I used to love to throw tea parties. Of course, this was when I was a very young girl. When I was in college, I got to play the character of Cecily in a play called The Importance of Being Ernest by Oscar Wilde. In the play, I had to serve tea. So it seemed only natural that I would learn about the English tradition of tea during our expedition.

Our adventure in tea started in London with a visit to the Bramah Tea Museum. I must admit, I was curious about the amount of information surrounding tea. Sarah had the chance to have a cup of tea with Edward Bramah, who has worked in the tea business for about 50 years. He shared the story of tea with her, while I wandered around this strange and wonderful museum that contained tea items from around the world, both old and new. I especially liked Mr. Bramah's little bowls of various types of tea that could be picked up and smelled. Who knew there were so many different kinds of tea, each with a distinct look and scent?

By the time we arrived at the Shakespeare Hotel in Stratford, Sarah was an expert in telling the story of tea and was ready to share it with us. Today was twice as exciting because we weren't the only people with cameras and film equipment. The Shakespeare Hotel arranged for the local BBC radio station to interview us about our expedition and our tea segment, so we had a number of people watching and learning about tea from us.

Once Sarah finished telling me about the history of tea in England and how to make a proper cup of tea, we got to enjoy the best part. Our hosts at the hotel brought out the most beautiful and delicious tea snacks including scones, sandwiches, tea cakes, and fruit tarts. The display was a work of art.

Don't worry, Jenny and Christopher were busy behind the camera, but we shared our tea and sweets with them!

Cheers,

For Extra Credit:
Tea arrived in England around the time of the Plague. Learn about the Plague.

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