The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1891-08-26
ESTHETIC SANDWICHES.
A TOothsone Dainty Favored
with tho OdOrs Of Flowers
They Were Invented md Prepared By tho
Ladies OF o Quiot English Homestead
as u Novelty for tho Even
Ing Meal.

dON1Cal as TO speak OF an eSCdetlc SauS-
age; and yet In England the gentle
women serve, at afternoon tea, sand
wiches so ambrosial that they fully JUS
tify the paradox.
These dainty delights, 50 diaphanous
that they are almost ethereal, tasted
for the first time ut Elmswood house,
in Devon, says 8. T. Sherman In Table
Talk.
Elnswood house enjoys tho distino-
ton of having tho best-appointed five
o'clocl, tea table In all England, which
Is no modest distinction In q country
where afternoon tea Is such On indis-
pensablc adjunct to everyday life.
The csthetlo sandwich was invented
by the Indies Of Elmswood house, as n
novelty to accompany tho tea, one re-
cent summer; but it proved so popular
that it remained feature of their table
all the ensuing winter, and finally be-
came staple, appearing with the urn
Such q perfect beverage must needs
have o perfect accompaniment; so, to
meet this demand, the esthetic sandwich
was invented, and over since fashion
able England has been eating vfolets
and roses, cowslips and orange bios
SONS with her daily bread Tho petals
of these blossoms arc not pluclsed and
laid between the buttercd sliccss no
such crude method could obtain at
Elmswood house. Yet their flavors arc
present ns distinctly as if the petals
themselves were there, and for long
time the manner of procuring this effect
was kept q secret by their patrician in
ventors, so that the sandwiches added
to their material deliciousncss the fur
Their zcst of mystery. But the secret
finally waited abroad, as such secrets
subtly will, and at the time Of my Ems
wood visit it had become such IN open
one that was freely taken into tho cold
stone dairy, where Miss Winnifred and
little Gladys unvailed the mystery to
me. On one of the marble shelves
little pat of butter, wrapped In thinnest
dairy cloth, rested on a bed of clover
blossoms in the bottom Of q china tureen,
and Betty, tho maid, wns lining tho
sides of the dish with the same fragrant
blossoms and henping them on top Of
the pat When the tureen would not
hold another blossom, tho Id wes
crushed down upon them and the YES
sci was carried to the huge, COOL gothic
cellar to await "the ornamental meal"
as Mr.. Oliphnnt terms the five o'clock
cup.
Here the butter busted itself absorb
ing fragrance, like beo In the clover,
while beside 1t In o stone jar was the
golden crusted loaf of bread, also
wrapped In film of dairy cloth and
packed snugly in nest of clover bios
SONS. Hero 1t kept cool and moist
while it bode it's time When that
time came it was cut with keen blade
in slices so thin that they were lacy
and diaphanous and had to be buttcred
on the loaf. They came TO tho senses
like the breath Of calves and the scent
of new-mown hay at dewfall With
such an adjunct the wonder ceases
that hot afternoon tca in summer can
seem so delightful to the English, for
all through green June it Is drank with
clover sandwiches one dry, or rose the
next, violet the next, and anon honey
locust blended with orange blossom and
tasting like some exquisite idcalized
honey. Earlier in the season there
have been cherry blossom and apple
blossom buffers, and cowslip and mas
turtium, the two latter being the most
pungent and piquant OF all. and, as
they are very appetizing, they are
great favorites with the gentlemen. No
flowers are used with these buffers cx-
cept the edible flowers; clover. locust
and orange blossoms that the bees
have taught us to relish in honey;
roses and violets that confectioners
have taught us to relish in glaccsi the
cowslip, which Goldsmith aud the
IIowitts have taught us to relish
in the homemade wine of old
time fiction; and tho nasturtium,
which, pungcnt and peppery in
pickles, becomes most unctious in the
esthetic sandwich. This last flavor was
the favoritc, par excellence, with all
the hearty and ruddy young athletes w no
would drop in hungry and thirsty after
cricket, or Rugby, or tennis, for a sip
of Elmswood house souchong and
generous dozen of tho diaphanous
nasturtium dominoes; for the shape. of
this delicate sandwich Is small oblong.
And under these "dominocs" such dis
tinct flowery favors Turk in such COM
plete disguise that the little fenst might
be called the "AInsquo of Flowers" I
have seen the uninitiatcd pick the SIM
pie things to pieces to find the source Of
the aroma, and then stare in baillcd per-
plexity, like the king did at the apple
dumpling, when he was moved to cry
his historic query: "'But how, how got
the apple imp"
1t was one Of the pretty conccits of
E.lypgyynOI hO1-E0 tp 70 hoy
the various channels leather tea coseys
embroidered with tho different flowers
used as flavorings and on clover day to
use the one with clover spray upon it,
on cowslip day the coevslip coscy, on