Tea with Bea

Bea's of Bloomsbury has been offering mouth-watering teatime treats in the heart of London since 2008. Every day the layer cakes, meringues and tiers of cupcakes in the shop window entice passers-by. Now you can enjoy Tea with Bea in your own home with these easy-to-follow recipes. Cookies & bars are made to enjoy with a cup of tea. Be it lavender shortbread or double chocolate chip cookies, there's something here to fill the tins. Imagine afternoon tea and what spring to mind are Scones & Small Cakes. Bea provides the ultimate scone recipe and other sweet fingerfood, such as French macarons. When teatime calls for something special, turn to the Tarts chapter. With recipes for two types of dough, and golden whisky pecan custard pie and key lime pie, you won't be stuck for ideas. Bea's key to cake success is a handful of failsafe recipes that she can always rely on. The Cake chapter is devoted to staple recipes which can be embellished or layered to create the dazzling ideas in the Special Cakes chapter. And when only a Cheesecake will do, you'll find plenty of choice here - from the simple to the sublime.

Bea Vo is a chef and the owner of Bea's of Bloomsbury. Born in the Washington D.C. area, she first discovered her love of pastry at the age of seven when she managed to get flour on the ceiling. Upon graduating in Science and Technology at Cornell University, she immediately threw herself into cuisine. She trained at Le Cordon Bleu and opened Bea's of Bloomsbury in 2008, with branches in London's literary Bloomsbury, the City of London and Chelsea.