Win a mini break at the Magdalen Chapter in Exeter

The Magdalen Chapter in Exeter has been described as a “contemporary Wonderland” in the Alastair Sawday’s Guides, and we couldn’t agree more! It’s an iconic building that was once the West of England Eye Hospital, with all the creature comforts you require, including areas to relax and indulge: the perfect place to enjoy a mini break!

Do you fancy winning a night’s stay for two plus breakfast and afternoon tea (served with Lahloo tea of course!) in this stunning hotel? To enter our competition, you simply have to e-mail maria@lahlootea.co.uk with your details, including the code MAGDALENCH.

Terms and conditions:

1. This competition is open to residents of the UK, 18 years or over, with the exception of employees of Lahloo Tea and their families or partners.

2. All entries must be received by midnight on Thursday the 20th of September 2012.

3. Only one entry per person. The winner will be drawn at random from all entries received by the closing date.

5. By entering into this competition you agree to have your name released as the winner. The winner will be e-mailed on Friday the 21st of October.

6. If the prize winner fails to respond to correspondence from Lahloo Tea or to claim his/her prize within 72 hours of receipt of notification, Lahloo Tea shall be entitled to select an alternative prize winner. The prize winner who has not responded won’t be entitled to a prize.

6. Prize is non transferable, there are no cash alternatives and cannot be used in conjunction with any other object.

7. Prize excludes Saturday nights, is subject to availability, and to be taken before the 30th of November 2012.

7. Lahloo Tea reserves the right to record the entrants’s e-mail addresses for promotional purposes and to share these e-mail addresses with The Chapter Hotels for the same purpose.

Chamomile and elderflower jelly

The humble chamomile, with its sweet scent and floral flavour, has always been valued for its health properties: Egyptians used it against fever and ancient Greeks treated headaches and bladder and liver disorders with it. Our Calming Chamomile is a blend of these bright little flowers with a hint of fragrant lavender,  a soothing herbal infusion perfect in the evening or when you need to relax in the cleanest purest way… But its natural, earthy flavour can be enjoyed in other forms too!

For this simple but stunning recipe, we added elderflowers (another seasonal favourite here at Lahloo!) and English strawberries to Calming Chamomile. A lovely, summery dessert that sparkles under the sunshine like a gemstone.

Sunshine jelly! 

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp Lahloo Calming Chamomile
• 2 heads of elderflower
• 270ml water
• 2.5tbsp caster sugar
• 2 gelatine leaves

Place 1 tsp of Calming Chamomile and two heads of elderflower in boiling water. Cover with clingfilm and let them infuse for an hour.
Bring back to the boil and add some caster sugar, mixing well.
Meanwhile, soak 2 gelatine leaves in water. When it gets spongy, squeeze excess of water and place in a separate bowl. Strain over the hot liquid and whisk together.
Allow to cool to room temperature and pour into little glasses.
Cover them with cling film and refrigerate overnight.

Our tip: for a fruity twist, add some finely chopped strawberries!

Perfect Picnics!

Donna Hay’s delicious Crispy Potato Salad

Nothing beats the simple enjoyment of tucking into your favourite  yummy treats!  Throw in some great company, the great British countryside (or even a quiet spot in your local park will do!)  with sunshine filled days and it’s Lahloo’s idea of heaven! If you couple this with a glass or two of our refreshing English Garden Punch (alcoholic or non-alcoholic, gently sparkling Earl Grey, elderflower and fresh mint) we really won’t be able to contain our excitement!

Oh, you may chuckle at our enthusiasm and pleasure at such ‘everyday’ things but what great things these really are! What do you love doing? What simple pleasures have you forgotten about? Spend time daydreaming about those things and then go out and do them – now’s your time! Remember it’s all about taking it easy.

Taking time out and ‘tuning in’ your senses to the world around you and is a fabulous way to help you unwind, forget your worries and cares and allow yourself to fully relax. Here’s to taking time out and to doing the simple things you enjoy!

One of our favourite treats is to pack up a scrummy picnic and escape! We’ve found some truly delicious picnic snacks from Donna Hay’s latest book that we thought you’d love to try!

Who ever said picnics need be boring? Forget soggy sandwiches and limp salads, here’s to simple, easy seasonal  recipes bursting with fresh flavours and taste! Now you’ve no excuse to get out and about!

Happy picnicking!

Cool down with delicious iced tea this summer

When the temperature rises its time to slow things down a gear and take life easier! Remembering to stay hydrated when the sun’s out is important to maintain health, but water can become  a little dull after a while.

