Photo diary: week 16, 366

It hasn't been the best week, what with Sash not sleeping well, money worries, and now that our boiler seems to have died, we are without the heating and hot water. And my blogging and photo-taking mojo is hiding somewhere too, if you find it, please send it my way. Our garden seems to be my only source of inspiration.

On Monday our friend Jen took me by car to the Burford garden centre to buy some tomato gro-bags. As my boys were at school, I had a chance to have a good look at the vintage china section. This glorious teapot painted with roses just asked for a new loving home, alas, I'm nearly broke this month, and teapots are not my priority.

I love these beautiful tulips in our garden. Not sure if these are some of the tulips my Mum planted last year.

On Wednesday we built a duvet fort with Eddie. Actually he's been playing forts quite a few times recently. Even today we had to bring the pillows and duvets down for the major construction.

The cover of the Tatler magazine really gives a clue as to what day it was. I have tasted the latest Twinings 90th birthday tea which I got from Waitrose a couple of weeks ago. It's a lovely black tea, albeit a bit boring.

In the night Eddie has suddenly developed a high temperature, so he stayed at home on Friday. I didn't go out either, as my husband was away. Only Sash went to school. So yet again, I only took the photos of the garden.
Garden is a place of my consolation and solace. Whenever I feel like steam would come out of my ears, I escape in the garden to calm down, just for a few minutes of silence.

Today was a busy day. Well, when is it not here?! After grocery shopping, I made a quick lunch of burgers with the aubergine dip and cheese.

Kick-start a healthy 2015 with Twinings

I love my tea, and cannot function without it properly. As I am often missing out on proper sleep, I do tend to overdo on the caffeine front with endless cups of coffee and black tea through the day. And as we know, caffeine is pretty addictive, and could cause headaches and irritability. I don't like fizzy drinks and sports drinks are not for me either. But if I have a coffee, it must be a latte, which on top of caffeine packs quite a few of calories.
My challenge for this year (I don't want to use the R-word) is to reduce the amount of cups of black tea and coffee and substitute them with healthier herbal teas, which I love anyway and have quite a selection available at home.
Twinings offers an extensive range of fruit and herbal infusions, for all tastes. As it is a wide range, I will only mention those that I have bought and tested myself.

January is as good month as any to swap regular hot drinks for herbal or fruit teas. So, what would I suggest for a good tea-tox?

Apple Crunch is a mellow-sweet blend tea, like an apple orchard in a mug. Its ingredients include white hibiscus, rosehips, apple pieces, lemon peel, roasted chicory root. It is delicious both hot and cold, aromatic and flavourful.
I have also tried it as a hot toddy, with ginger, cinnamon, a bit of honey, cloves and lemon slices, and it was very nice.

Orange Crush: pour the hot boiling water over the teabag and smell the wave of zesty fresh orange goodness. Think Italy, think orange trees in abundance. I remember when we visited Viareggio in summer many years ago, I was amazed to see so many orange trees in the streets. The sight I won't forget. And that's what this infusion brings to mind - Mediterranean bounty on a hot summer day.
Ingredients: white hibiscus, rosehips, natural orange flavouring, apple pieces, hibiscus, orange peel and roasted chicory root.

Pure camomile tea might be very healthy, but it's just plain boring. But add some spices and it is transformed into a lovely drink, like Warming Camomile & Spiced Apple. It doesn't have the same concentrated apple taste like the Apple Crunch taste. It is more like a watercolour version of it, milder and softer.

Lemon Zest is a light citrus blend, a nice refresher after a meal.
Ingredients: rosehips, white hibiscus, natural lemon flavourings, apple pieces, lemon myrtle, lemon peel. It reminded me of a hot summer week we spent in Agropoli, Italy. The friend's villa where we stayed had a grove of lemon trees, and you could just go in the orchard and pick up a big juicy lemon, warmed by the sunshine. You might enjoy it, if you love citrus flavours, but it was slightly plain.

Cherry and Cinnamon: I love cherries, and I love cinnamon. This combination works beautifully in baking but I was a tad unsure about it as a fruit infusion. Thankfully, the balance of flavours is right, and the cinnamon is not overwhelming, it adds richness to a naturally sweet and tart taste of cherries.
Ingredients are hibiscus, natural cherry flavouring, blackberry leaves, orange leaves, cinnamon, rosehips and liquorice root. I love the design of the box as well, with a juicy fleshy cherry cut in two.

