A Review of Jeniers Scottish Breakfast Tea Blend – In a Vintage Tea Cup of course

Tea with Mary Kate has discovered Jenier World of Tea

This Scottish based company is looking to provide a quality product and service in the tradition of pioneers like Sir Thomas Lipton. I have been really delighted from the first contact to the very prompt delivery of a range of samples to try.

The perfect vintage china tea cup for Scottish breakfast Tea

There is nothing quite like sipping the tea from the perfect vintage cup

Tea is an experience, a journey, time for you, and quite frankly, a vintage tea cup makes the whole tea experience! That moment of contemplation of tea and cup, and the expectation of the experience is almost as lovely, almost, as that first warm, amazing sip, smelling the aroma, steam rising as you relax into thinking about your second cup.

Tea with Mary Kates review of Jeniers Scottish Breakfast Blend tea.

Jeniers Scottish breakfast tea is a bright and bold full mouthful of tea. The lovely aroma of the brown curled leaves is wonderfully traditional. A mix of Assam, China Black Keemun Gold and a Chingwo County Orange Pekoe, it smells like a proper old fashioned blend and brews to a rich flavourful tea that has just the right balance of depth without being too malty. I would recommend it needs to be taken with milk. My dears, it feels just as you would imagine it needs to be – warm and sufficient to sustain you on a cold dreak Scottish morning. Ay, it is a grand cuppa indeed Jenier.

A Whole New Level of Tea Delivery – Send a Tea Mail with Postcard Teas

In the new digital age, we are fortunate enough to have the global tea market at our internet fingertips

Tea with Mary Kate was delighted to discover that Postcard Teas have taken this to a whole new level. Instead of just ordering tea, send a Tea postcard! All the teas have amazing images and equally amazing names – who could resist Master Matsumoto’s Supernatural Green .

Order Darjeeling first flush via Tea mail from Postcard Tea

The idea of connecting the aesthetic and your own personal message with each specific tea is really special. A wonderful and unique idea, I have included 2 of my favourite postcards. Tea with Mary Kate would be delighted to receive a Tea postcard via Tea mail anytime.

Order Tea Flower Tea via Tea Mail from Postcard Tea

The Perfect Gift for a Valentines Day Tea Lover – with a Brew of Lovers Leap Tea

I realise that I could be accused of a tea cosy obsession at the moment, but just imagine the delight at being woken on Valentines day morning to tea in bed, kept warm with this delightful tea and egg cosy in blackberry mousse knit.

My dears, there is more good news! Jenier world of tea has just the perfectly named brew to serve this valentines day

 Lovers Leap Ceylon tea  available as loose leaf orthodox or in a delightful pouch. Described as a truly delightful, medium bodied, flavoursome tea from one of the best tea gardens in Sri Lanka, this Scottish based company’s focus is on quality. Jenier assure us that as it is grown at high altitude amongst steep hills, we can be sure of tasting a wonderful piquant cup with real Ceylon character. Well, I will need to take their word on it now with a prospect of a future order to sample this tempting tea.

For more Valentines day inspiration, look no further than:

Thoughtful musing on a valentines day Tea

A valentines day tea to fall in love with

What can I say – Tea with Mary Kate has found the perfect gift for all you Tea lovers out there – enjoy!

A Review of James Pogsons Northern Tea Merchants Rose Congou Tea – in a Vintage Tea Cup of course

I have had the great fortune to meet with and visit James at Northern Tea Merchants. 

One sunny afternoon, I took him up on his very kind offer of an afternoon of tea tasting. It was really excellent fun and very educational.

My favourite tea of the afternoon is his black Rose congou tea.

Delightfully fragrant, it looks as good as it smells with beautiful rose petals dispersed amongst the thin twisted very black tea leaves. The tea has depth with a perfect balance of rose blended with just the right amount of black china tea.  The end result is a delightful flavour combination that is far from too sweet although rather importantly, the fragrant aroma of the rose still comes through.

The great thing about this excellent tea is that can be taken with or without milk, though if truth be told I have it with milk most of the time. What Tea with Mary Kate will not accommodate however is the tea being drunk in anything other than a gorgeous vintage china tea cup. There are standards to be maintained, my dears, I am sure you agree.

Rose Congou Leaf tea in a vintage tea cup

Knitting Needles at the ready! Irresistibly Cute Clipper Tea Cosy Knitting Kit

Clipper Tea Cosy Knitting Kit

I have always loved the art work, not to mention the tea from Clipper, so I was delighted to discover this Clipper Tea cosy Knitting kit. I have been unable to resist spreading the news the second I discovered it. Just perfect for this cold winter day, Tea with Mary Kate just loves it!

A Royal Afternoon Tea – Ideas for how to Celebrate with the Queen on her Diamond Jubilee

On 6th February 2012, 60 years after her accession to the throne, Queen Elizabeth II is celebrating her Diamond Jubilee 

As you will suspect readers, Tea with Mary Kate will need very little excuse to dust off her vintage china to celebrate this splendid occasion. What more perfect way to join the jubilation than to create, yes, you have guessed it, a Royal Afternoon Tea.

Royal Afternoon Tea to celebrate the Queens Diamond Jubilee

Queen ElizabethII will hold 4 garden parties, and have tea for a staggering 34000!

Now while I am far from proposing organising an event on quite that scale, there are some splendid events planned in June to coincide with 60 years after Queens Elizabeths coronation.

The Big Jubilee Lunch

On Sunday 3rd June, 2012, there is the Big Jubilee Lunch where everyone will be encouraged to share lunch with neighbours and friends as part of the celebrations. How terribly British! I adore the idea of a traditional street party or a picnic lunch – and a traditional afternoon tea is just perfect for it. Organised by the Big Lunch http://www.thebiglunch.com, do make sure that you have your bunting at the ready.

