Jan
21
2010
Tea for two
I love tea. It’s a love affair that’s evolved over time and has involved occasional flirtations with coffee but me and tea are now going steady. I have standards and these are they: builder’s tea (strong as you like and ideally one tea bag to a cup, then pressed against the side for extra za-za-zooooom), a little milk and one sugar, in a mug and not a cup and three times a day…on rising…mid morning…mid-afternoon. Sometimes I go crazy and have four cups a day, but I regret it. Me and tea have found our groove and three times a day is the foundation of the groove.
Today I did a little photoshoot at home for my friend Katherine, who is shortly to relaunch her super cakes and catering business. She zipped over with delightful baked goods for me to shoot (badly, but that’s a whole other story). I found myself hoping she’d be prompt as I was more than ready for Cup Two of the day. I debated having a cup before she arrived, but then realised she’d have to drink tea alone when she arrived, or I’d have to push on with an ill-advised pre-noon Cup Three. It was quite a quandary…
In the end I waited for her and the gods of tea delivered her right on time (rejoice). So, it seems, it’s not just the tea and tea addiciction that is at stake here…it’s the well documented ‘ritual’ of tea. I’m not fancy about the ritual though and, frankly, nor is Katherine. We bonded over our trashy love of cheap builder’s tea, and disdain for Earl Grey and other such nonsense. That one sugar makes me very common; Katherine is fancier and goes without but I don’t grudge her for it (yet). So, as non-fancy girls, the ritual doesn’t seem to be part of it on the surface…but neither of us can set a foot over each other’s doorsteps without the kettle going on for a ‘cuppa’.
It’s almost like ‘breaking bread’ together. Why is that? It’s so deeply ingrained…someone comes round? Put the kettle on. Bad news? Put the kettle on. Good news? Put the kettle on. Need a little pick me up? Put the kettle on. Recently a New Friend came to visit for the first time. Naturally I put the kettle on and asked if she’d like some tea. “No thank you”, she said. “Coffee?” I said, in desperation, “No thank you I’m fine”. Erm, I don’t think so…no tea..no coffee…are you ILL? I immediately grudged her…f…o…r…e…v…e…r. Surely everyone knows that tea is the elixir of life, the oil in the wheels of social situations. To refuse? Rude.
I knew I’d love Bee forever when I first met her at Blog Camp 1.5 which she hosted last Summer. I arrived unfashionably late yet again and all in a flap. The others offered me wine, but Bee saw the fear in my eyes and offered me a ‘cuppa tea and then some wine?’ which was just the thing. Made all the more charming since she had taken on some kind of East End accent for ‘cuppa tea’ which juxtaposes in a very interesting way with her Texas/Berkshire drawl…
And then lovely Blanca bought me Friendship Tea as my Blog Camp 3.0 gift and it hit the nail right on the head for me:
“Pour on boiling water and, while it brews, we’ll talk. We’ll talk about everything, we’ll talk about nothing. Whatever you want to say, I’ll listen. Show me your secrets, your troubles, your joys, your profound thoughts and silliest imaginings”.
Tea…the balm for life. We had a long discussion about tea at Blog Camp 3.0 and the differences between Denmark and Other Countries…teabags…loose tea…sugar…milk…warming the pot..many nations… divided by a common tea leaf.
Anyway, tea rocks. Luckily not-so-common Katherine bakes so beautifully and thus tea is always a tea ‘n’ cake experience with her. That’s why I heart her. Her baked goods and love of trashy cheap teabags won me over.
I am very suspicious of people that don’t drink tea. We got some posh Harvey Nicks tea at Christmas. Nice, but doesn’t beat bog standard builder’s variety.
What is the cake? Looks perfect.
So glad you liked the tea!
I love the description of your tea rituals…. I still find it fascinating, after 8 years in England, that “a cup of tea’ is indeed appropriate in all sorts of social situations. I do understand your panic and your grudge to your no-hot-drink-for-me former friend!
And, oh, the photos! BEAUTIFUL!!!!!
Hooray for a good cuppa! I am also wary of the just-a-glass-of-water-for-me types. And I really miss proper English tea bags in big boxes. Am so fed up of the stupid little individual envelopes that tea bags come in in Denmark.
x
I’ve been drowning in tea this past week, only of the herbal varieties which are supposed to help if you have a cold. The only effect I’m noticing so far is that I’m visiting the loo much more often. I love your cake pictures
I enjoy reading all your posts, but this one truly spoke to me. I LOVE tea. Unfortunately, there are so few people around me that drink it. You can always tell which relationships are doomed to failure.
The photos are gorgeous!
Beautiful pictures and a great description.
PS: I am drinking my first cup of the day as I type this
I think you covered nearly everything . . . but you didn’t mention that the only adjective that can or will ever describe tea is “nice.” “A nice cup of tea” will set everything to rights.
You drink tea exactly like I do, (as discussed, in detail), and that means something special to me.
I have been wondering if I should get a teapot like Julochka’s, though, so that I can occasionally make a posher class of tea.
These pictures are so scrumptious that they are messing with my resolution to steer clear of baked goods for a while.
baked goods and tea….sighhh
we sip tea and talk….it’s such a comfort, it’s what we love to do together…it’s our ritual 
i’m a coffee person who just loves tea too, but it’s funny when i visit with my mom-in-law, that’s the first thing she does is put the kettle on
love the photos doll
I had to stop reading and go make a cuppa tea. That way it was like we were sitting together for your mid afternoon spot.
I almost fancied a cup of tea after reading this. Then I remember I don’t drink tea. Not the English variety, anyway. If I ever have some, I put…….. wait for it……… lots of lemon and honey in it. Enough to kill all the tea taste. I hope this doesn’t put me straight in your grudge book!!!
I think you have to be born English to love your tea. Despite spending 10 years in this country, and despite having a British passport, I never managed to embrace this concept. I will forever remain a foreigner
mmm…loverly photos…I want a snack now. I’ll take one of the little muffins please. All Christmas treats are long gone…sigh! And hey, don’t go knockin’ my Earl Grey. Bergamont is relaxing you know. Some of us need that!
I lost all my blogging mojo around the end of 2009 (including blog-reading, sadly) but I’m hopeful that it’s coming back. I hadn’t seen your beautiful website re-design! It’s is truly lovely! I’m in awe! (And your photos, as always, are gorgeous.)
Gorgeous photos, Spud, and I love the big new format. It looks a treat. xx
English Breakfast Tea is my favorite. With a dash of cream. (And of course, some tea cakes would make it even more delightful!)
you have not only the ability but you also possess the magic instinct to take photographs which look more delicious and mouthwatering than the real thing. so lets savour zero calories while indulging spud’s delicatessen!
Oh, Spuddles you’re so wise. As you know I’m holed up at home recuperating at the moment and I too have 3 cups a day. They give me a little bit of structure to my day. They break up what would otherwise be a vast swathe of time before me. “I’ll do X, Y and Z then I’ll have my cup of tea…”
Must say for a girl who likes a builder’s brew, that tea looks a bit insipid doesn’t it? Needed another 5 minutes in the pot
No, seriously I love the processing but the colour of the tea is bugging me, lol.
xx
ps is that cake lemon and poppyseed? One of my all time faves, mmmmm x
Those cakes & biscuits are divine – making me feel hungry just looking at them
oooh these are gorgeous and soooo delicous looking! mmmmm