Mango & Strawberry is a dark ruby-red drink, fruity and aromatic. It's made with hibiscus, orange leaves, natural strawberry flavouring with other natural flavourings, orange peel, rosehips and liquorice root. The fruity taste is quite intense, sharply sweet. I guess mango is represented by the "other natural flavourings" as it's otherwise not listed among the ingredients.

Cranberry and Blood Orange is warm and crisp. Crimson in colour, it is zingy and stimulating.
Ingredients - hibiscus, apple pieces, rosehips, natural cranberry flavouring with other natural flavouring, natural blood orange flavouring, liquorice root.

Peppermint tea is a must in our house. I always have a few boxes around the kitchen. I prefer to drink it neat after dinner, my husband enjoys it with a teaspoon of honey. It's great for digestion, and is also a mouth-and-breath freshener. On top of that, mint has one of the highest antioxidant capacities of any food. It's a classic infusion, which I have been buying for years.

If plain peppermint tea doesn't rock your boat, Twinings has recently launched a Moroccan Mint tea, which has a hint of cardamom in it. Now I don't have a silver teapot (and why not?! now that's an omission, which I should remedy one day, wouldn't it be nice to have a proper silver teapot?!) to serve the mint tea the way they do in the souks of Marrakech, but a teabag in a mug will take you along on a journey. Divided opinions on that one. My friends and husband loved it, I still prefer plain peppermint tea. I would have preferred just a trace of spice, not a strong flavour. But obviously, this is the matter of personal taste.

At 2kcal per 100ml brewed infusion, it is perfect for anyone who considers going on a diet or just cutting down the calories a bit. I don't know the calorie data for Moroccan Mint tea though, as it doesn't say anything about calories on the box.

What's your favourite herbal or fruit tea?

New Twinings loose leaf pyramid teas

“And listen--tell your friend to try English Breakfast next time. It's a little more robust. Earl Grey is really more of a 'Sense and Sensibility' kind of tea.
Cab driver to J.D. Jameson” (Julie James, Practice Makes Perfect)

According to that cab driver from Julie James' book, I belong to the Sense and Sensibility category, as I do favour an Earl Grey tea above all, especially first thing in the morning. Then throughout the day I am open to the other types of tea. If you are a teaholic like me, you get excited seeing new varieties of tea in the shops. Twinings has launched a new range of loose leaf pyramid teas, and I was delighted to be asked to test a few samples of the new range.
The new range has attractive colourful packaging, like a collection of bright shawls at an ethnic market.

Each packet comes with 12 teabags. It is quite upmarket (prices vary from from £3.49 to £4.49 per packet).

Samples of the new Twinings range which I received for testing

Moroccan Mint with Rose flavour Green tea is a mint-flavoured green tea. Rose flavour is less pronounced than mint, it is there, at the back of the palate, just a hint of rose. I would have liked a more distinct rose flavour, but overall it is an easy light tea, excellent at the end of a big meal.

Nutty Chocolate Flavour Assam has been inspired by tea and chocolate. It smells of chocolate truffles. When you have a sip, first you get a chocolatey taste, then a slight bitter aftertaste of tea. Aromatic, quite light, it might benefit from a dash of milk to smooth the bitter edge. Ingredients include: black tea, cocoa nibs, hazelnut flavouring.

Bollywood Chai Latte - this is a spicy tongue-tingling, aromatic full-bodied Assam combined with the traditional Indian spices. Ingredients: black tea, almond, spice and honey flavourings. It has a note of sweetness, which works well. I had it unadorned to test the flavours, but it will be great as a proper milky chai.

Jasmine Petals & Pearls Green tea is a delicate mix of green tea as well as jasmine and rose petals. It is exquisitely floral. One of my top choices from the eight new flavours I have tried. I find plain green tea quite boring, but make it flavoured, and I am hooked.

Apple & Elderflower Green tea reminds me of long summer days.  Ingredients include: green tea, apple pieces, apple & elderflower flavourings. Apples and elderflower enhance the green tea, creating a refreshing and light brew.

The Full English Breakfast is a well rounded blend. It has a colour of dark golden amber and a well-rounded taste. Perfect for a wakey-wakey morning cuppa (though I'll stick to my favourite Earl Grey first thing in the morning).

After tasting all the six samples, I was thrilled to find out that our local Waitrose started stocking a new range of Twinings. I had to restrict myself to buying just three of the new varieties. According to some people in my family, I don't need any more tea, as I have enough supply to open my own tea room.