So why not try a delicious and refreshing iced tea instead. One  tip is to simply infuse your loose tea leaves overnight in cold water. We tend to use a tiny bit more tea than usual. So, for example, if I usually use 2.5 g per 500ml I would up this to 3 g.  Pop the leaves in cold water and simply leave the mix in the fridge overnight. When you wake up in the morning you’ll have deliciously sweet and refreshing iced tea. Easy peasy!

Why not play around with interesting alcoholic and non-alcoholic alternatives to Pimms this summer using the iced tea?

ENGLISH GARDEN PUNCH

200ml cooled Earl Grey tea

25ml Bramley and Gage elderflower liqueur (buy from Waitrose in-store or Waitrose online here)

or 25ml Bottlegreen elderflower cordial

Fresh mint sprig

Sparkling water

Fresh lemon wedge

Simply place the cold-infused tea, elderflower liqueur/cordial in a tall glass (or multiply and use a pitcher), add ice and fresh mint sprig and top with sparkling water. Finally add fresh lemon to garnish. Chill and relax!

Crumpets!

A steaming pot of tea and hot buttered crumpets; the perfect excuse to gather friends together around the fire on a Sunday afternoon and escape the winter blues!

I recently found my Grandma’s hand-written cookery book full of classic English tea time recipes. She had everything you could possibly need for the perfect afternoon tea time treat and I discovered a really simple recipe to make your own crumpets. Get the kettle on!

Makes  16  Prep/cooking time:  1-2 hrs   Pre-heated oven:  180℃

Ingredients:

1 pint / 600ml warm milk

1 lb/ 450g plain sifted flour

2 tsp dried yeast

1 large egg

1/2 tsp sugar

A little salt

oil to fry

Method:

In a large bowl mix all ingredients and beat well. Leave the mixture to rise until bubbles appear on top. Beat and cover with a damp tea towel and leave to rise again. Then pour into crumpet rings (or pastry cutters) and bake in a brisk oven until golden. Turn over and cook on the other side.

As easy as that! Remember, crumpets are best served hot, toasted and well buttered in front of a roaring fire with a steaming pot of tea.

Bring on Sunday!

Don’t panic and make time for tea!

It’s the 1st December and the countdown to Christmas has begun! We’ve created our own Christmas advent calendar to treat you to tips, offers and treats in the run up to Christmas. Subscribe here >

Take time out to relax and look after yourself or come Christmas Day you’ll be no good for anyone!

You still have 20 days left to order online so even if you’re snowed in you can still go shopping! And it gets better – you’ll avoid all those horrible queues too! So keep warm, make a pot of tea, put that Rat PAck Christmas Album on iTunes and get inspired!

Look at what we have to offer – tea stocking fillers, tea lovers gifts, foodies gifts and even something special for grandma! Keep calm, drink tea, enjoy the run up this year and have lots of fun too!

Escape Christmas madness and relax with a cup of tea!

Does this look like your average Christmas shopping scene at this time of year? No, I thought not!

I enjoyed a day mooching with my mum in law on Sunday last week and ended up on a very ordinary high street looking for Christmas present ideas. It struck me how uninspiring, not to mention stressful, it can be. I love hunting out unique places and things to give people and it’s not always easy to do on the high street. So, I thought I’d share some of my little secrets with you.

You too can escape the chaos of Christmas shopping and pick up gorgeous Christmas gifts to pop under the tree that are a little bit different! And remember if you shop online you can do it from the calm and warmth of your own home and take as long as you like, you don’t need to queue and you don’t need to carry it all home! Sounds like bliss!

So put the kettle on, light your favourite candle, put some non-cheesy Christmas music on and shop away! Have fun!

I love:

♥  To Dry For‘s ever so stylish tea towels

♥ Beautiful perfumes from Lyn Harris at Miller Harris

♥  Soma for gorgeous UK created art, jewellery and more

♥  the wonderful and eclectic goodies at The Hambledon!

♥ Emily Bond‘s beautiful British countryside inspired fabrics and homewares

♥ oh and last but not least Lahloo for all your tea gifts (look out next week for our very own gift sets inspired by life)!

Relax, unwind and indulge your senses in style at Cowley Manor in the heart of the English countryside!

Over the past 2 weeks I’ve been taking Vicky, our new ‘tea apprentice’, on a tour around some of our customers. It’s been great fun but also really wonderful to take stock of some of the amazing people and places we supply with Lahloo Tea. One of these very special places is Cowley Manor in the heart of the Cotswolds near Cheltenham.