Diamond Jubilee Royal Afternoon Tea

Royal Jubilee Afternoon Tea - Inspired by a Vintage coronation Tea cup

While it is a Royal tea, Queen Elizabeth has always been a terribly practical, no nonsense sort of Queen so the focus is a celebration of traditional British fare without too much embellishment. I have themed the royal jubilee tea around this vintage coronation tea cup. White table linen, with red, white and blue flowers to decorate. I am planning to fill vintage tea cups with home grown flowers from Sarah Ravens beautiful celebrate Britain flower seed Mix, Draft your own afternoon tea menu, and decorate it with splendid blue red and white ribbons, and sparkly “diamonds”.

Beautiful flowers for Diamond Jubilee Royal Afternoon Tea - Celebrate Britain mix form Sarah Raven

Diamond Jubilee Royal Afternoon Tea Menu

A selection of gorgeous sandwiches

Cucumber on white bread

Egg mayonnaise with a hint of garlic salt and lashings of cress on brown bread

Cheddar cheese with homemade pickle on wholemeal bread

Something Sweet

Scones with jam and cornish clotted cream

Cup of tea cake spread thickly with butter

Tea cups filled with warmed apple crumble – with traditional custard

Yorkshire Gold leaf tea

For more inspiration, there is Tea with Mary Kates  Top Tips on how to Create the very Best Royal Wedding Afternoon Tea, another amazing Royal event.

Other Events to Celebrate with the Queen

Cecil Beatons portrait of Queen Elizabeth Coronation

Cecil Beatons Portraits at the V & A

An exhibition of Cecil Beatons wonderful portraits of Queen Elizabeth II will be held at  Victoria & Albert Museum on 8 February – 22 April 2012.

Diamond Jubilee River Pageant

if you fancy an outdoor event, the Diamond Jubilee River Pageant, on 3 June 2012, will be one of the main events of a four-day bank holiday weekend marking her 60-year reign. The Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant will take place on the Thames and consist of up to 1,000 boats assembled from across the UK, the Commonwealth and around the world. The Queen will travel in the Royal Barge which will lead the flotilla, with the Queen the head the fleet, and  including vessels from the UK, Commonwealth, and around the world. The flotilla is expected to be seven-and-a-half miles long and will feature a mix of private and commercially owned historic and modern boats – ranging from rowing boats and sailing ships to steamers, wooden launches and larger motorised craft.http://www.thamesdiamondjubileepageant.org/

Time is fleeting and moments are so very precious. All too soon they are gone. Tea with Mary Kates intends to celebrate this is a once in a life time event with a very British afternoon tea – how will you be celebrating?

Take 10 with Twinings and Get Back to You – Reconnect with this Wonderful and Practical Idea

The first time I saw the proposal from Twinings to take 10, that’s 10 minutes to stop, pause, draw breath, I’ll share a secret with you my dears, it stopped me dead in my tracks. The imagery so resonated with the recognition at moments of feeling at sea as the day races past – Tea with Mary Kate requires no expert advice that the promise of seeking to capture a moments peace to re connect while sipping a cup of tea is a good one. I just adored the song ”where ever you will” go by Charlene Soraia, perfect for the idea.

Take 10 is a wonderful and practical idea – How fabulously connecting Twinings! Bravo!

Twinings Tea Take 10 - Gets you back to you

A Very Fashionable Afternoon Tea – with the iconic Zandra Rhodes

There can be no doubt that afternoon tea is a moment to be savoured. Well, can you imagine Tea with Mary Kates delight at discovering this rather special Zandra Rhodes afternoon tea designed to be a creative combination of the visual and culinary.

I am now plotting a way to experience this unique tea adventure, located at the Mandeville Hotel, London.  Who could resist jewelled éclair fingers and buttery butterfly lavender shortbread – my dears the only problem would be what to wear!

The perfect combination of fashion and Tea - A Zandra Rhodes Afternoon Tea

Journey back to Downton – Afternoon Tea on a Train from a bygone era

Highclere Castle is regarded as the finest occupied Victorian castle in England……….although frankly my dears, that is not why Tea with Mary Kate is interested . I hesitate to divulge this finding but in the spirit of generosity, who could hesitate to take up a splendid train journey on the orient express to Downton…..ahem, I mean to Highclere.

Lady Mary Crawley and Matthew Crawley - on the Train Platform from Downton Abbey

Tea with Mary Kate has been lucky enough to travel on the wonderful Northern Belle train to the Chelsea Flower show already

Not that once is enough by any stretch of the imagination – who could not wish to be swept to Downton via this bygone era of travel. It will be very hard to resist a quite delightful journey on this beautiful 1930s train with the prospect of wandering around the rooms at Highclere that have become very familiar as the Crawley’s home. There is even the prospect for bumping into the cast filming series 3 of Downton Abbey. Tea with Mary Kates enthusiasm for this journey is unbridled in her article  Oh to have tea at Downton Abbey

Northern Belle - A Beautiful Cup for Afternoon Tea to travel to Downton Abbey

I may need to enlist a generous benefactor though to fund this potential trip.Tea with Mary Kate is open to offers!

How to Create your own Splendid Tea Party Invitations

Look no further than this tea stamp kit to fashion your own rather lovely tea party invitations. Created by Yellow Owl Workshop, I love the idea of each guest having their own luggage tag tied to a beautiful vintage china tea cup –  and the quite marvellous thing of course is that you get to choose on the colour. Tea with Mary Kate is quite taken with this perfectly splendid idea!

Tea Party Stamps - from Yellow Owl