Mothering Sunday Tea with Hannah & Chilli-Chocolate Brownie Disaster

Like a diligent and loving son I headed back to the ranch for Mothering Sunday, safe in the knowledge that I was in for a feast. Whenever we see Hannah we know we’re not going to go hungry – as you’ll see from the links below.

BBQ on the bales
Hannah’s epic afternoon tea
Christmas Eve with Hannah
Cowie’s Brownies for Hannah

This isn’t going to be a long post. Just a brief pictorial summary in honour of the lost art of afternoon tea. Enjoy the slide show.

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

The highlight of the spread wasn’t the first bite of Jane’s incredible scones with clotted cream, or Mum’s amazing violet and lemon cake. No the highlight was my disastrous foray into interfering with Cowie’s (now sacred) brownie recipe. I thought it would be a good idea to add some chilli chocolate sauce to the mix. But I failed to check the sauce I used resulting in Cowie’s, normally amazing, brownies tasting more of curry than chocolate.

On closer inspection of the jar it turned out that the sauce I had haphazardly lobbed in was actually actually a sauvory sauce for use in Mexican moles! DISASTER! I had single handedly ruined Mother’s Day. Or so Dad said. And then Hannah broke down crying and I feared the worst… but they were happy tears. None of us have eaten anything this nasty in a long time and it was hilarious. Take it from me. The brownies below may look delicious.

But because I used this stuff. They tasted gross!

Hannah. It was great to see you. I hope the Aga gets better soon!

Munnar’s epic tea plantations

Our bus chugged out of Ernakulam station and headed east towards the magnificent Western Ghatts. For two hours we snaked in and out of manic traffic before we emerged at the lucious green fringes of the mountains. The once diesel clogged air vanished leaving us gasping at the pristine fields of rice and the sight of mountains trying to out-do each other stretching into the distance.

Our bus revved up at the challenge ahead. It accelerated around every hair pin bend and seemed to try to barge oncoming vehicles off the road. Cowie and clung on to the bar in front of us like my mother would do on a rollercoaster! Luggage veered across the bus. Epic scenery whizzed past our glassless windows.

The vegetation at the base of the mountains was mainly rice but quickly changed to banana plantations and rubber trees which had plastic bags tied around their thin waists. After 4 hours of driving Cowie was becoming disappointed that we hadn’t seen any tea plantations yet. And no sooner had she said the word tea, than we’d rounded a particularly dangerous bend and seen this view…

The air was cool and misty. So different from the hot, muggy air of Fort Cochin. Just the sort of climate that would suit British people in need of some respite. I guess this explains why Munnar was once such a favourite with the British! The climate is obviously perfect for tea as well. Once you get past a certain altitude every visible slope is covered in Camellia sinensis plants.

By the time we’d settled into our room the sun was beginning to dip glowing with a yellow hue first…

… before departing for the night with a purplish burst…

As far as I could work out, we were at the highest point that this latitude has to offer anywhere around the world. Looking west every hill was below us.

The next day we were taken on a tour of the tranquil tea and cardamon plantations. Each tea bush is trimmed every 50 days to ensure that they only ever get the young shoots. The plants are around 125 years old and were planted by the British and are now run by Tata.

The plants below which look a bit like banana bushes are cardamon. They grow in the shade of other trees with their fragrant pods nestling at the base. We were fascinated to see the juicy pods – whenever we see them in spice packets they are normally shrivelled up and ugly. But these were fresh and attractive.

We also stumbled across passion fruit…

And coffee growing casually…

We were amazed at the fact that the plants that we consider exciting and tropical at home just grow carelessly on a mountainside in India…

We finished with a cup of cadamon tea before zooming off in a rickshaw to have a look around Munnar. I say zoom. That’s far from accurate, given the fact that we were too heavy to go uphill – I had to get out for small stints and then hop back in again when we got moving!

Munnar itself is hardly a tourist playground. There’s a bad tea museum and some dodgy cafes. The guidebooks did their best to sound enthusiastic but they failed to mention the fact that Munnar has a brilliant market. We found it by mistake and were amazed by the range and quality of the produce… not to mention how friendly all the traders were…

Man lurking behind the aubergines

Man absent mindedly watching his flock

Better than Sainsbury!

Loads of ginger

Green chillies galore

Carrots

Very neat beans – probably where the expression, “bean counter” came from

More garlic than a Frenchman’s larder

Okra

Bitter gourds looking grarnly and unfriendly

This cow loitered by the exit to the market feasting on the leftovers looking like the happiest cow in the whole world!

We bought as many spices as we could lay our hands on and stocked up on local tea. To our joy we later found out that the goodies we bought in Munnar market were a tenth of the price than they are elsewhere! Smugness is all!

Given the state of the bustimetable below, we decided to spurn the bus for a trip to Alleppey in favour of a taxi which, whilst less fun, ended up transforming our holiday.

