A proper cuppa!

We Brits love tea and I am especially fond of brewing up a proper pot of tea with tea leaves. As a surprsie gift on my birthday back in June I received this brass tea caddy which was a souvenir from the British Empire Exhibition of 1924, made by Liptons.

The design is very art deco with the stylised lion

You can see the inscription and date more clearly here

Finding Liptons loose leaf tea is not easy so we had to resort to Ebay and have it sent from Sri Lanka!

I wonder how long it has been since this caddy had real Liptons leaf tea in it?

I also love the other accoutrements that go with making tea. I recently discovered these saucer crackers which contain little talking points when pulled for an afternoon tea party.

I keep the saucer crackers in this Coalport tea cup and saucer from about 1890. I think it's very elegant.

This art deco tea service is silver plated and has recently been polished. The tea strainers are also art deco.

For special occasions this art deco, silver plated tea service is perfect. I love the style and shape and the tea pot does make an exceptionally good brew!

And if you like loose leaf tea you need a tea caddy spoon. This is one I picked up from Fortnum and Masons but you can find antique ones at a very reasonable price too. If you are in Fortnum's their loose leaf tea is wonderful and I always stock up on some when I'm there.

Tea caddy spoons add a touch of luxury to making a pot of tea