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Clare Hastings 15/02/2025
Photo Credit: Sauna and Plunge in Shoreditch
I can't think why tea is always considered to be so terribly
British. Obviously, we drink pints of the stuff, but 'afternoon tea' is celebrated the world over. The Moroccans can't get enough of
it, Chai is the national drink of India, and don't let's get started on the Japanese, where the art of
tea has been turned into a spiritual experience. I suppose it is the teashop which is so
quintessentially a British invention. Doilies and fingers of cucumber sandwiches, washed down from a
floral china cup.
The Victorians led the way with the invention of afternoon tea. It allowed
women to have a respectable outing in the company of other women. There was an etiquette to eating tea,
something which, bizarrely, I seemed to have learned along the way. Whenever I watch period drama,
nothing annoys me more than seeing actors paying little heed to the ancient conventions.
No, you
should not point your knife at others, or wave it in the air. Eat in small bites, don't shove a whole
scone down in one go. Unfold your napkin (white and lacy, obviously), and remember why you have a small
fork - for your Victoria sponge. Why bother with the sets, costume, diction, and lighting if you use
your butter knife to gesticulate? We all have our issues; this one is mine. Manners and tea belong
together.
The Victorians had tea dresses, tea parties, and tea gardens. Tea dances came in later,
during the '20s. I am delighted to report The Waldorf Hilton still holds a tea dance, although not every
Sunday as they used to.
Here you can shimmy to a live band, quaff a glass of sparkling wine, and
delight in an afternoon tea - worth keeping an eye out for their next dates.
India, of course, grow the stuff. One of the
largest tea producers in the world, most of the leaves consumed by their own population. They lead the
way in what is known in the trade as 'tea technology', although the process seems more person than
machine driven. The top grade leaves are literally hand-sheared, leaving the machines to cope with the
low grades - the type that usually ends up in our teabags.
We hope that we have tea covered and
these best sellers and perfect for Mother's Day. Here at Indytute, you can sip
it on a bus, cut it with cocktails, team it with samosas and dhokla for a lavish Indian version, or
enjoy a fusion of Japanese and Mediterranean treats while sipping a cup of green. There's even Afternoon Cheese.
There is
something about tea. It always seems very indulgent, the meal you don't really need. The china, the cake
stands, and the profusion of delights is something you never get with lunch or dinner. Cream and jam in
glass dishes, towers of warm scones, proper fancy small cakes. Too many to choose - a child’s fantasy.
My memories of tea are cemented by the food in children's books. Ratty and Mole unpacking
their picnic, Alice with the Mad Hatter, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe - the fox raising his
glass of Prosecco to the assembled group, and then, of course, there is that famous tiger who dropped
by. Disney cartoons are filled with images of teapots, while tea and love collide in the film Brief
Encounter, oh, and let’s not forget, Queen Elizabeth 11 was charmed by a small bear over - yes,
tea.
So go with the flow - from a height if you're drinking it in Morocco - and enjoy every small
bite. This is absolutely the way to pass an afternoon.
