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Title: Making British Tea with Real Tealeaves
Categories: Beverages British
Yield: 1 Teapotful
| 1 | ts | Tea ** per person |
| 1 | ts | Tea ** per teapot |
| Boiling water to preheat | ||
| Boiling water to make Tea | ||
| OPTIONAL | ||
| White sugar | ||
| Milk-=OR=- | ||
| 1 | sl | Lemon per person (or more) |
NB, ** British tea is made with an Indian/Ceylon type tea, not china.
Making tea properly is so easy, that there's no reason not to. Fill a kettle with much more cold water than you need. Do not use hot water from the tap, and make sure that you run enough water for it not to have been hanging around in the pipes for ages. Put the kettle on maximum heat and get the teapot and the other ingredients, Tea, sugar and either milk (traditional English style tea) or lemon. When the kettle is very nearly boiling, pour enough into the pot to fill it about 1/4 full. Put the kettle back on the heat to come to a full boil. Swirl the water round well in the pot, and pour it out. Now measure the tea into the pot, using a rounded tsp per person and one for the pot. By this time the water in the kettle will be coming to a full boil. Remove from heat and fill the pot immediately. Stir the tea thoroughly once, put the lid on and (optional) cover with a tea cosy (this is like an eiderdown for the teapot). : While the tea is mashing (infusing), prepare the tea tray. Put tea cups out on saucers with teaspoons. Milk goes in a jug (got to do it properly!) sugar - if used - in a bowl. If you use lemon, slice it freshly and place on a spare saucer. Put out a tea strainer (which is a small, fine sieve, complete with its own stand, and designed to rest on your tea cup. By this time the tea will have finished its mashing so put the teapot on the tray, and carry through from the kitchen. To serve, put a little milk in the bottom of the tea-cup and lay the strainer over the cup. Pour the tea from the teapot until the teacup is adequately filled. Hand round the sugar separately, for each guest to help themselves. To serve with lemon, pour the tea without milk, and pass lemon slice separately, together with sugar. Notes. The important points are 1 Use freshly drawn freshly boiled water 2 Pre-heat the teapot 3 Make sure the tea is made with fully boiling water. 4 Make tea in the right strength. 5 Use decent tea. Recipe Traditional MMed IMH c/o Georges' Home BBS 2:323/4.4
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