I love this tea!! It's a Decaf Irish Breakfast Tea brought to us by the York Coffee Emporium, yes they do provide tea as well as coffee. I have briefly mentioned this when I purchased it at Hackwood Farm in Derby, I went back just last week and bought another two packets as it is my favourite at the moment.
I may just overdose on this but I really don't care, because it's decaf I can go a bit crazy with it. I do have quite a collection of tea now, purely for research as you know but I always seem to gravitate back to this one. It is a loose leaf tea and makes a good sturdy strong brew which is good for a decaffeinated. Some decaf looseleaf can seem a bit wishy washy but this makes a great quality cuppa. I purchased this 100g pack for £4.95 from Hackwood Farm but you can buy it online at yorkcoffeeemporium.co.uk/tea/black-oolong/decaffeinated-irish-breakfast-tea.html for £4.90 per 100g £9.25 200g and £22.00 500g If you're not keen on loose leaf tea they also do the same tea in pyramid bags here yorkcoffeeemporium.co.uk/tea/black-oolong/decaffeinated-irish-breakfast-tea-pyramids.html £3.80 for 15 bags and £12.00 for 50 bags. Give it a go and see what you think, I would be interested to hear what you think and what your favourite tea is. Thank you so much for reading today, come back again tomorrow for What to Buy Wednesday for now though......take care.
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I had a wonderful time at my first book club last week. I don't know if you remember my post about The Little Shed in Allestree, well here's a little reminder tea-cakes-gifts-handbags-paradise-right.html
I mentioned that they were about to put on one of their first evening events which would be a book club. We were given our first assignment to read which was Paper Hearts and Summer Kisses by Carole Matthews which was a delight to read. If you require a nice easy read for your holiday or want to just relax and experience a nice feel good book this is for you. If it was a movie it would be something like Love Actually so it falls into the chick flick, rom com sort of category and it has everything from humour, romance, a bit of tragedy and sadness but then it could end in a happily ever after, well I'm not going to completely spoil it just in case you want to read it. I can recommend it though so give it a go. So on book club night we all got together in The Little Shed tearoom and gift shop, I tried not be distracted by the handbags and succeeded until along came big teapots and cake. I ordered a gluten free blueberry cake, it was delicious and basically we guzzled tea, ate cake and talked about the book. We did discuss other things too such as the current tv dramas and other books which we had read. It was a very successful night, a good turnout and it was nice to meet new people. Our next task was to decide on our next project so a few recommendations were put into a hat or I think it was a bowl really but a new title was plucked out and I am now in the middle of The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena and I can tell you, apart from writing this post and doing other important necessities I cannot put it down. I'm so looking forward to discussing this one. It is a great evening, not everyone agrees on the book, some like it, some don't and everyone has a different take on the plot and characters, making it really interesting. You don't have to be a big reader either, I'm not particularly a hardcore literature expert and I don't read very quickly but look at it as an excuse to drink large amounts of tea and eat cake. Even my eyes nearly popped out at the big teapots, got slightly distracted from the book we were supposed to be talking about. Can we talk about tea instead?......alas no Sue from the Brew. The evening costs £4.95 but it is very popular and there are limited places. if you are interested I would contact The Little Shed first to check if there are any places. The next evening is scheduled for Wednesday 1st November. You can contact them via their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/thelittleshedallestree/ I've really enjoyed this evening and so glad I went along, sometimes I find things a bit difficult to go to as I'm on my own but hey when I give myself a kick up the backside it's so worth it, so many lovely people and I didn't ever think I would go to a book club so I even surprised myself there. If you are interested in the books I have mentioned you can purchase them from Amazon, here are the links (affiliated).......just click on the image and it will take you through to Amazon for more details. Thank you for reading today, please come back tomorrow for Whatever Wednesday. Take care for now. Well the diet went totally out of the window again but I didn't care as I just needed this. A beautiful brew together with gluten free Raspberry and White Chocolate cake. They don't skimp on the portions here and it tasted absolutely divine.
