On tea

I really love tea. Tea shops fill me with delight. I'm going to visit a new one this afternoon with Ms B, my friend and fellow tea-lover.

But I wasn't always this way. Right up until my teenage years I couldn't stomach the thought of tea or coffee. I didn't like caffeinated drinks at all. But I vividly remember the exact moment I discovered I liked tea.

I had tried a few sips of my mother's Bushells before, but she always had hers unsweetened. I found it gross. One night when I was a teenager, however, I was asked to housesit for our neighbours whilst they were out for the evening. The lovely wife left me behind the most gorgeous tea tray with a china cup and saucer, a silver teaspoon and some Dilmah teabags. So I tried some - and found the wonderful additions of milk and a teaspoon of sugar made it just right.

To this day I am a big fan of Dilmah, and have one every morning with my breakfast. But I'm also constantly on the lookout for interesting black teas to try - ceylon, darjeeling, yunnan, assam and also Australian blends are my preference.

And at the end of a long day, there really is nothing to beat a sweet milky cup of tea. Well, actually a cuppa is great any old time. Hopefully I'll get to try something new this afternoon.