A few months ago we started working with the team at the incredible luxury hotel spa. Cowley Manor is a contemporary chic country house hotel set in the idyllic British countryside. With an emphasis on comfort, service and very few rules, Cowley Manor is the perfect place to relax, unwind and indulge your senses. The hotel oozes simple luxury and everywhere you look there is a another special place to daydream.

Not only do they now serve a fabulous cup of tea in the hotel, but they do so in style. You wouldn’t expect anything else from the team at Cowley Manor though; they use the Lahloo Tovolo Tea infuser. A unique, simple yet stylish way to enjoy loose leaf tea-cup by cup, at work or on holiday.

Then there is their fabulous C.side Spa! The C.side Spa uses only the most natural of products during each experience and their own in-house Green & Spring product range. Its such a stunning setting with a beautiful range of products it was a pleasure to be invited to create three specific blends. Each had to be in keeping with Cowley Manor’s ethos of relax, unwind and indulge the senses with natural ingredients taken from the British countryside used throughout the Green & Spring range.

The 3 teas Kate created – Bliss (a blissful, indulgent blend of Green Jasmine and Rosebuds), Revive (a reviving blend of Japanese green tea, fennel and peppermint) and Unwind (an utterly relaxing blend of Chamomile Flowers and Lavender) – are delicious as well as therapeutic. Whatever your mood or feeling, these teas complete the Cowley Manor experience. And they have been hugely successful with guests at the hotel, spa and village shop.

This place is the perfect place to getaway from it all. They even have wellies you can borrow!

To discover a very special place nestling in the Cotswold countryside and to book a luxury getaway, visit http://www.cowleymanor.com or to visit their Paris ad Amsterdam hotels visit http://www.curioushotels.com

To buy Green & Spring products visit http://www.greenandspring.com or to follow them on twitter hunt our @greenandspring

To find countryside seasonal inspired recipes like Lemon & Thyme Shortbread click here

Enjoy seasonal food: teatime apple and pear cake

This is an adaptation of a recipe I found in Marie Claire ‘Fresh’ by Michele Cranston. It’s the perfect seasonal cake for those in-between meal times – elevenses and afternoon tea!  Easy, quick to make, tasty and perfect with warming black and oolong teas. Put the kettle on!

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 50g ground cashews
• 3 free range eggs
• 125ml organic milk
• 400g caster sugar
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, sliced
• 250g plain flour
• 2 teaspoons ground chai tea leaves
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3 pears, cored and sliced
• 3 apples, cored and sliced
• icing sugar

Preheat the oven to 180c (350f / gas 4). Using 1 tablespoon butter, grease a 20cm round springform cake tin and sprinkle with half the cashew nuts to coat the tin.

Put eggs, milk,sugar,ginger, flour, chai tea and baking powder into a large mixing bowl and blend to make a thick batter.

Fold the pears and apples into the batter carefully and spoon into the cake tin. Sprinkle with remaining cashew nuts and dot with remaining butter.

Bake for 1 1/2 hours, remove and cool. Put the kettle on, put tea leaves into the pot, brew the tea then pour into your favourite cup or mug. Sprinkle cake with icing sugar, slice a wedge and serve with a dollop of natural yoghurt. Now sit, relax and enjoy!

Lahloo Tea in the Black Mountains

EAT DRINK SLEEP…

… the simple things in life done well! What better way could there possibly be to spend a weekend away (or longer if you’re lucky)! The company behind this brilliant mantra has two fabulous places we’d thoroughly recommend.

I first experienced EAT DRINK SLEEP at their dining pub with rooms, The Gurnards Head, in deepest Cornwall in January. We got snowed in but it didn’t matter one bit as this place is a home from home! Cosy rooms, open fires, quaffable wines and amazingly rustic and delicious food. Our favourite meal everyday had to be the fantastic breakfast! We walked, ate, drank and slept like babies and came home feeling ready to take Lahloo Tea onwards and upwards in 2010.

More recently I have yet again been bowled over by the EAT DRINK SLEEP team at their other dining pub with rooms, The Felin Fach Griffin in the stunning Black Mountains near Hay-on -Wye (the little place famous for its fantastic Hay Festival of Literature and Arts) and Brecon. Again this place oozes with the founders’ mantra of doing simple things very very well.

The team are lovely and really good at what they do (Jay Rayner thinks so too, read his review) This place is a must visit. While you’re there fill up on their wonderful breakfasts in the Aga Room (I can thoroughly recommend the smoked kippers and the home-made soda bread) and of course sip a cup or 3 of delicious Lahloo Tea. Or maybe sip a cup of Earl Grey in their gorgeous garden.

Have you been? I’d love to know what you thought…