Could that six cup a day habit be blamed on your genes? Well, apparently researchers in America scanned the genes of over 40,000 people, and found two particular stretches of DNA in people who consumed more caffeine than others. But when you read the all important small print, the difference was only 40mg caffeine a day which is about a third of a cup of coffee or a can of cola. And, just because you drink a bit more caffeine, it doesn’t mean that you are genetically programmed to become addicted to it. Phew, thank goodness for that.
Author: Treeca
AFTERNOON TEA CATWALK… With biscuits and fancies copied straight from the catwalk, and tea served in fine Paul Smith bone china, ‘Pret a Portea’ at The Berkeley Hotel in London is the place for post shopping refreshments. It is designed to add a creative twist to the classic elements of the traditional English afternoon tea. You can find it in the Hotel’s Caramel Room between 1pm-6pm. The hew Spring/Summer 2011 collection sees Victoria Beckham, Miu Miu and Tom Ford make their début on the Berkeley’s tea stand. www.the-berkeley.co.uk
This gorgeous book contains more than 100 tasty recipes for every occasion. It’s a handy sized little recipe book to go with the little cake recipes. A deliciously fun collection of small yummy cakes, tray bakes and biscuits that anyone could make. Every recipe has a colour illustration to help you make these special cakes.
EASY COCONUT CAKE RECIPE… Ingredients 175g (6oz) caster sugar 175g (6oz) desiccated coconut 175g (6oz) butter, softened 225g (8oz) self-raising flour 3 medium eggs Zest and juice of 1 lemon 2 tbsp milk Method Preheat oven to 170C Gas 3 or 338F Grease or line a loaf tin Put butter and sugar into large bowl and beat with electric hand whisk until pale and fluffy Mix the beaten eggs, flour, lemon zest and juice, milk and 150g (5oz) coconut Spoon mixture into cake tin Sprinkle over the remaining coconut Bake for about 1 hr 5 mins or until a skewer…
The Troubadour Bar in Chelsea has been serving afternoon tea to Prince Harry and Pippa Middleton. According to the news the famous pub in Chelsea, sells tea for £3.50 and £2.75 for a muffin with jam. www.troubadour.co.uk
FLAVOURS OF THE WEST is on 2nd and 3rd July, in Milsom Place, Bath. Demonstrations take place in the Octagon, formerly a Georgian chapel. Richard Bertinet a local celebrity baker and Food Champion of the BBC Food & Farming awards 2010, will be taking centre stage. The line up for the Cookery Theatre also includes The Daily Telegraph food writer Xanthe Clay, and Rachel Demuth, whose restaurant was named Best Vegetarian Restaurant in 2010 by Gourmet Britain. There are lots of chefs to see as well as tastings and stalls with local producers. More information can be found on the…
In 1560 the first European to encounter tea and write about it was Jasper de Cruz, a missionary on PortugalÂ’s first commercial trade journey to China. Portugal, the most advanced navy at the time, was the first European country to gain the right of trade with China.
‘Ti Kuan Yin’ oolong tea is probably the best known of China oolongs. It is an aromatic and elegant tea from central Fujian province. Legend has that a tea grower in the area would walk past an iron statue of ‘Kuan Yin’, the Goddess of Mercy, on his way to work every day. The statue stood in a small temple which was rather neglected. The tea grower started to take care of the statue, cleaning it and lighting incense. Then, one night in a dream the goddess told him to look into a cave behind the temple for a treasure…
One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating. ~Luciano Pavarotti and William Wright, Pavarotti
‘Phoenix Supreme’ Oolong tea is picked from bushes that grow on the Wudong peak of Phoenix Mountain in Guarngdong Province, China. It is made in small batches by and expert tea master and gathered twice a year, between April and May, and October and November. It has a fragrant fruity aroma and a smooth, very refreshing flavour.
crumbsfeedyourfamily.blogspot.com – this is a family food blog, written by working mums Lucy McDonald and her sister Claire, was instantly popular with mummy colleagues. Lucy and Claire ‘work, have friends, love food and want children to love food’. Their blog is their bid for a life, work, food balance, with simple recipes, brief ingredients, lists and sneaky shortcuts to help parents cook tasty healthy food while keeping their sanity.
In the early days of cultivation of tea in China, small plantations were often looked after by Buddhist monks on land near their mountain top temples and monasteries. The Chinese have always believed that famous tea comes from the highest of mountains. The timing of the harvest was crucial and all teas were gathered before the spring rains by young girls who would go out into the plantations in small groups, very early in the morning to gather the young leaves into wicker baskets. It was important that these pickers had immaculately clean fingernails and that they never ate garlic,…
With so much being written about how tea is good for so many things, now they are saying that coffee also is good for you. They say that, according to a Greek study, one cup of coffee a day could reduce your blood pressure. Researchers actually found that those who drank between one and two cups of coffee daily had the healthiest arteries. Two cups a day (no more than two cups if you are pregnant) could keep Alzheimer’s at bay. After studying more than 122,000 women, researchers found that three cups a day can reduce the risk of developing…
Tea with Mrs Simkins: Delicious Recipes for Making a Meal Out of Tea-time: Cakes, Pastries, Biscuits and Savouries… This book is a fantastic collection of recipes, hints and tips for every kind of tea you could imagine. Whether it is simple tea and biscuits, traditional afternoon tea or a more substantial high tea. A gorgeous little book which reminded me a bit of the old-fashioned school cookery book. It’s without the usual colour pictures which in actual fact makes you read further to see what the next recipe will be. It also contains some really lovely recipes too, from the…
It was sad to read in www.yorkshirepost.co.uk that after 92 years of service, a cake shop, called ‘Sterchi’s’ in Filey, North Yorkshire is about to close. It’s heyday, it said, was in the 1930’s when afternoon tea and light supper were an every day part of British life. The shop opened in 1924/25 but now with big shops eating up all the little shops, it just came down to basic book balancing, that made them decide it was time to close the doors. The owners Mr Philip Cammish and Mrs Sue Cammish, were very sad to have to close the…