Shelves in Waitrose

Superfruity is a bright burst of colour and berry-licious flavours. It contains a whole compote of ingredients from fruit to vegetables, from berries to flowers. Here you will find hibiscus, rosehips, beetroot, blackcurrant, raspberry & blueberry flavourings, apple, blueberry, orange peel, elderberry and safflower. Zingy, zesty and flavourful, it is an essence of a summer in a cup. Excellent for the late afternoon or evening, when you want to avoid caffeine.

Whenever I find a new variety of Earl Grey, I just have to buy it. Having tried almost all Earl Greys from Twinings, I was curious to discover a Plummy Earl Grey. This is advertised as a light, floral tea, with rich, juicy plum and a dash of star anise. Ingredients include: black tea, star anise, bergamot and plum flavourings. When this tea is brewing, the aroma is unmistakably plummy. This is quite an enjoyable brew but perhaps not the best of the Twinings Earl Grey family. If I had to do a blind test, I would probably not call it an Earl Grey, despite the added bergamot. I think it will be excellent for poaching fruit and using as an ingredient in tea cakes.

Have you tried any of Twinings new teas? Which one is your favourite?

Disclosure: I received six teabags for the purposes of testing and reviewing. All opinions are mine.

A taste of summer: Five Valleys Cordials

There are tiny snowflakes dancing in the open air, and I'm talking of summer. Right. It's not exactly the wishful thinking. I am trying to magic the summer in by exploring the zingy summery tastes of Five Valleys Cordials.

Five Valleys Cordials is an up and coming soft drinks company, based in Stroud, Gloucestershire which was set up by husband and wife team, Chris and Becky, who between them have 25 years shared experience in the drinks industry. 
The company uses the Cotswold countryside as their inspiration for their cordials. Their imaginative range offers uniquely different flavour combinations that aim to tantalise the taste buds & mind!
If you're bored with the standard blackberry & apple, elderflower or ginger cordials, look no further.

Five Valleys Cordials boasts five products in its tempting range - Lemon & Mint, Pomegranate & Rose, Apricot & Ginger, Sloe & Raspberry and Coconut & Kaffir Lime.

All the cordials are made from natural ingredients and are free from artificial flavours, sweeteners, colourings or preservatives.


 

Pomegranate & Rose is an exotic blend mingled with the heady aroma of rose petals. Think of the seductive Scheherazade and her fairy tales The Arabian Nights.

I love the flavour of rose petals (rose tea is one of my old favourites). If you have followed my blog for a while, you might remember my recipes using the rose petal syrup.
So, I was very excited to try a new cordial, and I wasn't disappointed.

Put a few raspberries in a small glass, add a dash of Pomegranate & Rose cordial and top up with the sparkling water. Simple and lovely.

I can easily see both cordials used in the white wine and lemonade spritzer.
Or poured over a good quality vanilla ice cream, mmmm.

I was also curious to try the cordial in baking.
For the Orange cupcakes you will need
100g butter, melted
2 medium eggs
a mug of self-raising flour
a mug of granulated sugar
2 tsp of Pomegranate & Rose cordial
zest and juice of 1 orange
1 tsp baking powder
icing sugar

Zest and juice an orange. Add the sugar to the zest in a medium-sized mixing bowl, then beat in the eggs. Add the flour, juice, baking powder, cordial and melted butter, pour into the cupcake cases and bake in the oven preheated to 180C for about 15 minutes.
Add the icing on top if you like (mix the orange juice with the icing sugar). My standard icing sugar finished, so I used the vanilla icing sugar, which made the icing quite brownish when mixed with the juice.
It was the first time I used the silicone cupcake cases, which was a freebie from Anchor Rewards Club.

Lemon & Mint is a combination of zingy lemons and summery garden mint. The simple drink made of a dash of Lemon & Mint cordial with the lemonade and ice cubes is an absolute delight, very refreshing and reinvigorating.
I think this will be my favourite tipple in summer after spending time in the garden.

For colder days like we have this week, try a hot drink:
The Lemon & Mint Hottie (recipe courtesy of Five Valleys Cordials)
25ml Five Valleys Lemon & Mint Cordial
225ml orange juice
2 tsp honey
Add orange juice & cordial, microwave until hot, then add honey.

