Breakfast at Wimbledon

It’s summer. It’s tradition. It’s Breakfast at Wimbledon.

Yesterday it was so hot here it made me hate my life.  It reminded me why I don’t live south, or east, and it made me wonder how on Earth I survived summers on a tennis court growing up in Florida.  While I live to tell tales, I’m pretty sure it shaved a few years off of my life. Speaking of tennis, here you have a menu for Breakfast at Wimbledon.

Being the major Anglophile that I am, and an avid tennis player, Wimbledon is my favorite sporting event. There’s something about the ceremony and tradition of it that I simply love and while I’m admittedly out of the loop for most of the season, Breakfast at Wimbledon is not to be missed.

Ten (ten…eek!) years ago when I was studying abroad for the summer, I had the chance to actually go to Wimbledon. We woke up early, joined a ridiculously long queue, chatted with the friendly bobby that was minding the line and wormed our way onto the ground with the throngs of other excited fans.

It was such a dream, and the magic and excitement of being on the grounds was enough to turn my friend hockey-loving friend into a lifelong fan.

Before breakfast, a little history. The Championships at Wimbledon have been around since 1877, and are hosted at the All England Club, located in the outskirts of London.  One of the four tennis grand slams, it’s the only slam played on grass, and timing wise, it’s sandwiched between the French and U.S. Opens and rolls out sometime around July 4th.

Summertime, summertime.

Breakfast at Wimbledon is actually an American tradition since, being 5 hours behind England, NBC’s coverage began early in the morning and we always watched the men’s final over breakfast.

So, what’s to eat?

Here’s the menu that I threw together for others willing to get up and watch a few hours of tennis with me one Sunday morning.

Strawberries and cream, obviously.

Scones, necessary.

Smoked Salmon and Goat Cheese Quiche, for sustenance.

Bangers, an afterthought.

Victoria Sponge (Victoria Sandwich), for dessert.

Blackberry and Elderflower Pimms’ Cup, for pizzaz.

Let’s break it down.

According to the Times, the tradition of strawberries at Wimbledon has been around since the very start- both the fruit and the games signaling the start of summer.  And, despite what I’m looking at outside my window, it is summer.

The Victoria Sponge, or Victoria Sandwich cake has been on my to-make list for a while. There’s nothing notably special about it- a simple sponge layered with jam and whipped cream- but for something like cake for breakfast or an afternoon tea party, it works just splendidly.  Plus, I am obsessed with fresh whipped cream and unnecessarily hoard jam, so if I think about it, seems like this is my perfect cake.  For a lovely write up and story about the Victoria Sponge, check out Global Table Adventure.  Mary Poppins is referenced, so it’s clearly worth the read.

Anyway, the idea behind this recipe is to weigh the eggs at the offset, and then match that weight in butter, flour and sugar.  I did that, and came up with some volume measurements that weren’t all nice and even, but that was a little bit of the fun of it. I talked to mom and she made a good point that these would probably change with the weather: more or less humanity, etc. She’s right, so for best result, bust out the scale. If you don’t have one, I think these measurements would surely still do.

As for the Pimms’, I’d heard some not so great reviews of the traditional Wimbledon cordial, but this concoction got rave review at my table.  While it was no margarita (love margaritas…), it was quite tasty and perhaps an interesting way to mix up a summer picnic after too many weeks of Sangria.  The blackberry and elderflower flavor gives this a beautiful color and ties in with the fruitiness of the rest of the menu.

From start to finish, this Breakfast at Wimbledon spread will have you munching from the first serve to when the final ball is called out.