Munnar is a gorgeous place. Relaxed. Idyllic. Tranquil. Green. Verdent. And spectacularly beautiful. If you are spending any time in Kerala please find time to pay this area a visit. And make sure you arrive by bus!

For more information about Munnar have a look on Trip Advisor. We stayed at the Shamrock but wish we’d been able to get into Olive Brook. Both offered free tours of the plantations and cooking lessons.

Mr Scruff Tea

I am a huge Mr Scruff fan having fallen head over heals for his cartoons and quirky breaks whilst at uni in Nottingham. I remember a night at the Bomb vividly where he had choreographed his cartoons to his eclectic mixing. It was awesome.

A few years ago I bought myself a matching Mr Scruff teapot and mug as a self congratulatory Christmas present. I had sent out hints and links to websites but no-one had cottoned on. It was all very dirty and underground buying things from his bizarre website and not really knowing whether it was all a joke.

Well you can imagine my shock last week when I found a selection of beautifully boxed Mr Scruff teas in Selfridges! There they were minding their own crazy business on the shelf next door to up market teas from Tea Palace, Twinings and a variety of up their own arse single estate chaps (which I am sure are lovely!).

I snapped one up and lovingly brought it back to the office to wheel out on special occassions. Oli has become quite attached to them and has insisted that I mention their new name: “scruff bags”. Oli, you should really work in advertising… so creative!

As with all of Mr Scruff’s kit, his cartoons are all over the box. And I love them. There is something so quirky and English about the whole thing. I can see him DJing whilst having a nice cup of tea to take the edge off!

Here are the photos of the box:

So cute.

In terms of quality of tea, it’s probably best to take a look at a proper tea review.

Here’s some highlights from Nice Cup of Tea:

“Although not one of the highest scoring teas we have tested I think its qualities are far more personal than our test provides, the new method of production works very well with this tea. We tried the new method with TeaDirect teabags and it didn’t come out right at all. To balance that we tried Grandad’s Choice bags in a teapot and that came out to gritty. The method compliments the tea and for what it lacks in strength it makes up for in its unique taste and aroma.”

My tasting notes would be. Great box. Strong taste. Incredible cartoons. Great conversation starter. Can’t wait for the next blend. He should create some music designed specifically for drinking tea to!

Get your Mr Scruff kit here.

Self Stirring Tea Cup

From the Telegraph – that bastion of tea drinking:

“The teaspoon could become a thing of the past after the invention of a mug that can stir liquid by itself.

All a drinker has to do to work the clever cup is gently swirl it. This sets in motion a ceramic ball positioned at the bottom of the mug that stirs the contents.

The device was invented by two French designers, who recently displayed it at the London Design Festival. Florian Dussopt, 23, said: “The cup aims at introducing a new way of drinking tea or another warm drink without using a spoon.

“The ball is put into a slightly protruding base to keep it in place when stirring and drinking.

“Users gently move the cup, like you would when swirling a glass of cognac, and the action pushes the ball around.

“The ceramic ball mixes all various sugars and milk at the same time, thus eliminating the need for a spoon. When you drink it the ball is blocked by the gravity in the recess of the glass. This eliminates the need for a spoon. Ceramic is a material that is hygienic and beautiful at the same time. The combination of glass and ceramic is aesthetically appealing in its formal interpretation of the traditional cup and saucer.”

Bad news for teaspoon manufacturers everywhere. Personally, I don’t see what’s wrong with mugs? They’ve got these clever inventions called handles that stop you from burning your hands. They come in lots of different styles and it could be argued that they are a British icon. So why do we need some sort of Jamie Oliver Flavour Shaker device for our tea?

Awesome Teapot

I saw this on NotCot and thought it looked pretty cool. This is from Sandritaparra

Hugh’s Ultimate Cup of Tea

We’ve become big fans of Hugh’s typically eccentric way of making tea! No other method compares! This is an extract from an article on The Guardian.

“That’s all changed. Now, to make my tea, I need two good-sized mugs. I boil the kettle. The hot water goes into one mug first, stays for a few seconds so the mug is heated, then goes into the second mug. The tea bag goes into the first, hot, mug, boiling water is poured in, to within a couple of millimetres of the top, and the two mugs, one containing brewing tea, and the other containing hot water, are left to stand. After about five minutes, the mug of brewed tea is placed in the sink, where some new hot water (freshly re-boiled) from the kettle, is sloshed into it, so it overflows by about half a mug. This is to stop the well-brewed tea being too strong. The full-to-overflowing mug is now tilted a little bit, so it spills out enough tea to allow room for some milk.

Remember the second mug, full of the hot (now not so hot, but still quite hot) water that was used to warm the first mug? That is now emptied. The tea bag is fished out from the first ‘brewing’ mug, and placed in the bottom of the empty ‘warm’ mug, where a small splash of milk is poured over it. The effect of the hot tea bag, and still-warm mug, is to take the chill off the milk – and impregnate it with a mild tea flavour. To encourage both these objectives, the mug is picked up and swirled, put down for a few seconds, picked up and swirled again, and left to stand for a short while longer. The tea-coloured, warm milk is now poured from tea-bag mug to brew mug, which is given a stir.