So where is this place of lushness? It is Queenies Tea Room and Cake House in Quarndon, Derby. It's not far from me which is a bit lethal, imagine all this on your doorstep. They had three gluten free cake options so I was totally spoilt for choice and that doesn't happen a lot. All the cakes were superbly displayed and I even took home two slices of Mint Oreo cake away for my boys which they thanked me for. It kept them going for a couple of days because of the size of it but they loved it. I may get some more as the takeaway box was gorgeous, like a cake filled handbag, perfect for me. There is a great menu with lots of choice of not only food but different teas as well, you can imagine how I was feeling, I thought I was in heaven. The downstairs area also includes gifts and cards and there is additional seating upstairs. First impressions when first walking in make you think that it is very small but nope there is plenty of room. It is a delight with very friendly staff so a big thumbs up from me. Its a good job someone recommended this place, I was so surprised, I had no idea it was there, although I must have passed it a few times when just passing through the village. My cake and tea radar must have had some sort of blockage not to have picked this one up. I have now though so all is ok. Queenies is situated at 114 Church Road, Quarndon, Derby. DE22 5JA. Always important to give you the postcode as if your sat nav is like mine you have a special section of Tea Shops just programmed in.. They also have a Facebook page here: www.facebook.com/QueeniesDerby/ So take a look and go for a visit, you won't regret it, only the calories but hey, just don't think about it and have fun. Thank you for taking time to read this post, I will be back for more tomorrow with 'Whatever Wednesday'. Take care......
I haven't had one since the beginning of August so I thought I was about due for a new addition to the teapot collection. Honestly my teapots are taking over the house just like my handbags. They just work their way in
and before you know it I'm looking for cupboard space or special shelf to put them on. If you read last weeks Teapot Tuesday you will recognise this teapot from the deli/teashop Milk and Honey. it's ok I didn't steal it I just took a fancyit and went home and ordered myself one. I love the fact it comes with an infuser in it for use with loose leaf tea and that you can also take the infuser out and use the teapot with teabags too so it is, in fact the only teapot you need. Ha ha yeah right. The thing is that these teapots come in very nice bright colours so you could have different colours depending on your mood or colour of mug to accompany it. Any excuse to buy more. When it arrived by the nice Amazon driver I was a little surprised by the size. No I didn't really check when I ordered it but I was expecting quite a large one. This one is a one mug size (440ml) and that's fine because I sometimes only want one cup but there is a larger size which holds two mugs(530ml) so if you fancy one just take note of the size. This teapot isn't cheap at £20.68 but apparently it is supposed to last a lifetime so we'll see. If anyone can put it to the test I can with the amount of tea I drink. You can see why I thought it was going to be bigger for that price but I do love it and I am using a lot. It's trendy, looks modern in lime green and I have a nice mug to match. I get to drink my loose leaf which I love so I am happy. They are available, as I said from many retailers including John Lewis andTesco but here is a link (affiliated) to Amazon......
If you fancy the bigger size here is the link to the 530ml
one...... So go on order one and make a nice brew!! Just don't get a teapot addiction like me. I've had to go on decaf tea as I was buzzing too much on the caffeine, it was giving me a bit of a rush and I don't rush very often I can tell you so I've had to rein in the caffeine intake. Some people can drink loads and loads but it makes my heart beat a bit fast so not only, as I get older do I find I can't take my alcohol very well I also struggle with fully leaded tea and coffee. I'm a little confused about what to drink to have a good time, looks like it's one glass of wine or a latte and I'm ready to party. So there we leave the teapot for this Tuesday, please feel free to join me tomorrow when I throw caution to the wind and chat about absolutely anything on Whatever Wednesday. For now take care......
The Little Shed is literally a piece of paradise neatly situated in Allestree Derby. It's packed with gifts and is home to a gorgeous tea shop with cakes that you will travel miles to try, just wait till you see them let alone taste them. You are welcomed with a smile and a friendly service here, very homely atmosphere you'll never want to leave.
