Rachael's Adventures in Tealand - Part One

Tea in the sunshine

What fantastic tea adventures I have had recently!

Tea on the balcony in sunny Rhodes

Tea in the sunshine
My first tea adventure came in the form of drinking lots of tea in sunny Rhodes, where we stayed at the wonderful Elysium Resort and Spa again this year.  As well as regular tea-time in the sunshine and in our beach suite, we ordered their Afternoon Tea on our balcony - a rather impressive sunny tea-time, and one to remember!

We enjoyed a savoury course of smoked turkey served in canape spoons rather than bread; and a yummy combination of mini cakes, chocolate mousse and fresh fruit mini-tarts.  It was quite a novelty having afternoon tea in the blazing heat of Greece, and felt very civilised on our balcony overlooking the idyllic bay.

Drink me - yummy tea blends

Time for tea!

The Mad Hatter's Tea Party
Then there was the Mad Hatter's Tea Party with the lovely ladies of The Secret Tea Society at the Sanderson!

The Mad Hatter's Tea has been remixed and is a real feast for the eyes (and stomach!)  We started our tea in style with a refreshing glass of Laurent Perrier Champagne, followed by a plethora of Wonderland-inspired treats, including a selection of unusual dessert-themed tea blends - apple pie, strawberries and cream and mint choc chip, in beautiful decorative bottles.  I particularly enjoyed the apple pie tea, which was full of cinnamon and so comforting - like Christmas in a teapot!

The sandwiches were delicious - all rolled up in rainbow colours - as were the mixture of sweet and savoury scones.  There followed mushroom and carrot-shaped marshmallows, "Drink Me" fruit custard, and gooey cakes, including a dark chocolate tea cup filled with green tea mousse! Tea and chocolate - a fabulous combination!

We had a wonderful afternoon of good company, gossip, good food and of course, lots of tea!  I think my favourite element of the Mad Hatter's Tea was the china - the plates and teacups are stunning and such clever designs.  I really want the "Tea" teacup to add to my collection!

More fun adventures in Tealand to follow, so until next time...enjoy your tea break!

Rachael X

An afternoon celebration of tea

Soho's Secret Tea Room

I was very excited to visit Soho’s Secret Tea Room in London this weekend, which I’m ashamed to say I didn’t know about until a friend (and fellow blogger) invited me there for a traditional afternoon tea.  We spent a very pleasant afternoon there, enjoying a very traditional afternoon tea with all the trimmings. 

The tearoom is set up in a traditional, retro style, with old 1940s adverts inside the menu and quirky vintage mix-and-match china and tableware. 

We were a served a lovely, big pot of tea to share, in what has to be my favourite teapot yet!  Depicting a traditional “Toile de Jouy” scene, I really wish I could add this to my teapot collection at home! Toile de Jouy has a special significance for me, as it featured heavily in my vintage-inspired wedding!  

A fabulous Toile de Jouy teapot!

We were also given a timer to ensure we brewed our tea for the correct amount of time – something I always appreciate, as I like a nice, strong cup of tea!  

We enjoyed a cake stand full of treats – sandwiches, scones and enormous slabs of cake!  What better way to spend the afternoon, than whiling away the hours drinking lots of tea, chatting, enjoying good company and eating tasty treats? 

Tea-time treats!

The Tea House, Covent Garden

We continued our afternoon celebration of tea with a visit to The Tea House, located nearby in London’s Covent Garden.  This fantastic, olde-worlde shop stocks a fantastic variety of teas, teapots and other tea paraphernalia - I was in Heaven!

I stocked up on two of my favourite teas – Vanilla Black Tea and Cinnamon Haze black cinnamon tea from Ahmad Tea – as well as some new spoons and steepers for when I use my loose leaf teas and some additions to my Willow Pattern china collection.  I do love an excuse to buy anything tea-related!

Filling the room with the scent of tea leaves and bergamot

Tea-inspired perfume - delicious!

Extending the tea theme, I also tried out for the first time one of my new tea-inspired fragrances - Elizabeth Arden's Green Tea Cherry Blossom - a lovely, light, summery scent, to go with a sunny day of tea in London!  I also recently bought Jo Malone's Earl Grey and Cucumber Cologne to wear throughout the summer, and a fun London home fragrance kit with diffuser reeds - apparently the scent of London is of tea leaves and bergamot, which I think it very appropriate in my home!

