The Simply Splendid Tea and Cookie of the Month Club

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The daily tea break

It’s good for you! 

Given life’s ceaseless hurly-burly, it’s a comfort to know a good cup of tea is always at hand. With a fragrant cup of tea, worries subside and life looks decidedly better.  Tea is a quintessentially British beverage, and taking tea is a quintessentially English ritual that has payed out for over 350 years. But in fact the history of tea goes much further back (more about the early history of tea at another time!). Despite its deep British roots, taking tea in the afternoon is now a global phenom and tea sales continue to rocket.

Our Tea and Cookie of the Month Club brings the choicest loose leaf teas from some of the best tea plantations (all our teas are sourced through the Ethical Tea Partnership), and freshly-baked cookies, baked in small batches using real butter and fresh eggs, just the way Grandmother did!

You will receive 50 grams of a different tea and a different selection of 12 cookies every month for the duration of your membership. 50 grams of tea make between 20–30 cups (170 ml/6 oz) of tea, depending on the desired strength.

You will also receive a brief history of the Tea of the Month and brewing tips.

The first Tea and Cookie pairing is Buckingham Palace Garden Party tea and our Simply Splendid signature lavender shortbread.

Buckingham Palace Garden Party Tea is a delicate medium tea.  Every May the Queen holds a garden party at Buckingham Palace, a lovely English springtime tradition. The tea that is served is long time Palace favourite and delicious medley of teas specially selected for this occasion. Intriguing hints of high-grown pure Ceylon Earl Grey blend effortlessly with the soft jasmine from Fujian Province. This is coupled with malty Assam, gentle flavours from Dimbula in Ceylon, and Kenya teas. Enjoy this tea and be a part of the annual tradition in the west gardens of Buckingham Palace, without having to travel far!

To prepare: We recommend ¾ of a teaspoon, (or a little less or more) depending on your taste per full cup of water which has been brought to a rolling boil. You may use a second pot of hot water to refresh the tea before changing the tea leaves.

To order a Tea and Cookie of the month membership for yourself and your friends, please click on the link for details.

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Afternoon Tea: Five must do’s for July

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At the start of every month, we offer you a short list of pleasant activities, some focussed on afternoon tea. Herewith five suggestions for July 2013.

It’s summertime and the living is easy

Nothing expresses this ethos like reading a really good book in the garden or at the beach. Our fave for July is Cynthia Reyes’ A Good Home.

It’s a memoir of growing up in Jamaica and coming of age in Canada  – a memoir whose simple style, lyrical prose and defining characters will provide you with hours’ worth of grinning from ear to ear as you recognize events or characters from your own past; with out loud laughter at some of the antics and quirks and also with occasional tears when sadness strikes.

A must read; available through bookstores worldwide and online at amazon.com, amazon.ca, chapters.ca, amazon.co.uk and barnesandnoble.com.

And yet another notable aspect of this splendid season is the music, culture and assorted festivals that entice us out of doors. Find out what’s happening where you live, pack a picnic lunch and take in a local festival.

Go ahead, let your hair down and sing along if you want!

Start to plan your very own Royal Christening Afternoon Tea menu.

The Duchess of Cambridge’s due date is Saturday July 13 – but who knows if the Heir to the Throne has a mind of her/his own.

The minute the Royal Birth is announced, we will post our simply splendid Royal Christening Afternoon Tea menu to our website.

Both Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles had afternoon teas after their christening; if anyone has the scoop on what sort of collation was offered at Prince William’s christening, please send us a comment.

Another good thing about summer is afternoon tea in the garden; so go ahead and bake our classic scones, make a few watercress sandwiches, warm up your Brown Betty, set out the china cups and saucers and invite friends for a good natter and a fine cup of tea.

Hats and pearls optional!

What could be finer?

And finally, check out our Tea and Cookie of the Month Club for all your hostess gifts this summer.