Another refreshing drink:
Green tea mocktail
1 teabag of Twinings Jasmine Pearls (green tea)
a dash of Five Valleys Lemon & Mint Cordial
2 strawberries, halved
ice cubes
a slice of blood orange

Make a cup of green tea, let it cool completely. Once cold, pour in a tall glass, add a dash of the Lemon & Mint cordial, ice cubes and strawberry halves. Decorate with a slice of the blood orange.
Close your eyes and imagine yourself lazing in a hammock in the garden. Bliss.

The two flavours I have tried are fantastic, really pleased to discover them. Will be definitely looking for the other flavours to try. A very enthusiastic recommendation from me.

The Five Valleys Cordials are exclusively stocked in Waitrose.

To find more about Five Valleys Cordials and discover more recipe ideas please visit the Five Valleys Cordials website.

I received two bottles of cordials for the purposes of reviewing. All opinions are mine.

A few of my favourite things giveaway (NOW CLOSED)

For no particular reason, just because it's grey and miserable outside and the school holidays are over, I am running a giveaway for my blog readers.

One lucky winner will receive a Dramatic (in their words, not mine) eye defining trio which includes a defining eye pencil (black), an intensifying lash lover aka a mascara in black and one and only eye colour (which looks pretty much like black to me, but is probably dark grey). One hell of a trio to get you a smoky hot look.
You will also have a chance to read a book by M C Beaton "Snobbery with violence". If you are a fan of Agatha Raisin and Hamish Macbeth series, you might enjoy this tale of aristos, servants and murder. This is a kind of light-hearted literature that I read when my kids are finally asleep and my brain is too tired to read anything too deep.

To enjoy your book in tranquility, there is a box of Twinings Jasmine Pearls, a gorgeous green tea which comes in whole leaf silky pyramids (if you want to find out more about this tea, please read my review). And there are two boxes of flavoured gourmet Jelly Beans: mint beans coated in Belgian dark chocolate and raspberry beans coated in Belgian white chocolate.

To be entered in the giveaway, please leave two comments on my blog (please remember, two, if you leave one, it won't count as an entry).

1. Please indulge my gossipy nature and tell me which gifts did you get for Christmas? or which gift has given you the most or the least pleasure? or which gift you enjoyed giving to someone else the most (any of these questions).
+
2. Please leave a comment under any other of my older blog posts.

And that's it. You don't have to follow my blog to be entered in the giveaway, though if you do, I'll be delighted of course.

If I get more than 50 comments, I will also add a bar of chocolate.
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This is not a sponsored giveaway, all the goodies are bought by me personally, and I am not promoting any brand in particular. As the title says, just a few of my favourite things: I enjoy a good book with a cuppa tea and something to nibble.

It is open to the UK residents only.

The c/d is as given above in the title, 7 February 2012, the winner, chosen randomly from all the entrants, will be contacted after the closing date.

Good luck!

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Thank you all for your lovely comments, I read them all with great interest.
The names went in the Raffle King.

And the winner is... a round of applause for the lucky lady!

 

Well done, Linda! I will contact you re your address details.

 

 

 

Salmon cured with rooibos tea

I wanted to add a Russian twist to our otherwise rather English Christmas meal (we had a roast turkey with trimmings and a plum pudding) and opted to serve blini with home cured salmon as a starter.

Ingredients:
900g piece of salmon
100g sea salt
120g dark soft brown sugar
2 heaped tbsp of rooibos tea (Twinings Winter Warming Infusion)
2 tbsp wild herb rub (mix of thyme, marjoram, sage, fennel seeds etc)
2 tbsp vodka (I used Stolichnaya)

Huge whole salmons were on offer in the shops just before Christmas, and I bought quite a big piece of salmon. It wasn't a fillet exactly or a steak, just a big piece from the middle, as you can see in the photo below. For the first step, remove the bones with a thin knife, wash the salmon and pat dry with the kitchen towel.
Take a deep ceramic dish/tray and place a layer of the cling film on top of it, leaving a wide overlap. Place your salmon in the dish and sprinkle first the rooibos tea and then the wild herbs. I used the Wild herb rub from ForageFineFoods, but you can use any mix of thyme, sage, marjoram and fennel seeds.

Twinings Winter Warming Infusion is a rooibos tea infused with orange flavour and spicy cinnamon, a festive blend of a spectacular colour. The tea itself is intensely red and deep in colour. A pleasure to drink at any time of the day. It comes as a loose tea in a very pretty caddy (I know, caddies and I, we love each other). It is a recent addition to an ever-growing range of Twinings teas. I thought it would add a pizzazz to my home cured salmon, and it did.