What a fun, tea-filled Saturday afternoon in sunny London – it certainly brought a smile to my face!

Until next time, hope your weekend is also suitably tea-filled!

Rachael x

Time for a tea experiment - #RealiTEA

I was never a big fan of science at school, preferring history and literature :)
But when it comes to experimenting in the kitchen, I love it!  So I was delighted to be invited to take part in a tea experiment with Cafédirect as part of their #RealiTEA campaign!

The #RealiTEA campaign is intended to get the nation drinking better tea and giving a fair deal to tea growers, exposing the real story behind the average UK cuppa.  The report shows concerning statistics, such as the cost of growing tea rising 94% over the past five years, crippling tea smallholders, while the prices being paid to growers have only grown by 25% in comparison.  In contrast, the price of tea on UK shelves has only gone up by 3.8% over the last 3 years.  The compromises made to keep tea at this low price usually comes at the expense of the growers and the quality of the tea.

It was time to put the tea to the test.  I tried several cups of Cafédirect's smallholder-grown, hand-picked teabags versus some mystery teabags from one of the Top Five, big brands.  They were different shaped teabags, so they were easy to tell apart, and I actually found they made slightly different-looking cups of tea.

Cafédirect Hand-picked Tea versus the Mystery Top Five Tea

Both teabags made a nice strong cup of tea.  The Cafédirect tea, however, made a clearer, fresher tasting brew.  I like my black tea strong, but found that even though I like a "builder's tea", I needed more milk with the mystery brand.  I did enjoy the mystery brand, having not had standard teabags for a while after tasting lots of different speciality blends, but think that the Cafédirect tea had the edge in terms of delicacy of flavour and strength of brew.

Comparing the teabag contents

Delving further into this experiment, I took a good look at the tea inside the different teabags.  Much as I hate to waste tea, Cafédirect encouraged me to look at the contents, which show the difference in the quality and texture of the tea used inside the teabags.  You can see these differences clearly when examining the tea - to do this (feeling very scientific!) I emptied the contents of each tea bag into identifical glass  bowls.  The Cafédirect tea is the one at the top, with a uniform, darker colour tea.  There are no visible twigs, and you can also see that less tea is needed inside the bag to give a good flavour, as there is considerably less in the bowl.  The mystery brand, on the right, has lighter coloured tea and little bits of twig mixed up throughout the tea.  The twigs really bulk out the teabags.

Cafédirect explain this in their RealiTEA campaign - in their series of in-depth interviews with tea growers from Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania, it became clear that the traditional, artisan skill of hand-picking the tender top two leaves and the bud (widely regarded as the only part of the tea plant suitable for making tea) is fast being replaced by less accurate machine-cutting.  This standard practice for the mass market, low-grade tea means that there are twigs and the tougher, lower leaves in the teabags, and the growers are losing out.

As well as the Cafédirect tea passing the taste test and coming out on top, it's reassuring to know that they are doing their bit to give a better deal to tea growers - 22.5% of the price of a box of Cafédirect teabags goes straight back to smallholder cooperatives. According to Cafédirect, the tea industry is worth £629 million, so there’s no reason why independent smallholders should be struggling to make a profit.  If all the top tea brands invested in growers in the same way, smallholders would be in a far better position and everyone would enjoy a better quality tea!  

Cafédirect are asking people to ‘Think Before They Drink’ - to really value good tea and be prepared to pay that little bit more so that everyone benefits.  You can sign the pledge at http://www.drinkbettertea.co.uk.  I am personally happy to sign the pledge, as I'm always happy to pay a little bit more for great quality tea, and as I drink so much tea, I think it's only fair!

Thank you, Cafédirect, for bringing this to my attention, and for inviting me to do the tea experiment and be a part of the campaign.  I enjoyed the tea taste test and am happy to have signed the pledge.

Until next time, I hope you enjoy a good cuppa or two, and can also join me and fellow tea lovers in the drinkbettertea pledge.  Happy drinking! :)

Rachael X

Rock and Roll Tea, anyone?

Mmm...tea!

A month of yummy tea!

I have been lucky enough to have had a number of fantastic tea experiences over the past month - both in the UK and across the pond, in the ever-amazing NYC!  I would like to share them all with you over the coming weeks, but first, I must tell you about the fantastic W Rock Tea afternoon Tea at London's W Hotel in Leicester Square.  Remixed by the fabulous Gizzi Erskine, the menu features sandwiches, scones and sweet treats named after famous rock and roll artists and songs. 

