… and biscuits…
Writer’s procrastination crisis
Tea tasting
My sister gave me a Christmas tree of teabags for Christmas. If I’d been really clever, I would have taken a photo of it, but you’ll just have to imagine the pyramid of colour: predominantly green, with the odd splash of red and gold. (She also gave me Yorkshire Tea Gin, which I’m saving for a special occasion… which may yet be this evening… and some gingerbread biscuits shaped like tea bags, which I’ve eaten. Obviously.)
Despite the tagline ‘fuelled by tea and biscuits’, I’m not a big fan of herbal teas. I like the fact that they aren’t laden with caffeine (of which I think I consume too much) but I’d prefer a hot ribena to most options. In Zambia I got used to drinking rooibos occasionally – the South African ‘Red Bush’ tea – but, to my mind, a decent English cuppa is what’s usually required.
Anyway, it was a gift, and I’m prepared to give tea flavours ago. They’re not likely to kill me. Here is my tea analysis:
Three Cinnamon – I find cinnamon a difficult flavour, something that I never like as much as I feel I should. The tea was no exception. A bit floury, and its most impressive part was the manufacturer’s feeling that a blend of cinnamons from three different countries added depth to the flavour from just one country.
Beetroot Burst – red, earthy, surprisingly drinkable! Happy to drink this late in the day.
Butter Mint – smelt like Werther’s Originals, sweet and sickly. Nearly gagged just on opening the teabag, so threw it away without trying. Sorry – not a great review if I can’t even try it, but life’s too short.
Moroccan Mint – ok. I could stomach this and it was quite refreshing.
Salted Caramel – also sweet and sickly, not a flavour I would choose. My sister said it tasted better with biscuits. I feel it might need a lot of biscuits to compensate, and unfortunately I’d already eaten all the ones she’d made.
This concludes my random review of herbal teas. My dislike is in no way reflective of the wonderful gift.
Besides, I’ve still got the gin…
A cheesy bargain
We have been on holiday. It is good to spend time away from home, away from the phone, away from the internet (although my son would disagree with that, seeking out all the Free WiFi spots he could possibly locate). It is good to see new places, or revisit old haunts, and to spend time with the family. Yes – even the grumpy teenage ones.
It also gives my husband some rare time out and about. In shops, even. This is quite dangerous as, unlike me, he really enjoys shopping. Nothing gives him more joy than seeking out a great bargain. His enforced time off work this winter with his broken leg has been more disastrous for the bank balance than I care to admit: internet shopping can be done from the sofa and its amazing what ‘bargains’ can be found online…
So you can imagine his joy one evening when he came back bearing the fruits of his labours: Cheddars. For those unfamiliar with these delicacies, they are very cheesy cheese biscuits. We all love them – even my son, who can’t stand cheese. Drooling quietly over the two packets my husband took great pride in telling us he’d bought them at Poundland [other discount stores are available…]. Two packets for £1. A bargain! Originally £1.39 each. He had made a saving of £1.78.
I checked them over. They seemed in perfect condition, and the best before date was the end of September, so I could see no reason why they’d be so heavily reduced in value. Still – who am I to look a gift horse in the mouth? We put them in the cupboard to have as a picnic treat on the journey home.
When packing on the Friday night I set them aside, together with some crisps and some chocolate (don’t judge our diet too harshly: we were on holiday! And there were a lot of apples already in the picnic bag…) On the Saturday morning everything went in the car, carefully thought through.
Apart from the picnic snacks.
They languished behind in the cupboard, exactly where I’d carefully put them to one side.
I mean, there’s always something you leave behind, isn’t there? (I also left a nearly-full bottle of shampoo in the shower. I am just too generous for words.)
And they were still a bargain. Even if it ended up being a £1 cost for no benefit whatsoever.
Put the kettle on!
Fuelled by tea and biscuits…
Greenbelt Festival this weekend and – in all honesty – I’m only really looking forward to one thing: Folk On (Monday, 2pm).
Not heard of them? More shame you! A trio of ‘west country folk’ singing unique cross of folk music and comedy… Indubitably hilarious, but astonishingly musical too. Derek Tinkleberry, Edmund Sidebottam and Donald Cornfoot come from Little Dribblepatch … need I say more? Anyone who can get away with a song called I’m in love with a Morris Dancer deserves all the credit they can get.
And why do they get a mention on my tea break? Because of my favourite song: Hug it out. Go check it out on YouTube, such as here.
There are few song lines better than this:
Now if by chance you’re a world leader, trying to sort out global peace
All those pesky border conflicts somewhere in the Middle East
It’s time to try new tactics: the argument’s gone on too long.
Take advice from my Aunty Cath…
Have a custard cream, put the kettle on…
In a world that is full of conflict (just look at the news, about Gaza, Israel, Iraq, South Sudan, Syria, Central African Republic, Afghanistan…to name but a few) perhaps we should spend more time with a cup of tea and a biscuit: talking, sharing, getting to know one another.
