Tea: The Ultimate British Indulgence

Drinking my T2 tea breakfast in bed at my desk whilst writing this perks me up no end. The vanilla and caramel notes with the english breakfast taste alongside is sublime. Tea is such an institution especially to us Brits. When something bad happens what do we say? I'll make you a cup of tea as if it is some kind of magical potion that will make everything alright again. I wish!

But tea is still something that starts my day off mostly in a better frame of mind. Of course sometimes I am too low for even that to make a difference. But still I drink it anyway. If I'm looking for a little spice then Chai is for me. If I am hot and need a refreshing drink then iced fruit tea is just what the doctor ordered. Tea is really part of being British.

Dont get me wrong I do like my lattee or cappucinno too but usually only one a day and then its back to my trusty old friend tea. The other thing I love about tea is the beautiful teapots and cups with designs I could die for! They look pretty enough to adorn any kitchen or cabinet with the epitome of grace and grandeur.

Teabags are ok but there is something satisfying about scooping loose leaf tea into a teapot filling with hot water and leaving it for a few minutes to bring out the full flavour of the tea. The other advantage is you can have more than one cup ready to go whilst relaxing whether reading, writing like I am or just at a cafe watching the world go by.

I love high tea done the quintessentially British way. A teapot and cup with a speciality tea alongside sweet and svoury delights.All spread out to look tantalisingly pleasing to both the eyes and stomach. What do you eat first? Those thinly sliced cucumber sandwiches, or that fresh cream cake? Decisions, decisions. Saving the best to last the scone with jam and clotted cream. Then more tea until I am fully satiated and could not eat another morsel. To me this is a heavenly experience. Of course enjoying all these delicasies with a friend is literally the icing on the cake. But sometimes going solo is good too!

I decide to take a walk all the while reliving the flavours and tastes of the food and tea. The afternoon was balmy, a spring day and busy with people enjoying the sights and sea air. I never tire from living so close to the sea me calm and happy thoughts of my childhood and playing in the sand. It's strange how sometimes we are brought back to the past, not intentionally but by sights and emotions that we experience in the present.

The sea is calm today, and as blue as the sky which has barely a cloud in it. The ideal day for a saunter without a care in the world. I treasure these moments my heart filled with blessings for nature, hearing bird sing, the waves splashing against the shore and children laughing with excitement showiung in their faces.

Then my mind wanders back to tea and the thoughts that back at home there will be a welcoming cup of tea waiting patiently for me in it's teapot. A book that I am about to start winking back at me as if to say welcome home again. I take off my shoes, pour my tea, grab my book and settle down to an hour or two of reading with the beautiful view from my window of the sea. What more could I ask for? Life is indeed a wonderful escapade full of twists and turns with so many experiences to enjoy in a lifetime!

Alexis Mundy