Our afternoon tea outing was organised by the charming tea-loving ladies at
The Secret Tea Society, a membership group for like-minded ladies who, well, love tea!  And what a wonderful way to spend the afternoon it really was!  I encourage you to join this fab group of fellow tea lovers!

The lovely Claire from The Secret Tea Society

Mmm - rock and roll tea, anyone?

The tea looked amazing, as I'm sure you'll agree!  We started with "Dark Side of the Moon" sandwiches, followed by the aptly-named "Rule Britannia" currant scones (with jam and clotted cream, of course!), then  the beautiful and sweet-smelling "Every Rose has its Thorn" (Rose financier with rose petal jam), the "Cherry Bomb", a colourful and sparkly bomb of chocolate, mascapone and cherry.  

Wild thing...you make my heart sing...!

Then came the cakes, designed by Gizzi herself!  My favourites were the utterly gorgeous "Wild Things" - salted caramel and popcorn eclairs - which just melted in the mouth!  These were closely followed in my affections by the equally fabulously-named "Rockabilly Rebel" cakes, made from Devil's Food Cake layered with peanut butter mousse and topped with peanut brittle.  
Mmm...even more delicious then the Reeses Peanut Butter Cups that I was addicted to for a long time!  There were also the delightful "Flips Ville" - miniature Cherry Cola and Yuzu tarts with sparkles and popping candy (still popping when they arrived - amazing!)

The delicious food was all washed down with a fine selection of teas from Harney & Sons, a really lovely range of teas that I discovered in New York, first when I was served it with breakfast at the Waldorf Astoria where I was staying, and then being served almost everywhere I went!  I brought some of the very tasty and quite unusual blend of English Breakfast back to the UK with me, so was delighted to have more of this and also sample their refreshing Earl Grey with my W Hotel tea!

We had a wonderful afternoon of great tea, yummy food and even better company!  To top it all off, after a leisurely afternoon taking tea, we also tried out the delicious cocktails at the W Hotel bar.  I had the very appropriate "Royal T" - a fragrant, floral mix of jasmine tea, rose syrup, gin and lemon juice, topped up with Prosecco.  Refreshing and delicious!

Cheers! Cocktail o' Clock with fellow Secret Tea Lady, Liz!

I heartily recommend this scrumptious tea - and the extensive cocktail menu!  In fact, I will have to go back again at some point just to try the other equally tasty-sounding cocktails!
So, until next time, "Cheerio", as we said at the end of our afternoon!  Enjoy your tea break - perhaps rock and roll-style and even followed by a cocktail (or two?) Fabulous! :)

Rachael X

Time for a tea party - tipsy tea?

Fun in the sun?

The beautiful summery weather at the weekend inspired me to think about summer parties - sipping cocktails and fruity drinks in the sunshine, music and a BBQ! And my visit to the Foodies Festival provided even further inspiration, tasting yummy food and sipping summery drinks in the blazing sunshine on Hampton Court Green! (A full review of the fabulous Foodies Festival will follow soon!)

My lovely vintage coffee set from Seld Emrys Jones

And then the sky went grey, the wind started to blow, and it rained!  My thoughts turned to hot drinks - tea, of course, and also proper coffee.  I have purchased some fab vintage finds over the past few weeks, having been on several successful charity shop rummages and bagging bargains from my favourite online vintage sellers, like the lovely Seld Emrys Jones.

So, I started to think about adapting summer parties for the great British weather, and came up with some more interesting ideas!  

It's all gone a bit Gatsby...
The Roaring Twenties are all the rage again, with the release of Baz Luhrmann's The Great Gatsby, and Boardwalk Empire being one of the box sets of choice, so why not live it up, Prohibition style, and enjoy a British-American summer party indoors, in the warmth of the house?  I'm a huge fan of all things 1920s - the fashion, art, furniture, jewellery - and love the decadent feel.  What better way to recreate that feeling that using your vintage teacups, saucers and other tea paraphenalia for the cocktails?

Tipsy Tea Cups
I love the idea of serving cocktails in tea cups (another nod to the 20s era!), like this fabulous Absinthe cocktail from the Powderpuff Girls at the Powder Room (very appropriate for the launch of Paul et Joe's A Midsummer Night's Dream themed summer range last year.)

There are some fab places where you can try tea cup cocktails out and about, like The Tea Box in Richmond, and I'm hoping to get more inspiration from a visit to Prohibition and the 20s architecture in New York!

