Contentment in tea

I've always enjoyed teas of many varieties. From the idea of "popping the kettle on" to "Makin' a brew" to high tea in a fine dining establishment or high end hotel. 

The anticipation of taking that moment, to choosing what tea cup or mug, a pot, a bag, loose leaf, shared or solitary.

My grandmother was a big tea lady- the whole of that side of my family are pretty significant tea drinkers actually. Served out side during warmer months- after her obligatory "forty winks" siesta or nap, always SPODE blue Italian, always loose leaf in a pot - she preferred a blend of Assam and Lapsang souchong. And unfailingly with a nibble of something deliciously simple and mostly quintessentially English. As I write I can smell the comforting dependable wafts of what my children call - Bacon Tea (Lapsang is smoked and woody and has a very distinctive and strong aroma). IN the winter time tea would be served as we sat on big plush gulumpty sofas around a roaring fire my grandfather tended to.  it drew any family who happened to be close by- cousins, Aunty, Uncle pussy cats, dogs- neighbor and villagers. All were welcome. It was just tea, with cake- Grannies chocolate sponge with her version of icing which consisted of melted chocolate poured on top of the cake and dotted with smarties. The milk was in a jug- and more often than not was cream or very nearly. The culture then wasn't to offer more than that, or to assume it may become wine or aperitifs, it was tea. Convivial and communal - and an essential part of everyday. Throughout the day. 

My grandparents mornings- for as long as i can remember - with my Grandfather making the tea as soon as he rose- in colder months re kindling the fire with bellows as the tea brewed. His was ALWAYS in an enormous oversized cup and sauce, grannies was in the more demure Spode, and always accompanied by two rich tea biscuits...and for grannie, always in bed! 

I so enjoy taking the time to make tea and savor it. It doesn't happen every day- and I'm a HUGE coffee girl. Its rare for me to take tea before the afternoon but for many years my days started with Earl Grey- no milk or sugar.  I almost always have some kind of tea in the evening - often chamomile, lavender or peppermint- never caffeinated. 

I love the ritual and occasion of choosing the serve ware- depending on mood, season, company, and the tea itself. Pairing the tea with whatever afternoon tea treat I may have planned or baked. Paris Earl Grey, Darjeeling, A flavored specialty black tea or a fruit tea. 

Tea parties when my girls were little, endless tea parties with various dolls and teddys as guests...and the cat more often than not. I remember making my Mother drink cappuccinos I'd made in the bath with the bubbles!

This week I was able to enjoy a long over due catch up on a rainy afternoon over a pot of tea with a friend here at my home, served in a proper tea pot, on a tray. Simple and elegant but just right. Today, after such an unbelievable week of wild wet weather and the carnage it left in its wake, we took the girls to an adventure park with a friend each for some thrill seeking adrenaline pumping fun- I took a moment- just one, to sit in the shade at the café with a pot of peppermint tea, savoring the moment and feeling so grateful for all of it.

I remember a holiday in Cornwall (one of several each year with my Mother) where we stopped in to visit a friend of hers I didn't know very well. We were taken on a tour of their beautiful home and shown around the garden where we were offered tea- it was a sizzling hot English summers day, but I have never felt my thirst so quenched as I did that day drinking tea in that beautiful picturesque garden. I remember vividly being astounded that a hot beverage could be so welcome while sitting in the heat of the sun. A turning point in my tea story...and a right of passage to claim to be truly English.