The Ritual Of Tea

The daily ritual of making Tea is a worldwide phenomenon. I’m sure that any tea drinker could share many beautiful stories of the unique ways they enjoy their Tea. How they serve, offer and have Tea prepared for them. My husband regularly makes me Tea when I’m out in the garden, making tea first thing…

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High Tea

“The daintiness and yet elegance of a china teacup focuses one to be gentle, to think warmly, and to feel close.” Who doesn’t want to pretend to be Lady Mary from Downton Abbey for an afternoon and sip tea in an elegant setting with your closest girlfriends? Clink glasses, sip champagne and enjoy deliciously dainty…

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Tea and a Chat

“In Ireland, you go to someone’s house, and you are asked if you want a cup of tea. You say no, thank you, you’re really just fine. She asks if you’re sure. You say of course you’re sure, really, you don’t need a thing. Except they pronounce it ting. You don’t need a ting. Well, she says then,…

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Home is Where Your Teapots Are

What is a Teapot? Ti/pot, a noun describing a pot with a handle, spout, and lid, in which tea is brewed and from which it is poured. Definition – “A teapot is a simple vessel that we fill with hot water to steep tea leaves in for a refreshing beverage”. Teapots are short, often wide…

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George Orwell Musing on Tea

George Orwell, the famous English critic, writer and essayist, loved a cup of tea as much as any of us. First published in the Evening Standard in 1946, he writes about the correct way to make tea and on reading his list, I have to agree with him. In his essay ‘A Nice Cup of…

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“Come, let us have some tea and continue to talk about happy things.”

There is a fine line at present in these surreal times of keeping abreast of the current situation, monitoring our own risk and navigating lockdowns with a degree of happiness or normality. Being positive, talking of happier times, and our daily rituals and habits are very important. A ritual is defined as “an internally motivated…

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Boil the Billy Mate!

Tea is not only for dainty ladies in Edwardian houses to enjoy an afternoon respite with their contemporaries over tea and cake. There are more rural, masculine traditions associated with Tea. Boiling the ‘Billy’ for a campsite brew of tea is as Australian as the cork hat to keep the flies away. Legends and yarns…

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Tea in The Afternoon

“Under certain circumstances there are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea.” Henri James It was a close friend of Queen Victoria’s, Anna Russell, the 7th Duchess of Bedford with whom we are indebted, for starting the tradition we know and love today called Afternoon…

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High Tea Sandwiches

Delicate finger sandwiches are a customary part of Afternoon Tea and usually have their own dedicated tier on the High Tea stand. To make appetizing, dainty sandwiches the main things to consider are taste, (so not too overpowering), colour, shape, variety, texture, and freshness. My suggestion is to use an assortment of different loaves of…

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Tea and Scones

The quintessential treats to enjoy with a cup of tea are always scones. Loved the world over and called by so many different names, they are nonetheless, delicious for Afternoon or Morning Tea. Whether you like to say Devonshire Tea, Cream Tea, Devon Cream Tea, Cornish Tea, Tea and Scones or High tea, follow these…

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