Wed, February 17, 2010 - 11:43:00 | (0) Comments | Categories:

British Tea Council Awards

Winter days are time for tea.  I thoroughly enjoy a cup of tea mid morning or late afternoon or a few hours after dinner.  Admittedly, I am not a tea expert. There are a handful of varieties that I favour.  Ginger, with a splash of local wildflower honey, is one of my perennial favorites. 
Making proper tea takes time.  Bringing the water to a rolling boil then letting the tea steep takes time.  It is not an instant drink.  Perhaps that is why tea is popular now. Taking time for tea tends to slow us down from the worlds frenetic technological pace. Tearooms are sprouting up and tea suppliers are booming; offering numerous varieties. What happened to Red Rose or Lipton?  For some, they remain sturdy standbys.  Yet more exotic teas are indeed enchanting to the senses of taste and smell.  Jasmine is another favorite of mine.
The Brits certainly can be thanked for keeping the royal tradition of afternoon tea alive. Tea plantations are still India's largest business beyond tourism and, of course, Imperial China where tea was first discovered still consumes most of the world's tea.
In London, The Langham Hotel has been offering the ritual of taking afternoon tea since 1865.  The British Tea Council sends anonymous tea inspectors out to assorted locations to maintain a high standard of tearooms.  In 2009, Browns won the award for outstanding afternoon tea service.  Browns has two expert tea sommeliers on staff.  Claridges is another lovely place to take tea in London.  On our trips to England, we take Tea at The Ritz in the spectacular Palm Court pictured here. Women travelers let the afternoon tradition of sipping tea, enjoying handcut tea sandwiches, freshly baked scones with jam, Devonshire clotted cream and fine pastries become one more of the memorable little luxuries of traveling well.

 The UK Tea Council has awarded 12 special Awards of Excellence to;

• Claridge's
• Grosvenor House Park Room
• "Tea" at Liberty
• The Athenaeum
• The Chesterfield
• The Dorchester
• The Goring
• The Lanesborough
• The Milestone
• The Park Lane Hotel
• The Ritz
• The Wolseley

 

 

 

 

Page 1 of 1 pages