no one will want anything that might be hidden in it.

If you can’t make it to North Augusta, Cape Cod to my tearoom, I’ve provided a couple of recipes of things I make at Tea by the Sea in the back of Steeped in Malice, and the other books in the series, for you to try at home. China teacups optional.

Steeped in Malice, A Tea by the Sea Mystery Book #4
Genre: Cozy
Release: July 2023
Format: Print, Digital
Purchase Link

With a “beautifully described setting and a cast of charming, small-town characters” (Booklist), this delightful cozy mystery series set in a Cape Cod tea shop will be irresistible for fans of Laura Childs’ Tea Shop series.

Afternoon tea isn’t just about flavorful brews and delicious treats. It’s also about presentation—fine china teacups (never mugs!), with carefully coordinated saucers and plates. With her fragile stock running low, Lily has an excuse to indulge in one of her favorite hobbies: visiting an antiques fair for replacements.

Among other finds, Lily snaps up a charming Peter Rabbit-themed tea set in a wicker basket, perfect for children’s events. But a few days later, a woman named Kimberly marches into the tearoom, rudely demanding to buy it back—then later returns and removes an envelope hidden in the basket’s lining.

An acquaintance of Lily’s named Rachel is on the trail of the tea set too. Apparently, she and Kimberly are half-sisters, searching for their mother’s final will. To her annoyance, Lily is dunked into the middle of this mess—especially when her ex-boyfriend turns out to be involved. But it’s more than a storm in a teacup when one of the sisters is found dead on the grounds of the B&B owned by Lily’s grandmother, Rose.

Is this a simple case of greed boiling over, or are there other suspects in the blend? It’ll take some savvy sleuthing from Lily, Rose, and their allies to find the answers before a killer shatters more lives . . .

About the author
Vicki Delany is one of Canada’s most prolific and varied crime writers and a national bestseller in the U.S. She has written more than fifty books: clever cozies to Gothic thrillers to gritty police procedurals, to historical fiction and novellas for adult literacy. She is currently writing the Tea by the Sea mysteries, the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop series, the Year-Round Christmas mysteries, and the Lighthouse Library series (as Eva Gates).

Vicki is a past chair of the Crime Writers of Canada and co-founder and organizer of the Women Killing It Crime Writing Festival. Her work has been nominated for the Derringer, the Bony Blithe, the Ontario Library Association Golden Oak, and the Arthur Ellis Awards. Vicki is the recipient of the 2019 Derrick Murdoch Award for contributions to Canadian crime writing. She lives in Prince Edward County, Ontario.

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