Forget Starbucks, All I Want Is A Proper Brew
Sales of teapots may have dropped, but getting a decent cuppa in London is a far bigger problem, says Duncan Barkes.
7 Feb 2012, 09:30
Time for teashops?
Some commentators are alarmed that the sales of teapots have dropped by 40% over the last five years, but there is a far bigger problem that needs addressing.
2012 is supposed to be London's big year - so why is it so hard to get a decent cup of tea in the capital city?
By three in the afternoon most days, I get a craving for a cup of Early Grey and a toasted teacake.
A scone's throw from my desk in London and there are numerous coffee shops, all flogging variations on a theme, along with the obligatory panini that appears to be infecting most areas of modern society these days.
There are plenty of coffee shops, but hardly any teashops. Why is this?
Of course, one can get something resembling tea from these coffee shops, but have you ever tasted it? Tea leaves have been waved in its general direction but that's about it. Vile.
A decent cup of tea is hard to find in London. Friends tell me that The Goring Hotel or The Dorchester are the places to go for tea and cake, but my budget simply cannot take such a hit on a daily basis.
The challenge of a decent brew becomes less so as I head home back to the wilds of West Sussex.
Once you have passed Crawley, and have reached the more civilised parts of the county, tea shops are in abundance. Proper places - with dinky metal teapots, ladies in aprons, sponge and as much as teacake as a fat bloke like me can guzzle.
But I shouldn't have to head home every time I want some tea in the afternoon and neither should you.
I reckon there's a gap in the market for a chain of decent teashops in London. Someone should go on Dragon's Den and pitch the idea to the fearsome five. I reckon even Deborah Meaden would soften up after a cup of Earl Grey and a nibble on a rock cake.
Tea drinking is part of this country's DNA, getting a decent cuppa should not be such a challenge.
Comments (3)
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Befriend your local MP (or any other MP for that matter). You get a lovely cup of tea at the houses of Parliament, along with pleasant surroundings, excellent views and at a very reasonable price!
07/02/2012 10:42Come to Coffee#1 in South Wales. Get the best of both worlds. They do great coffee and leaf tea in a pot. And proper milk in a jug.
07/02/2012 22:26Why do you think you have to go out for a cup of tea? Make it yourself! You get to choose your teabag, brewing time, how much milk etc. What could be better? Simples.
08/02/2012 09:20