I live dangerously around the corner and I am an avid follower on their Facebook page. This means that when they post about a new fabulous handbag in stock or post pictures of their sinful but tempting cakes I'm off. I shout bye to the boys, tell them I'm just nipping around the corner and they just know I'm going to come back with cakes or a new handbag. They are less excited about handbags but yes you can takeaway their cakes (obviously paying first) to my sons delight. They have also have 'The Little Ice Cream Shed' just to the side of the tea shop where you buy Bluebells ice cream, they don't half ruin my diet but I'm not really bothered, it's all ok, nothing to see here, move along diet police. Perfectly situated near Allestree Park, you can take a walk and then finish off with tea, a latte, cake or a tub of ice cream, how perfect is that? To top it all there is a brand new event coming to The Little Shed. They are starting a book club on Wednesday 4th October at 7.30pm. For the price of £4.95 you get to enjoy tea, cake and have a chat about the current book on offer. To start things rolling the first book to read is 'Paper Hearts and Summer Kisses' by Carole Matthews. I have purchased it for £3.85 from Amazon, it's also available on Kindle for £1.99, I will pop a link to Amazon (affiliated) at the end of this post. For more information and to book a place on the book club just follow this link to their website: thelittleshedallestree.com/products/the-little-shed-book-club they are also on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/thelittleshedallestree/ So take a look, just a bit of a warning there are graphic photos of succulent cakeage!! You will drool excessively. Its great!! If you decide to go to the book club I will see you there. Remember here is the book you need read by the first meeting on 4th October. Thank you for reading today, please come back tomorrow for 'Whatever Wednesday'. Take care for now....... A nice strong brew accompanied by a gluten free lemon and sultana cookie. The National Trust make a mighty fine brew but I feel I could have done with something ceramic to put it in. Are they low on members that we have to result to paper cups now? Sorry not being snobby but I got a cup and saucer at Kedleston Hall!
The cafe at Calke Abbey is very nice with plenty of refreshments and snacks. There is plenty of room to sit inside or outside on a fine day. Just next door to the cafe is a full restaurant with a larger choice of meals to suit and again plenty of space to sit and enjoy your food. It never was actually an abbey as it's name states but the grade 1 listed building is classed as a baroque mansion built between 1701 and 1704. It stands in a beautiful estate situated in the Derbyshire village of Ticknall. The estate boasts acres of land, great for walking and there are gardens to visit too. Since taking over Calke The National Trust have tended to concentrate heavily on nature conservation. There is a 'blooming' great flower garden (see what I did there?), a kitchen garden, orangery and a deer park so plenty to see. The house it's self is accessible to view and has received quite a fair amount of remedial work to it. Before the National took over the house in the 80's everything had remained untouched since the 1880's. There are rooms still left untouched so it is worth a visit and to discover it's history. It was a busy day at Calke Abbey and an even busier one for the bride and groom having their special day there. A full wedding party in full swing and what a day they had. So lucky with the weather and beautiful surroundings in which to hold your nuptials. A very popular place and I can see why. Apart from not having cups and saucers which I kind of understand, easier on the washing up I suppose or maybe all the pots were being used at the wedding. Who knows, but it wouldn't stop me visiting again. We are so lucky here to have all this beauty right here on our doorstop which we tend to take for granted. That's why I have become a National Trust member, apart from a good excuse to roam around stately homes and castles drinking lots of tea I thought I would actually take in the great British country side and explore my own land. I'm glad I have because it's stunning. If you would like more information on Calke Abbey or any other National Trust places you can visit their website at: www.nationaltrust.org.uk Thank you for reading today, do come back tomorrow for 'Whatever Wednesday'. Take care for now....... This was a lovely find, a gorgeous little online gift shop with mugs and stationery. I love a nice new mug for my brew and have always been fond of a notebook, even from being a little girl I always preferred notebooks and pens instead of a bag of sweets.