But far more fun to try it at home with your own vintage pieces, using vintage cups to serve the cocktails and retro coffee pots instead of jugs.  

A stunning example from Tipsy Tea Cups

And then I found out about the lovely people at Tipsy Tea Cups, who decided to make their own very special vintage glasses after inspiration from a stay in a fab hotel.  They use their own (top secret!) bonding technique to fuse tea cups and saucers with wine and cocktail glasses to create some really unique and eye-catching pieces, that will certainly add that vintage feel to your party.  I particularly love the shades of blue in some of these beauties, which would go very well in my dining room (particularly the pearlescent piece with matching pot - perfect for pouring those cocktails!)

And Tipsy Tea Cups or vintage tea or coffee cups and saucers can help create the right mood and atmosphere, setting the tone for the evening, filled with tealights.  Why not match the scented candles to the cocktails or food being served?  For example, rose scented tealights to go with my rose and red berry cocktail, rosemary scented candles to go with rosemary foccacia, or lavender scented to go with lavender tea?

Tipsy Tea Cups' Royal Grafton

More tea?
But why stop the tea association there? Why not make some of the cocktails with actual tea? I tried this with loose leaf tea from the fabulous Monkey Char, a Richmond based tea company who make some really unusual fruity and floral blends that work particularly well for cocktails, as well as a refreshing brew!

Tipsy Tea with Rachael - The ingredients...

Monkey Char's Aisha Fabienne's Blend (or traditional rose tea works well too)

Belvoir Raspberry and Rose Cordial

Chambord or raspberry liqueur

Prosecco/Cava/Champagne

 How to make it...

Scrumptious Belvoir Raspberry and Rose Cordial

Simply brew the tea, let it cool, mix with a small amount of cordial and equal parts liqueur, and serve with ice!  And why not have the bubbly version, topped up with Champagne?!  The beauty of this cocktail is that it makes an equally delicious non-alcoholic "mocktail" version as well!  (Just add sparkling water for the fizzy version!)

My other favourite year-round cocktail, Rachael's Ray of Sunshine, mixes apple juice, ginger beer, Belvoir apple and ginger cordial, apple flavoured vodka and a twist of lime.  I've included a picture here of some I made last Christmas, proving it really does work beautifully, come rain or come shine!

When the weather gets better, I'll also share some summer cocktail ideas, including Mojito and Margarita-inspired cocktails using organic fruit juices.

Rachael's Ray of sunshine cocktail

Rose tea

So, until next time, whether it's pouring with rain or the sun is pouring in the window, pour yourself something nice.  Enjoy a tipsy tea tipple (or perhaps a warming cuppa?) when it's time for your tea break!

Rachael X

An Afternoon with Earl Grey

When I'm busy and feeling a bit tired and stressed in the afternoon, I like to take a tea break with Earl Grey.  And not just any Earl Grey, oh no!  I have a select list of favourites - and would like to share them with you!

Twinings Earl Grey

The Classics - a strong kick of bergamot to get you through the day...

Twinings Earl Grey - a true classic

I have a friend who swears by this blend and no other - and you can see why.  Always a failsafe cuppa -  a light, floral flavour with a strong kick of bergamot that enlivens the senses!  And it works very well in baking too!  As a novice baker myself, I'll leave this to the experts - check out this fabulous Twinings Earl Grey Cake recipe, tried and tested by the same ever-faithful friend!  Scrumptious - and best enjoyed with a steaming pot of Earl Grey!

Ahmad Earl Grey - the discerning choice...

Mmm...Ahmad Tea!

This is a real classic - great flavour and a strong aroma, again with a clear hit of bergamot.  This is very drinkable, as it has a lighter flavour than some other blends.  It works particularly well when you want to make up a nice big pot of tea.  I also find this very refreshing, so it suits all weather!  Note to self - don't drink up all your stock at once!  I'm planning on stocking up on more of this lovely tea when I head over to America in a couple of weeks' time.

Time for something a little bit different...

My lovely Twinings tea chest

Twinings Lavender Earl Grey - two of my favourite things: lavender and tea!
 

This is great for winding down at the end of the day, or for the morning after the day before (have been known to provide this after parties to soothe those pesky hangovers)!

I come back to this favourite time and time again.  My husband bought me a full Twinigs tea chest last Christmas, where I was delighted to find this little treasure!  I have since stock-piled boxes of twenty teabags and find myself getting through them remarkably quickly!