The next layer was the sea salt. Then comes the brown sugar. And the last step: pour the vodka (I used Stolichnaya, but I suppose any good quality vodka would do).

Wrap up the salmon in the cling film, so that it is all wrapped like a parcel. Place a smaller ceramic tray on top (I use the lasagne dish, which is quite heavy). Put the trays in the fridge, and add more weight inside the second tray. Leave it in the fridge for 2-3 days to cure.

Unwrap the cling film and rinse the salmon under the cold running water.

The salmon acquires a deep rich colour. It doesn't taste too salty, in fact the flavour is quite delicate.
Slice the salmon thinly and serve on top of the blini with a dollop of the soured cream.
The rooibos tea with its festive blend proved to be a lovely addition to the home cured salmon.

For the blini recipe have a look at my older post if you want.

If you liked this recipe, you might also like another recipe for the home cured salmon with beetroot, vodka and dill.
6

A good book and a cup of Twinings (results)

First of all, let me thank everyone who took part in the competition. There were 33 entries altogether.
I enjoyed looking at all the Pinterest boards and reading all the comments, wondering at your choice of Twinings tea and books.

It was fascinating to see the whole range of books from old classics to modern fiction, from children's literature to the very latest adult books.

My typical day includes a succession of cups of tea, all depending on my "mood du jour". I have so many different tins and boxes of tea in the kitchen, that it does look like a tea shop. Whatever the occasion calls for, I just browse my "library" of teas and select the one that I fancy at the moment. Twinings is one of my most favourite brands, as its unique blends encompass the selection that goes beyond the classic flavours. So, it was with great interest that I was looking at the Pins of the chosen Twinings teas.

The very first entry from Victoria Norris was an absolute delight, she has chosen a classic by Charles Dickens for her board. Mulled Spiced tea which she has picked would be a perfect accompaniment to "A Christmas Carol".

This much-loved book was also featured on Cheryl Pasquier's board, however, she has selected a Mint Humbug tea for her collection of images, and I loved the play of words and the Christmassy feel of Cheryl's creation.
One book, two totally different boards.

Sammie Hodges created a very romantic, dreamy board, a combination of The Secret Garden and Earl Grey tea. I am very partial to a cup of Earl Grey, can't function without it.

Su Williams also loves The Secret Garden. Rose Garden tea would make a wonderful cuppa to enjoy with this book. Very pretty and sweet board.

Sonya Cisco produced a board that surely would have been approved by Holly Golightly herself. As Sonya said: "You can take an English girl to New York, as long as she has a proper tea waiting for her" (English breakfast). Stylish and modern.

Sarah Cooper's excellent creation took me back to the days of my first pregnancy when I was devouring one novel by Victoria Holt after another. Sarah's choice of tea was Earl Grey, my overall favourite. A nice book to go with a great tea.

Another coast-inspired novel was picked by Christine Reid: Jamaica Inn, a dark tale of smugglers which could be enjoyed while having a cup of Gingersnap Peach tea.

Olga Creative made me smile with a quote "You can keep Mr Grey, I'm sticking with Mr Darcy", you can see her Jane Austen-inspired board here. She went for Licorice All Sorts Earl Grey, one of the very few Twinings teas that I haven't tasted yet.

Emma Coletti is another Jane Austen fan who loves Pride and Prejudice. Her board is superbly vintage. And I'm sure Miss Austen would have enjoyed a cup of Twinings China Oolong tea.

Nat Taylor finds Pride and Prejudice totally irresistible as well. And English Breakfast tea. I loved the choice of images, where Austen characters are having tea.
What a pleasure to check the submitted boards, all so different and creative.

I was happy to see that two people have chosen Russian writers as their source of inspiration.

Lynn Brown based her board on Leo Tolstoy's Anna Karenina. Of course, I am partial to the Russian literature, and I loved her selection of images and quotes. Lynn's favourite tea is Traditional Afternoon.

Heather Haigh love of the Russian classics helped her to create a first-rate The Cherry Orchard-inspired board. Cherry & Cinnamon tea matches the theatrical artisrty of her pins.

Helen Jarvis talked of simple pleasures of life, where tea and toast and a good book is all you need to feel content. She has chosen The Railway Children. A splendid choice.

Allison Ellerbrook was inspired by the classic children's novel The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn, which was paired with Twinings Fruit Infusions. An adorable board that made me feel all warm and fuzzy.