Fuelled by tea and biscuits: a place of peace for me.
The Student Baker
Fuelled by tea and biscuits…
As ‘A’-level results have come out this week, many will be considering the prospect of University. Here in England degree courses now cost up to £9000 per annum, funded by the students taking on personal debt. For me, who came through a completely free education, I find this horrific (and, having children of my own, a terrifying prospect!) and I just hope that it doesn’t deter people from taking a degree.
Apparently this year was a good year to be taking ‘A’-levels. A dip in the birth rate means there are more students than places, so young people have a good chance of getting the degree they wish even if their grades slip a little. My congratulations go out to everyone who has battled through the stress of exams and has succeeded in getting the course they desired.
But – going back to my first diversion into the costs of university education – students are renowned for blowing their budget on alcohol rather than food. Can I, therefore, introduce you to the blog thestudentbaker94.wordpress.com. Clear, simple, CHEAP recipes for those who enjoy baking, costed out so you can also budget in your drinks! So far, lots of cupcakes and frosting ideas… but I’m most excited by Cookies & Cream Ice-cream – yum yum!
(And now I disappear for a moment or two…)
How to eat a biscuit…
Fuelled by tea and biscuits…
There is only one way to eat a Club biscuit.
Firstly, carefully remove the paper wrapper, keeping it all in one piece.
Then carefully crease the paper wrapper along the long edges to get lovely sharp corners.
Rub the length of the silver wrapper, like brass-rubbing, until you can read the words in the chocolate beneath.
Then turn it over and remove the biscuit from the wrapper.
Assess which end has most chocolate. If it is obvious, save that for last. Insert biscuit into the paper wrapper.
EAT!!
Oddly enough, most of my family have finished eating their biscuits before I start…
What would you choose?
Fuelled by tea and biscuits…
The last couple of tea-break posts have concentrated on tea, which (as is universally acknowledged) is indubitably best with a biscuit.
But what type of biscuit?
I like chocolate (of course), but that’s no good for dunking.
For this you need a simple digestive or, better still, a ginger nut.
To fill a gap I’d recommend an oaty biscuit, like a hobnob.
And if you are being healthy (ahem!) try a cranberry and orange cookie.
Of course, little beats a piece of shortbread: simple, unadulterated … or topped with caramel and chocolate.
Which returns me to the starting point: chocolate.
100th blog post in 100 words.
More tea, vicar?
Fuelled by tea and biscuits…
Following on from Jean-Paul last week, I was delighted to watch the Tour de France passing through Ilkley. The whole day was full of excitement and the crowds throughout Yorkshire were amazing. We did quite well on the freebies that were flung from the trucks: my daughter got a hat, my niece some haribos and my husband an inflatable plastic pillow (yes, the most useless of the lot). Having said that, he did say the memory that will stay long in his mind is of my sister and I running up the road to retrieve this:
A box of tea, Yorkshire style!
For today’s tea break, a link and a mug (but not a link to a mug).
Firstly, the link to my friend’s blog. You will note, I have friends who have friends in high places! Janet is raising money by drinking cups of tea. Now, why didn’t I think of that?! If you wish to support her, there are links on her blog (see June 27 entry).
And this week’s mug? Well, in celebration of the Yorkshire Tea I should share my Yorkshire Mug.
You can take the lass out of Yorkshire, but you can’t take the Yorkshire out of the lass.
So true.
Taking a tea break
I thought over the summer I’d take a break for tea.
The most observant will note the blog tagline: Fuelled by tea and biscuits… If there is anything that helps me get my writing done it has to be the regular mugs of tea that give the day structure, and often motivate the writing to actually take place. That and the accompanying biscuit, of course. Ideally chocolate, but shortbread or custard creams will do…
You will learn I’m not fussy.
Let me start my tea tour with a mug and a link. Here’s the mug:
As an homage to the Tour de France coming to God’s Own Country this weekend I thought I’d share my frog mug. Purloined when in Zambia (by accident, but nevertheless not yet returned to its rightful owner, sorry!) the mug is an education on the wide variety of frogs and toads that inhabit the world. I’ve never checked how accurate the pictures are! Then it adds the light relief: can you spot Jean-Paul?
And here’s the link: Chai – the drink India can’t live without
This article on the BBC website records photos of tea making and drinking in India. Over there it is all part of the culture, in a similar manner to the English ‘Afternoon Tea’: a china cup of tea from a teapot, with a buttered raisin scone.
As an aside, I was given a box of Chai teabags for Christmas. I drank one in my usual fashion (black, no sugar) and wasn’t very keen. Having read the article I think
(a) I should try it with milk; and
(b) I wonder if it is something that is loved in situ more than here. Is its appeal partly linked to the whole Indian culture, atmosphere and presence?
And as a consequence of that, I think…
I should go to India!
I live in hope!