I do find this tea rather addictive - one cup is just never enough!

Teapigs Darjeeling Earl Grey - a match made in heaven!

Teapigs (or Teadog?!)

I'm a big fan of Darjeeling, so when I first walked past a cafe selling Teapigs Darjeeling Earl Grey a few years ago, I was intrigued and excited! This blend is really unusual and a very refreshing, malty, comforting taste.  I like this tea first thing in the morning as well as an afternoon refresher - I find it goes well with breakfast, or keeps me going nicely when on the go.  And I have to say, I love the packaging - I'm also a big fan of sausage dogs, so the quirky label always makes me smile!

English Garden Empire Earl Grey - the Empire Strikes Back!

Quintessentially English - English Garden tea

This is smoky, sultry and smells fabulous - either in or out of the pot!

I made a pot of this after I was feeling sorry for myself and suffering following a wisdom tooth removal.  My friend, another fellow tea enthusiast, came round to the house to cheer me up and we decided to do a mini-tasting of the best Earl Greys and my favourites. 

I particularly liked this flavoursome blend, firstly for the smell of the dry leaves, then the aroma once the pot was brewing, then the comforting, light Earl Grey taste. What makes this blend different is the smoky aftertaste, which is really quite different to anything I've tried before.  You can strongly smell the bergamot in the dried leaves, but once brewed it's a very subtle flavour, and I think the smoky, malty taste makes it quite unique.

I'm feeling a bit tired and worn-out again today, so think it's time for a tea break.  Looking forward to spending another evening with Earl Grey!

Until next time, enjoy your tea break (and why not join the marvellous Earl Grey?!)

Rachael X

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Time for a real tea break

Not enough time for a tea break?!

Well, things have been so busy so far this year, that I have been neglecting to take regular tea breaks!  I've moved house (and now have a big kitchen to experiment in and my own proper garden - bliss!  So expect some new recipes and sunshine-filled garden posts on the horizon!)

I also had a wisdom tooth taken out, which meant I have been taking it easy, was stuck with very soft food and feeling a bit yucky for quite a while, so haven't been as adventurous as I would usually like to be on the food and drink front!  Although it did mean I consumed copious amounts of comfort food, like mashed potatoes and home-made gravy!  (And Yorkshire Puddings, once I was able to chew a little bit more!)

So I've been neglecting the poor Tea Break blog.  :(
And like buses, you wait for ages and several come along at once!  There's so much I want to write about at the moment - the many fun things to do in the beautiful Borough of Richmond, delightful new teas and tea-related activities that I've been trying out, and summer interior design - in the house and in the garden!

To try and fit everything in, I've been working on a new website for Tea With Rachael - watch this space for a tea time one-stop-shop with a mix of food, drink, fun, fashion, things to see and do and, of course, all things tea-related!

In the meantime, I have been trying some lovely new teas and exploring some fun things to see and do, particularly in and around Richmond and Twickenham.

Time for tea

English Garden tea - a proper cuppa!

Yesterday, I was feeling a bit under the weather, so I made a pot of English Garden's Special Reserve Assam.  I find that a good strong cup of black tea does wonders when you're feeling a bit below par, and this certainly did the trick!  The comforting, malty smell from the moment I poured the water over the leaves was so comforting.  It brewed beautifully, leaving me with a rich, deep-flavoured cuppa - exactly what I needed!  I savoured every drop and was very impressed - exactly the kind of blend I like, as I'm a big fan of strong black tea blends and always turn to these as my default/favourites!  I am also looking forward to trying their Empire Earl Grey later this afternoon - will let you know what it's like in my next feature, on my favourite Earl Grey blends.

Thought I'd give you a little preview of the next few posts, that should be on the new website very soon!

Coming soon...

• Time for Tea - An afternoon with Earl Grey
• Time for Tea - Afternoon Tea at the Four Seasons, Canary Wharf 
• Out and About - Richmond Spring/Summer Special
• Fit for Foodies - A gastronomic tour of Twickenham
• Fit for Foodies - Foodies Festival 2013, Hampton Court
• Kitchen Corner - Use by dates: recipes to make sure you use it all up!
• Library Corner - Save the planet while catching up on your reading
• Party Time! Fun party ideas for this summer

Until then, enjoy YOUR Bank Holiday tea break!

Rachael X