The Tea Party at Mr. Tumnus's: the recipe for tea at the faun's

In The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the first Narnian Lucy meets invites her to tea in his cave, by the fire. The faun produces a real feast: a soft-boiled egg for each, sardines on toast, buttered toast, honey toast, and then a cake covered in sugar. Here’s how to recreate it at home, for four gourmands.

Spoiler-free: the scene takes place at the very beginning of the book (chapter 2).

The tea party in the book

Lucy has just stepped through the wardrobe. Under the snow, near the lamppost, she meets Mr Tumnus, a faun carrying parcels and an umbrella, who takes her to his cave. During the tea party, he tells her about life in the Narnian woods before the long winter. The menu, meanwhile, is very English: it’s the “tea” of the afternoon, with hot toast and cake.

For four people

Soft-boiled eggs

• 4 very fresh eggs, preferably brown-shelled
• a pinch of salt

1. Bring a saucepan of water to a boil, then reduce the heat slightly.
2. Lower the eggs in with a spoon and cook for 3 minutes for a runny yolk (5 to 6 minutes for a firmer, slightly less runny egg).
3. Serve immediately in egg cups, with strips of toast.

Sardines on toast

• 1 tin of sardines in oil
• 4 slices of sandwich bread
• a squeeze of lemon juice, a little pepper

1. Toast the bread.
2. Drain the sardines, mash them roughly with a fork along with the lemon and pepper.
3. Spread on the hot toast and cut into triangles.

Buttered toast and honey toast

• 8 slices of sandwich bread
• salted butter
• liquid honey

1. Toast the bread and butter it while still hot, so that the butter melts.
2. Leave half the toast plain, and drizzle honey over the other half.

Cake covered in sugar

• 3 eggs
• 150 g sugar
• 150 g flour
• ½ packet of baking powder
• 125 g melted butter
• For the icing: 150 g powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, a few pearl sugar grains

1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Grease a round cake tin of about 22 cm.
2. Beat the eggs and sugar until the mixture is pale.
3. Add the flour and baking powder, then the melted butter, slightly cooled.
4. Pour into the tin and bake for 30 to 35 minutes: a skewer inserted in the centre should come out clean.
5. Let cool. Mix the powdered sugar and lemon, spread on top and sprinkle with pearl sugar.

For the staging

• A tablecloth, a mismatched teapot and cups: a faun’s cave is no drawing room.
• An umbrella placed in a corner and a red scarf, in memory of Mr Tumnus’ first appearance.
• For the children, hot chocolate or warm honey milk makes a fine substitute for tea.

Safety: boiling water and the oven are for adults only. The younger ones can butter the toast and decorate the cake.

Other recipes and activities

• The recipe for Turkish Delight, the White Witch’s favorite treat.
• The feast of the Beavers, another grand meal from the book.
• The Narnia birthday kit, with printable buffet labels.