This mug and coaster set would make a perfect gift for someone, maybe for a birthday or you could start your Christmas shopping? Did I just mention the 'Christmas' word? Yikes.....but it won't be long. I have already seen the big boxes of Roses and Quality Street in Tesco today so it is on it's way. These mugs come in other designs so you can choose something to suit you or that special person. I purchased this for myself and it looks fabulous on my coffee table. The mug is a good sturdy quality mug too if you are wondering, I cannot stand cheap mugs, if you're making a good brew you need a quality home for it. So where did I purchase it I hear you all screaming? Well the store is called A Thousand Yellow Daisies and they have a selection of mugs and floral stationery to buy, fabulous notebooks and other great gift ideas such as cute little bottle openers, badges, colouring and activity sets. The mugs and coasters can be bought together in a gift box or separately. So please take a look you can find them on Etsy at: www.etsy.com/uk/shop/ATYD?ref=search_shop_redirect they are also on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/AThousandYellowDaisies/ Instagram too at: www.instagram.com/a_thousand_yellow_daisies/ and you can also Tweet them on Twitter @thousanddaisies So no excuse for not at least taking a look. You'll love it. I may well be going back for more so I will post my future purchases on here just to let you know exactly what you can expect if you buy from here. I always think there is nothing like recommendations as customers will be honest so I can recommend A Thousand Yellow Daisies so far. Thanks for reading today, please join me tomorrow for Whatever Wednesday when I basically talk about.....well......anything. Take care for now....... Woah! look at that gorgeous Strawberry slice and gluten free as well!! I love Massarella's Restaurant, it's a nice stop to take a break from shopping around the Peak Shopping Village near Chatsworth Park in Derbyshire. They have a nice selection of gluten free cakes, yes....thumbs up from me. The lovely lady asked if I wanted some whipped cream with my cake......errrmmmmm think diet Sue from the Brew and say NO! Brain doesn't engage with mouth and out comes a YES. I must be the worlds worst person at Slimming World right now.
Who cares though it was gorgeous and a fabulous brew to accompany it too. This is a great restaurant, never seems a problem to find a seat and they have a great range of food. You can have a traditional English breakfast up until 11.30am, there are light bites available such as soup, toasted sandwiches and jacket potatoes. Lunch offers delights such as pies, lasagne served with roasted or steamed vegetables. Deli burgers and Welsh rarebit in the afternoon including fresh salads with goats cheese or smoked salmon. Oh my mouth is watering now just writing all this and it is top food, it looks great and served with a smile. Plenty of options for children too so there's just something for everyone. I love how they have an express counter if you would like to order just drinks or ice creams. At busy times this can take a bit of relief away from the main counter and keep queues down, well thought out I think. There is plenty of space and seating outside on a nice summers day. All this loveliness surrounded by plenty of shops to visit. It is a big shopping outlet with shops such as Mountain Warehouse, Cotton Traders, Regatta, Pavers Shoes, Edinburgh Woollen Mill, The Gift Company, Alexara (previously bought a great handbag from here), The Baggage Factory (more bags!!), Ponden Home, Holland & Barrett, Jatins Emporium (yankee candles!), The Works, Peak Village Cards and The Ashgate Hospicecare Shop. So worth a visit, we always drop in here on the way to Chatsworth and Bakewell. The Peak Shopping Village is situated on Chatsworth Road, Rowsley. DE4 2JE and they have a very informative website at: www.peakshoppingvillage.com From what I can see in the activities section on the website it looks as though there is going to be a soft play area to open soon, that will be a good addition to work some energy off the kiddies so they have a snooze and you can buy loads of handbags shoes and camping equipment. Just a thought. Afterwards a quick run around Chatsworth and finish the day with fish and chips in Bakewell oh and a Bakewell Pudding to take home. There you go I've just sorted a day out for you all. I should be one of those touristy events people. Watch this space for 'Make a Brew Tours' - coming soon! I said that in my head like the voice over in the cinema. Big, loud and dramatic!! If I go into organising tours it will be dramatic I can tell you. So go for a brew at Massarella's (such a cute name) and let me know what you think. Thanks for reading, please come back tomorrow for a bit of Whatever Wednesday but for now..... Take care. A brew starts with a bit of boiling water so how do you boil yours?