The resulting colour is observed. A little more milk may be necessary, in which case it will go via the still-warm tea bag mug, into the brew mug. When the colour is exactly right, I will stir in exactly one rounded teaspoonful of golden caster sugar. The tea, which at this point is still far too hot to drink, will now be left to stand for at least five minutes, before a sip is attempted.”

The tea tastes better – stronger, hotter and more balanced. It’s fun to do and has is fast becoming one of life’s rituals. The ceremony known as tea making is sacred. Hugh’s come up with a piece of Japanese tea zen for Britain!

Radiator Mug

Wow. I simply have to get my hands on one of these puppies. Awesome.

From Charles and Marie

“Ahhh, finally, is all we can say! We first met Stephen Reed at 100% Design in London last year where he sold the first prototype of his ingenious mug at the Super Design Mart, but it took 15 months to get it produced and it is perfect! Read on and see for yourself:

Anyone who has ever opened a PC or worked on an engine will see a resemblance to the fins that are used to cool specific parts that shouldn’t get to hot. Well, the same applies here. Those fins – called heat sinks if you really want to know – cover the entire base of the mug, this way you can hold it without burning your fingers. Pretty nifty if you ask us… But don’t be fooled by the temperature of your favorite beverage, whilst you may be able to hold the mug, it does not imply that it’s ready to be enjoyed.

Next to the fact that it is a very cool idea, it is also a very elegant and good looking one and at 3.5″ (9 cm) wide and 4.5″ (11,5 cm) high, impeccably proportioned…”

For all the tea in Spittalfield

Cowie and I did a solid morning’s Christmas shopping in and around Spittalfield market buying all sort of goodies and trying to forget about Cowie’s disappointing breakfast experience at Leon and Canteen!

I’m fed up of coffee bars and have been looking for an authenic tea shop for ages. Something that lives up to some of the places I went to in Hong Kong and Shanghai.

Tea Smith is next door to Spittalfield market but is nearer culturally to Peking. We sat at a stylish, long bar and were given a tour de force in the world of tea by the charming girl behind the bar. She guided us with great confidence through their extensive tea menu. Talking us through the different ways that Camelia Synensis is treated. She turned up her nose at my question about lapsang suchong because it is an inferior tea composed of off cuts and is generally low grade stuff. Fascinating.

She went through an elaborate ritual for each tea we tried. Repeatedly rinsing and heating our cups. We got 3 infusions for our money and a wealth of interesting knowledge.

My tea was smooth and oaky. Slightly charred and very refreshing. Apparently it would do wonders for my cholesterol and metabolism. Cowie’s was slighly less impressed with hers. A bit odd tasting but not as strange as the one that smelled like smoked trout that we were treated to as an added extra later.

They have been open for about a year now but it was a shame to see the place empty. I’m keen to do one of their Tea Masterclasses. I quite fancy myself as a “Tea Master”!

Coffee in a Camper Van

When we were in Whitstable Cowie and I had a great time exploring the market on the harbour. Having guzzled some oysters and studied the Crab and Winkles’ menu for that evening we were in desperate need of a coffee.

We stumbled across a bloke selling organic, freshly ground coffee next to his VW camper van with an array of up to date newspapers and magazines scatterd across the parcel shelf.

Cowie had a super fair trade tea whilst I polished off two double espresssos whilst lounging around in the back of a camper van. This was bliss. Out of the wind drinking delicious coffee and reading all the good bits of the paper. This is the quintessential experience of what drinking tea or coffee should be… literally transporting you away from the drudgery of everyday life to a life more charming… a better place.

Have a look at Volks Coffee’s website to see where they’ll turn up next!

Northcote Road Afternoon Tea

Having not been out of the house all day I decided a trip to the Northcotte Road was a good idea. Fed up of drinking tea in the Towers, I wondered into Brew to have a nice pot of speciality tea.

I asked for a pot of Assam and was disappointed that they hadn’t even heard of it. Builders it was then. Which was fine if a little bit unexciting. I was keen to have something that we don’t have at home.

I enjoyed my tea whilst reading my new Anthony Bourdain book, intermittently writing a Christmas list to make sure I’ve got all the bases covered this year. I felt like I was being watched the whole time… maybe it’s paranoia… maybe it was the fact that the place wasn’t very busy. It didn’t make me want to linger and chill out like the best tea shops do. And they didn’t offer me any cakes or flapjacks so I decided to leave and get some on the way home from the market.

I bought a red iced cup cake with snow flakes and a white chocolate and raspberry muffin. The muffin has now been dispatched and the cup cake is a peace offering for Cowie!