The Food Programme

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The Food Programme: Everything Stops For Tea.

Everything Stops For Tea.

BBC Radio 4 - The Food Programme, Everything Stops For Tea.

Jaega Wise explores the ceremony and ritual of drinking tea.

From the serenity of a Japanese tea ceremony to the significance of a British cuppa. Jaega Wise talks to tea lovers, academics and experts about the drink we couldn't live without.

The past 12 months have been tumultuous for us all. But imagine, for one second, how it would have been without a cup of tea? 

In the first three months of lockdown, we spent an additional £24 million on tea and coffee according to research firm Kantar. And despite tea trends diverging from the traditional cuppa over the years, the UK and Ireland remain two of the top tea drinking nations per capita, in the world.

In this programme Jaega Wise looks at the connections we've built over tea, and why it plays such an important role in our lives. From the intricately performed traditional Japanese tea ceremony, courtesy of Camellia Flower Teahouse in Kyoto. To the significance, and potentially health giving ritual, of a brew between friends as uncovered by Newcastle University's Dr Edward Okello. And she focusses on a tea ritual of a very different kind - the art of tea tasting with Twinings Master blender Rishi Deb.

Presented by Jaega Wise.
Produced in Bristol by Clare Salisbury.

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Everything Stops For Tea.

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