Alison M, a blogger known for her love of dragons, couldn't resist the temptation to create a dragon-themed board. Her images were put together, based on A Game of Thrones by George R.Martin. Pure Green tea would be just perfect served in a dragon cup.

Kate B confessed to being carried away after revisiting her old favourite book, Watership Down. She decided to treat herself and all the rabbits to several Twinings teas: Blackberry & Nettle, Strawberry & Mango and Flowering tea. She even found bunny-shaped biscuits for her chain of images and associations. What a blast!

Angela Walton went for the wintery magic look for her set of images and a tea choice: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and Winter Spice tea were a great combination.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe has found its way to Happy Homeboard's Pinboard. Beautiful wintery images are paired with Twinings Lapsang Souchong: "A smokey, golden tea that will evoke forests of pine trees and ice-capped mountains with every sip. This conjures up the image of Narnia in my mind. Come step into the wardrobe"

E An TanL put the pins together for the latest most read book of our times, and yes, you guessed it, 50 Shades of Grey. And confessed to loving English Breakfast. Her board had a truly contemporary twist with a good doze of irony.

Yet another amusing board about 50 Shades of Grey was created by Bobby Green. She called it "50 shades of Earl Grey". Bobby thinks that Twinings Earl Grey is a perfect accompaniment to a good book.

Kathryn MacKinnon picked another erotically-charged story of our times, Memoirs of a Geisha. Peach and Cherry Blossom Green tea completed this very stylish Pinboard. She also added an educational comment on the Japanese tea ceremony.

Juliette has found a book which I haven't read - The Rose Petal Beach by Dorothy Koomson, and I loved her mini-review and a choice of tea, Twinings Royal Wedding (I have a tin of it in my kitchen as well).

Jane Willis has introduced me to yet another book that I haven't read, and I have added it to my to read-list. The return of Captain John Emmett by Elizabeth Speller was paired with English Breakfast tea. A beautiful nostalgic board.

S E Martin's favourite book is Such Sweet Sorrow by Katie Flynn, which it is set during 2nd WW. "The tea is gingersnap and peach which matches the book great: sweet from the peach and sorrow from the Gingersnap". A lovely board.

Lynthia Doran was in high school when she read "Mrs Harris goes to Paris" for the first time. Her board tells a story in pictures, and Everyday tea would surely have pleased Mrs Harris. Yet another perfect board to explore.

Gwyn Sharps' board on Virginia Woolf's Between the Acts is full of grace. English Breakfast tea is a lovely choice for this intelligent book.


Kez Seery was inspired by Milne's Winnie the Pooh, the charming story of everyone's favourite teddy. What could be more appropriate for him than Chamomile, Honey & Vanilla tea? Kez says: "This is the perfect match in every sense. Honey is Pooh's favourite thing ever so paired with a relaxing Calmomile he would be in his element. I couldn't see him with a stimulating Liquorice or Caffeine filled Black Tea whilst lazing away in his hammock delectable".

Winnie the Pooh found its way to Nat Williams' heart and board. African Honebush & Lemon tea fits the selection of adorable images very well. Simply delightful.

Lynn Tibby board  was based on P.S. I love you by Cecilia Ahern, a modern story of love and loss.
Her advice is to have a cup Irish Breakfast tea to go with this sweet tale.

Katie Simmond picked To Kill a Mockinbird for her board representing the cultural diversity of modern day England.  Earl Grey traditional British tea "can be enjoyed from people all over the world. I have chosen this tea because it brings everyone together, and is typically British - and Britain is a place which celebrates multiculturalism".

Linda Hobbis created not one but two excellent boards. One of them displayed the haunting images from Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca. Twinings Lady Grey tea was suggested by Linda to be suitable for frustrated heroines everywhere.
Her second board was as beautiful: Alice in Wonderland was paired with English Breakfast tea. And those biscuits are totally to die for. Gorgeous.

A Passage to India was featured on Claire Marsh's board. I loved the quote "I believe in teaching people to be individuals, and to understand other individuals" and her choice of tea: Twinings Blossom Earl Grey. Superb book and tea combination.


How do you choose one winner from such an excellent array of boards? I kept moving from one board to another, each time changing my favourite. It was a tough decision. I'm not going into melodramatics like the X-factor judges who say they have never had a more difficult choice in their lives, but let me tell you, it wasn't easy.

