Tea Time With Tasha Tudor

A Special Memory

When someone mentions the custom of afternoon tea, my thoughts often go back to sharing tea with children’s author Tasha Tudor in her country home many years ago. I was an aspiring young writer at that time, and this well known children’s author/illustrator invited me to meet with her to discuss writing.

Why she decided to make time for me in her busy schedule, I'll never know. However, I'll always be grateful for that lovely afternoon and the encouragement Tasha Tudor gave me which kept me going when I sometimes wondered if I'd become a published children’s author/illustrator.

Tea at the Fireplace

Tasha Tudor heated the water in a tea kettle hung on a crane in the large fireplace of her rustic living room. Once the water had boiled and we waited for the tea to steep in the pot, the author made cinnamon toast on a rack over the fire.

When my parents, who were visiting from another state, stopped to pick me up after their drive around the countryside, Tasha Tudor insisted they come in for a cup of tea.
That was one of the highlights of my mom’s life, too...tea with an author.

Encouragement

As I've become a published author, I've always remembered the time Tasha Tudor spent with me that fall afternoon and have tried to encourage beginning writers, too. She's an example of a author who unselfishly gave of her time and knowledge to a fledgling writer.

Her encouragement, and words of caution about the tough times, helped keep me going when I wondered if I'd ever be published.

(c)2001 Mary Emma Allen


Books for further enjoyment:

Pumpkin Moonshine: Tasha's first published book

Drawn from New England by Bethany Tudor (Biography of Tasha's life written by her daughter;

The Private World of Tasha Tudor by Tasha Tudor and Richard W. Brown

The Tasha Tudor Cookbook: Recipes and Reminiscences from Corgi Cottage by Tasha Tudor

Tasha Tudor's Garden by Tovah Martin; Richard W. Brown, photographer