Hello fellow tea lovers
I have been thinking about this one for a while, because really a cuppa in itself is wonderful, but sometimes having something else with it can turn a normal cuppa into a comforting moment that can brighten up your day. So here goes my top three tea combinations, please remember it is my own opinion and I would love if you posted or told me some of the things you enjoy with your tea!
In no particular order
1. Tea and Biscuit (aka Tea and Bikkie)
To me, this is the ultimate match, every cuppa should have a bikkie with it. This has been an unspoken rule in my family since I started drinking tea, though the biscuit has grown into perhaps a chocolate or some cake (this could be why I have never been a size 6…..oh well tastes good :). This combination works best with an English Breakfast tea, and a shortbread or chocolate digestive biscuit.
However, a tea and bikkie combo has an art to it. There will always be the moment in which you dip your biscuit into your tea, and it breaks, half of the biscuit sinking to the bottom of your tea whilst you fret over getting a spoon to try and dig it out, but then having to succumb to the fact that either you make a new tea and have no biscuit or you drink the tea knowing that you will most likely get a mushy bit of biscuit in every mouthful that is a reminder of your failure to successfully dip a biscuit in your tea. Peter Kay, a British comedian who is hilarious gives a brilliant outlook on the tea and bikkie art form which can be seen in the link below.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQ5V_vH7PwQ
2. Tea and Scones/ Cream Tea/ Devonshire Tea
Another classic, the scone is like the biscuits posher, upper class cousin. The combination comes under a few names but all with the same meaning of tea accompanied by scones, jam and cream. The origin of tea and scones comes from Devon in England, with there being evidence that as early as the 11th century the combination of bread, jam, cream and tea was around. Now-a-days the combo has evolved into savoury scones, gluten free scones, lactose free cream and other such changes that has brought the combination into a century of food intolerances. For such occasions as high teas and garden parties, you really cannot go wrong with the classical tea and scones with jam and cream!
However, though all would seem sweet and lovely in the tea and scones world, there is the international debate amongst tea enthusiasts of all kinds, which comes first the jam or cream? I found a great little article from the The London Evening Standard about the scone debate which can be found here <http://www.standard.co.uk/news/jam-or-cream-first-the-great-scone-debate-6720627.html>. I personally put the jam on first and then the cream, and I never butter my scone (have to admit whilst I was typing that my thoughts went straight to Mean Girls…..“is your muffin buttered?).
3. Tea, chair, blanket
Okay, so this is technically a setting in which to have tea but it makes the experience. Most days I usually have my cuppa tea whilst standing up or doing housework, so having a chair and blanket with my tea means that time has been put aside for relaxation. A good chair and a comfy blanket can make a rushed tea into an enjoyable experience. This is a combination that can be enjoyed by oneself or in a social situation. Just picture this, its a rainy night, you’re at home and the dinner is done, dishes have been cleaned and you have nothing planned for the night other then to watch a movie or read a book. You flick the kettle on, the sound of the water boiling seems to fill the quiet kitchen and the distinctive ‘pop’ of the kettle resonates throughout the house. You make your tea, and whilst it is brewing you wonder over to see what accompaniments are in the pantry or fridge. You finish making your tea, you’ve grabbed the necessary extras and then you head straight to your chair/couch and sit….then you pull the blanket over your knees and settle down into your relaxing time. This combination is the full experience, it makes a cuppa seem something more then just boiled water and leaves, it becomes a period of time that is just yours.
(I do not own any of the videos or images displayed, for sources please contact me)