Tea and Sympathy

I really like this book, not only for the yummy recipes but for the slice of life it portrays. I'm a Brit too & liked the idea of having a little embassy that feeds you too in NYC. I've tried several of the recipes & they all turned out well.

Having lived in London in the late 60s and early 70s, I was surprised to find there were no real authentic British restaurants in New York City. I am not a Pub person, so sitting alone with a pint in some dark-wooded, beer-smelling bar was not for me. And one day, there it was! Tea & Sympathy. As I looked through the windows into the tiny space that was packed with people, I said to my friend; Isn't that Rupert Everett! Indeed, it was. I always tend to eat the same dish; lamb shepherds pie, along with ginger beer and sticky toffee pudding, so I cannot comment on how great all the other dishes are there. But I am told they are equally as yummy. When I bought this book I had Nicky Perry (owner & co-contributor to book) sign it for me. She will be delighted to sign yours, too if you drop by. They have a darling shop next door that sells incredible teapots and other British items you cannot find anywhere in New York City and beyond. I bought one of their cat teapots for my friend Ruth, and a cat teapot with a different design for me. As if their incredible food and ambiance isn't enough, they have opened a fish and chips place next to the gift shop which they have named: A Salt & Battery. Aside from the various kinds of fish you can also ordered fried candy bars. So the Perry's pretty much have all their bases covered. The cookbook is a treasure trove of British recipes. As the winter (2007)finally arrives in Manhattan, if you can't make it to Tea & Sympathy, you have the cookbook to create your own feel good dishes. I highly recommend both book and boite. You simply can't go wrong.

I like this book at lot. I've eaten about one page a day with my morning cuppa and so far it tastes great.

This is far more than a cookbook -- in fact, calling it a cookbook is like calling 'Moby Dick' a fishing story. Every recipe is preluded by a hilarious anecdotal story about the author's life in New York as a waitress trying to 'make it,' and these tales create a marvelously entertaining narrative thread. The vignettes of customers are wickedly funny -- Naughton has an eye for skewering the pretentions of New Yorkers, both native and Anglo. Many of the tales are delightfully ribald -- a cross between Seinfeld and Sex and the City. A great present for the Christmas season -- the recipes suit the weather, and the stories are worth reading aloud on the long winter nights!

I have been going to Tea & Sympathy for almost as long as it has been open and this book really captures the feel of the place. Aside from all of the recipes I have been dying to have for years, I now feel privy to the repartee I always knew existed between the people who work there. What a joy! Now I can make the English food I have come to love myself AND when I go to the shop I am in the loop! If you have never been to T & S this is certainly the next best thing.