Empire of Tea

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Sathnam Sanghera tells the story of our national drink and its imperial past.

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Empire of Tea: 8. One for Each Person and None for the Pot

8. One for Each Person and None for the Pot

BBC Radio 4 - Empire of Tea, 8. One for Each Person and None for the Pot

Did imperial tea really help Britain win the war?

Sathnam Sanghera finds out about the steps Britain took to protect its tea supply during World War II

By the 1930s tea-drinking had become such an integral part of British life that maintaining supplies during the war was a government priority.
It was seen as an essential morale-booster on both the home front and the fighting front.
Urging restraint, the food minister Lord Woolton advised people to allocate one tea bag for each person “and none for the pot” when brewing up.
James Bulgin of the Imperial War Museum and historian Erika Rappaport tell Sathnam Sanghera about the measures taken to protect supply, safeguard stocks and discourage wastage. Just how important was imperial tea to the British war effort?

Produced by Paul Martin for BBC Audio Wales

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Empire of Tea

8. One for Each Person and None for the Pot

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