I was working in the shop downstairs doing manly things. Adding chain plates for dead eyes to support the funnel for the French Frigate Sphinx.  But I had to stop work early to go upstairs to make Tea Biscuits.  

Some background.  Last week Pat and I made a huge batch of 8 bean soup with ham and veggies.  We had it as a main meal but in the last week or so I have used small batches to share with my sandwich for lunch.  Absolutely, a delicious soup like nothing you get out of a can.  When we have soup as the main meal, I would prepare my special bread loaf to go with it.   

After a number of days of great but hearty meals (like South Carolina back ribs yesterday), we decided for Monday to use up the last of the bean soup.  I did not think to prepare a loaf of bread.

Now I could have made a French stick but the last time I made this, the work involved (an hour of kneading and massaging) put the kibosh on that.  Also did not want to head off to the store as we are trying to minimize our external contacts.  So I decided to make tea biscuits, or as we knew them growing up, baking powder biscuits.

These were common when we were kids.  Our mother never had the time to bake bread but she could often whip off a batch of biscuits for our dinner after she got home for work.  Properly done, these biscuits are delicious but there is a narrow time in the baking between underdone and the kind of biscuits used in the Royal Navy called Hard Tack.  Even in our youth the biscuits were no good the next day as they turned hard, but with Blaine and I, never a problem.  Give a little butter and honey and they were gone.  Dale started making them when she took home ec in high school and became involved in feeding us.

Pat dug out her cook book from when she was taking home ec in high school for me.  Lots of penciling in the side margins.  

I made perfect tea biscuits tonight to go with our bean soup.  Light and fluffy with a crisp crust.  Just like they serve the Queen.