I opted for the 'on the hob' whistling kettle as I just fancied a bit of an old fashioned option and there is something about hearing a kettle whistle. Or is there? I thought so at first but blimey I think I've changed my mind just recently. Yes it is great because it's another gadget that I don't have to find a plug for and I'm using the gas and not electric but when I'm a bit busy it is so annoying to have to go and physically switch it off. Hard life eh? I suppose it adds a few more steps to the fitbit but with an electric kettle, well that just turns off automatically doesn't it? I was a bit torn and was ready to put the whistle to rest as I saw a lovely retro style electric number just recently whilst out shopping. It was like love at first sight, I nearly ran across the store in slow motion ready to whisk it up into my arms and kiss it endlessly but I may have got thrown out of Aldi or at least attracted a few funny looks. I may need some more time to think about it because it does mean finding another plug but then I do have my Tassimo machine as well which I use religiously every day. That has a boiling water feature and I could just use that as a kettle. Not sure why I don't really. Oh it's only boiling water at the end of the day, does it really matter where it comes from? The other plus about an electric kettle is the rapid boil. You have to have rapid boil don't you? I do anyway, I need my brew very rapidly sometimes. In fact there are far too many wasted minutes waiting for the whistle to go when I could have downed at least half a dozen mugs of tea while waiting. It does make me swear slightly (I know, how rude Sue from the Brew). I have tried ignoring it but it's so loud, the kitchen turns into sauna and there is the danger it's bottom will burn out. I know the feeling but can't ever remember whistling whilst my bottom was burning out. I'll just plod on for the time being, it's a big decision and a purchase I may not need to make. You are going to be waiting for the review now on my new kettle, well watch this space, I do have a habit of randomly changing my mind and going for the impulse buy. I made the mistake of looking on Amazon and found smart kettles. Crikey, you can connect everything to your smartphone these days, yes even the kettle. This got me thinking that I could set my app to boil my kettle for when I got home from somewhere. Very handy but then it may be cheaper to just ask a teenager to pop it on, I can text that request through as that's the way we all communicate with teenagers these days. I would be waiting days for a cuppa if relying on my youngest though as he never answers his phone, not good!!! I will keep you posted on the kettle dilemma, I may still be whistling for another ten years or so and it does look nice. I cleaned it especially for the blog so it is feeling loved, I just wish it would stop nagging me to turn it off. Ah well you can't have everything, I could be living with something that nags me to turn it on, now there's a thing! Thanks for reading my teapot lovers, I shall return tomorrow for a bit of 'whatever goes' on Whatever Wednesday so do come back. Until then take care.......
I love loose leaf tea but to use it I think you have to have a good infuser to allow all the delicious flavour to flow out. There are many different ones available and they all work in different ways. There are plain practical ones or funny novelty infusers which add a bit of humour to your brew.
Personally I love the novelty ones as not only do they seem to work well they just make me smile. I was treated to this lovely floating flower one (pictured above) from my cousin. Yes she knows me very well!! It is so pretty as it looks like a little water lily floating on my brew. For me a flower and a brew go hand in hand, two of my favourite things as well as handbags but we won't go there today. This little gem is so easy to use. You can scoop some loose leaf tea into the infuser or spoon it in if you prefer, pop the flower top on and launch it into a mug of boiling water. Leave for a approx 3 mins or longer if you like a stronger brew and it's done. It even comes complete with a plastic container to put the infuser in so you don't have to leave it leaking out on the kitchen work top, see no mess! Absolutely perfect. I like the fact that it floats as the infusion process seems to work better. I suppose it simulates a floating teabag but I prefer the taste of loose leaf and I have so many different teas and flavours. If you need more than one cup or have guests you can get the teapots with the infusers inside which are also really good. I have two, of course I do! Why wouldn't I? I do use them a lot and again it makes it so easy to use the loose leaf tea without too much mess. You can find a good selection on Amazon by clicking on the image below (this post contains affiliate links)
If you prefer the floating infusers, here again is a link to those on Amazon (click on image)
I can recommend them both, but it all depends on how big you need your brew. Yes there are times the teapot is required as maximum brews are needed but most of the time to make a quick, no fuss, loose leaf brew the cup infusers are just the job!
Let me know what you think, do you have one you use at the moment? Which is your favourite type of infuser? Are you a teabag person never to be tempted by all this palaver? Leave me a comment below or on my Facebook page. Thank you for reading and I will be back tomorrow for 'Whatever Wednesday'. Take care for now........ |
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