Claire Hopley

The History of Tea and Tea Times; As Seen in Books (Pen and Sword Books Ltd.), 2009

192pp., paperback, £9.99 ISBN 978 1 84468 030 6 

In this contribution to the Remember When series, Claire Hopley discusses the history of tea as it is recorded in English literature, from the works of Jane Austen to the novels of D. H. Lawrence.  She refers to such diverse characters as Jane Eyre, Anne of Green Gables and Harry Potter.  Besides researching the role of tea and the differences of teas and teatimes in English history from the trading of the East India Company, she looks at the discovery of tea in China and the legend of Daruma in Japan.  Additionally she presents 35 recipes based on scenes in well-known books, from cucumber sandwiches in Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest to Evelyn Waugh's walnut cake in Brideshead Revisited and Mary Poppins' raspberry jam cakes.  Some like sultana scones are familiar, others like orange cake less so.  The English have adopted tea as a national drink and it played a part in raising morale in time of war.  This easily read account of the vicissitudes of tea will appeal widely.  There is a particularly full and helpful index, a select bibliography, a glossary and a list of tearooms for good measure and an occasional illustration. 

G.R. Batho