I have narrowed it down to six boards that I thought found the most inspiring book/tea combination. In principle they were all very strong contenders and I wish I could give prizes away to all participants.
Then it was the choice between two, and finally the winner has been selected.

And the winner of this creative competition is... drumroll please...

KATE B

Big well done, Kate, your board is superb.


P.S. I have removed all links to boards, as this post was flagged as having broken links. Several entrants have deleted their boards after the competition ended, fair enough, but it left my post with broken links, so as to save myself the hassle, I removed them all. Update: 2 June 2016

A good book and a cup of Twinings (Pinterest competition c/d 14 October 2012)

How many times have I read online how boring it is to enter competitions which only require numerous RTs on Twitter and Like & Share on FB.

Now you have a chance to join in a creative competition sponsored by Twinings.

You are probably aware that Twinings has introduced a range of Twinings Literary Tea Gifts which include book inspired mugs and notebooks and paired them with a box of Twinings tea. What a super gift for any book and tea lover!

 

I invite you to create a Pinterest board that would pair any Twinings tea with any book from the world literature. Just add the image(s) of your chosen Twinings tea and pictures/images from the book you might associate the tea with and the quote that you think might look good on the mug.

What you need to do:

1. Log in to Pinterest and create a new board called A good book and a cup of Twinings.

2. Pin or Re-Pin 7-10 images on your board. At least one of the images has to be your chosen tea from the Twinings range. Then add images (possible ideas for you to choose from): the book cover, the author, illustrations from the book, photos of the country described in the book or any images that you associate with the tea. Don't forget to find the right quote for your mug and add it to the description on one of the pins.

To give you an idea what it might look like, have a look at my own A good book and a cup of Twinings board.
I have chosen Russian Caravan tea and Tolstoy's War and Peace.

For me the first sip of a new tea is always as exciting and romantic as Natasha Rostova's first ball.

3. Add a link to your board in the comments below this blog post– along with your full name – before midnight on 14 October 2012.

I will choose the most creative and inspiring board and let Twinings know the name of the winner.

Terms and Conditions:
• This competition is open to UK residents aged 16 or over
• One entry per person
• Entries must be received by email before midnight on 14 October 2012
• The prize is one of Twinings Literary Gift sets (as chosen by the winner), to be delivered to a UK address
• The winner will be notified by 21 October 2012.

 

I hope you will enjoy creating your Pinterest board! Looking forward to your creations!

 

If you love Twinings tea, get all the latest news and competitions from their Facebook page.

And if you are a Pinterest fan, join Twinings on Pinterest too.

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Thank you all for taking part! Please find an update and a winner annoucement here.

Scented dreams: Twinings Jasmine Pearls (review)

Twinings has introduced a new range of Whole Leaf Silky Pyramids. I don't need to be encouraged to try a new tea, being a tea-addict. I've been dancing around the shelves displaying the new range of Twinings in Waitrose in the last few weeks, telling myself that I have enough tea in the house for my very own Boston Tea Party.

But I had a very stressful weekend, and what could be more relaxing than a cup of tea. Some women go to have their hair done or nails painted as a treat to themselves. I buy tea and chocolate.

I was torn between two new flavours, and decided that Jasmine Pearls looked especially appealing. Inside the box there are 15 silky pyramids (teabags) with pearls of rolled green tea. They look very pretty, and the transparent bags are quintessentially elegant. The small pearls of green tea are scented with white flowers of jasmine to achieve a delicate and slightly sweet flavour.

Make a cup of tea, sit, close your eyes and breathe in the aroma of jasmine. The wave of the jasmine will caress your senses and send you dreaming about the faraway lands. This is a very relaxing brew.
And also very healthy. Did you know that green tea is a great source of healing antioxidants? It increases metabolism and if you drink it regularly, you might notice that your waistline is getting trimmer.

When steeped in water, the pearls start to unravel or uncurl their green leaves, it is like a little miracle in a cup. Beautiful tea to look at, and it tastes fresh and fragrant. It is lovely hot, but also delicious when cold. I think it is perfect for the iced tea.

My only criticism is that I am not impressed with the design of the box. I like the shape, but the actual painting is a bit garish and amateur (I might be wrong and the artist tried to imitate the Primitivism art on purpose, then my apologies). The images are not associated in my mind with the origins of the Jasmine tea, its ancient history and cultural uses. I would have used a photo of an antique Chinese fabric as a pattern for the box.