About Me

My name is Giuliana Orme.

Although I have an Italian first name name (Italian father, very English mother!) I was brought up and educated in England.

I’ve always been passionate about baking and the tradition of Afternoon Tea and I literally learned my craft “at my mother’s knee”!

Yes – I was lucky enough to have a mother who was a wonderful home baker who often treated our family and friends to really delicious Afternoon Teas!

Apparently I baked my first Victoria Sandwich (Victoria Sponge) as a very young child and now I really enjoy baking this traditional favourite every week to serve at my Afternoon Tea Class.

It all began when I was holding informal Afternoon Tea classes for my friends who wanted to learn how to make Afternoon Tea and the perfect scones. They encouraged me to formalise my classes and so I crafted an experience that everyone could enjoy and gave my first official class in October 2002.

My aim was and is – to keep this lovely old tradition ALIVE in the home and not just in hotels and Tea rooms! (Not that I have anything against hotels and tea rooms!)

I want to re-introduce Afternoon Tea back into people’s homes, to emphasise what a nice thing it is to do socially and to say “anybody and everybody can have a go!”

I try to bring this very special and convivial tradition to life in the setting of my typically English (Victorian) home. My Afternoon Tea Class gives people the opportunity to enjoy this lovely old tradition in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere and to learn all about English customs and traditions.

I’m also keen to demystify the whole snobbery that sometimes surrounds Afternoon Tea and to dispel any anxieties people may have about tea manners and etiquette. I really want to explain the history of this lovely old tradition and encourage people to relax enjoy it in ways that feel right for them!

I have been lucky enough to give my classes to people from all over the world, many of whom have very generously ‘spread the word’ in blogs and articles, some of which you can see here on my press page and here on my feedback page. So far, I have welcomed students from Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, China, India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Australia, Pakistan, Brazil, Argentina, South Africa, Ghana, USA, Canada, Sweden, Denmark, Russia, France, Spanish, Portugal, Italy, Belgium, Greece, Jamaica and if I’ve left anyone out please forgive me and let me know!

It was actually my students who inspired and encouraged me to write my book “Afternoon Tea at Home – Made Simple”.

The book involved extensive research and goes into much more detail than I am able to cover in the class! It is also especially useful for people who want to learn more about the ‘tea’ itself.

It was first published in 2008 and is available for purchase at my classes. You can see more details about my book here.

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My Music

I am also passionate about music. Here are some of my songs, which you are welcome to listen to or download. Just click on the play button next to each track below:

Track One: Autumn Leaves