Inside the April Issue: p. 1)  They Say It's Your Birthday p. 2)  Judy Cornwell: Daisy Revealed p. 3)  Tea News Bits p. 4)  Still Humphries After All These Years: A Chat with John Inman p. 5)  Obituary: John Inman p. 6)  Tea With Jane Austen p. 7)  Tea Advisor p. 8)  Mystery of the Month p. 9)  England's Calendar of Events: April p. 10)  Tea Town Tongue Twisters p. 11)  Glossary of Tea Terms p. 12)  Recipes: Butter Cream Easter Eggs p. 13)  Afternoon Teaisms  » Editor's Note     Printer-friendly Version

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The Insider welcomes all correspondence, story ideas and requests for contributed articles. Send letters via e-mail to Editor N. Scott Jones at bbinsider@comcast.net or by snail mail to: The Insider, c/o Oliviu Savu, BBC Worldwide Americas, 747 3rd Avenue, New York, NY 10017-2803. All letters are assumed to be for publication unless marked otherwise. The Insider reserves the right to edit letters for reason of space or clarity. Let us know what you think!

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Editor's Note

Happy Spring! Brightly colored flowers, blue skies and the fresh green of new grass and budded trees will soon welcome us each morning. It will be nice to again hear the laughter of children playing outside along with the wonderful scent of a newly mowed lawn. These things slip from memory during the winter months as we huddle inside but come flooding back with the first hint of the changing season.

All lovers of British comedy suffered a loss last month with the passing of John Inman. We all send our heartfelt sympathy to his family and friends. The humor of Mr. Inman will be impossible to replace and he will remain special in many, many hearts. In honor of his passing, we've included a "Chat with John Inman" from The Insider from 1999 and an article from the BBC. Read on in the Tea News Bits about an evening of John Inman MPT will air that you won't want to miss.

Don't ever make the mistake in thinking that Judy Cornwell was casted as Daisy because the character matches her personality. Far from it! You will want to read this article to find out just how amazing Ms. Cornwell is in real life.

Do homemade chocolate Easter Eggs sound enticing? We have the recipe! As having been personally tested and eaten, we say "go for it" because they are worth every sinful bite!

Happy Birthday Queen Elizabeth II!

The Tea Times Newsletter Staff

1 

They Say It's Your Birthday!

Do you share a birthday with any of these people?

April 2, 1914 - Sir Alec Guinness, actor

April 8, 1962 - Julian Lennon, singer, musician

April 16, 1921 - Peter Ustinov, actor

April 21, 1926 - Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of England

2 

Judy Cornwell: Daisy Revealed

by Michelle Street

We all know Daisy. She's the sweet, somewhat simple-minded sister of Hyacinth Bucket on Keeping Up Appearances. She adores her husband Onslow, who she believes is like a character out of one of the romance novels she loves to read. The rest of the world, however, might view Onslow as a beer-swilling slob in dire need of a makeover and a job. Daisy and Onslow share a house with Daisy's father and her other sister Rose, whose hobbies include chasing men while in short skirts. This quartet forms the side of the family that uber-snob Hyacinth does her best to keep hidden.

We know the character, but what about the actress? Let's just say that the real-life Judy Cornwell is not like Daisy. Here are a few of the reasons why:

1.) Judy Cornwell is not lazy

Au contraire. She worked and studied hard to perfect her craft. She was born in London on February 22, 1940, the day of her mother's 23rd birthday. When she was seven, her father, a WWII flight lieutenant, decided to uproot the family and move to Australia, which he considered to be "the country of tomorrow." At this time the Australian government was encouraging emigration so they had a scheme whereby passage to Australia could be purchased for only ten pounds per person with an agreement to stay for two years.

They settled in Queensland and Judy's father wound up working as a producer/writer at a radio station. Her mother, however, was never able to adjust to their new country and a few years later made the difficult decision to leave her husband in Australia and move back to England. Judy never saw her father again.

Following their return to the UK her mother ensured that Judy kept busy, perhaps to ease the pain of being separated from her father. As a teenager, her after-school hours were spent taking lessons in dance, modeling, and musical comedy. By the time she left school at 15 Judy was certified to teach tap and opened her own dance school. The money she earned went to help her family and further her own studies in dance and voice. She also joined an amateur dramatic society.

Judy turned professional while still in her teens. She was cast in a pantomime of Cinderella at the Hippodrome before she'd even reached the legal work age of 17. After the initial audition she was told not to return because she was too young, but she disguised herself and came back anyway. The director wasn't fooled but was so taken with her cheek that he hired her as a dancer anyway. She also became the understudy for the lead role and took over for a week when the actress playing Cinderella fell ill. This led to touring with shows that played in cities such as Birmingham and Aberdeen.

Through a combination of talent, hard work, and sheer moxie, Judy turned these humble beginnings into a career spanning all aspects of show business. She came to Keeping Up Appearances having already distinguished herself in radio comedy, pantomime, farce, and period pieces like The Mill on the Floss and Jane Eyre. Also on her resume was a season with the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford, the hit series Moody and Pegg and the role of Mrs. Claus in the perennial holiday favorite Santa Claus the Movie. Her reputation was that of someone who could work fast and work well, so when producer Harold Snoad had to cast KUA quickly he knew Judy was right for the part.

2.) Nor does she have a lazy husband

For over forty years Judy has been married to journalist and television reporter John Parry. The couple met when Parry reviewed a play during which Judy was killed off in the first scene. He gave the production thumbs down but praised Judy's performance. They married in 1960 and have one son, Dylan Edward.

3.) She's traveled more than just a cruise on the QE2

Judy's life and work has literally taken her around the world and back again. Paris was the scene of her first major theatrical success, Oh, What a Lovely War. A few years later she returned to France to appear in Two for the Road with Albert Finney and Audrey Hepburn. She then traveled to Los Angeles to meet with executives at 20th Century Fox and was offered a contract, starting with a role in the Julie Andrews film Star! She declined, feeling that her family came first and that she would have more of a variety of roles in the UK. However, she did a film for ABC named Call Me Daddy, which won an Emmy.

Other roles took her on location to Malta (to play Filigree Fondle in Anthony Newley's Can Hieronymous Merkin Ever Forget Mercy Humppe and Find True Happiness?), Prague, Czechoslovakia (The Devil's Lieutenant), Budapest, Hungary (Mary, Mother of Jesus) and Zimbabwe, Africa (to film Cry Freedom for Richard Attenborough.)

She has also traveled extensively for her own pleasure and research. Her childhood years in Australia left her with a soft spot for that country and she stills visits there for both work and enjoyment. While working on one of her novels she took an extended solo trip to Egypt. She also traveled on the QE2 (without Hyacinth, Richard and Onslow) when she and her husband were guest lecturers on board a cruise that went from Cape Town, South Africa to New York via Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and the Caribbean.

4.) Her dress sense is much better than Daisy's

In her youth Judy did modeling, won beauty contests, and even posed for a picture that appeared in Vogue magazine. However, fans still tend to confuse her with the dowdy Daisy and think she constantly wears cardigans. While filming the QE2 segment of KUA she was approached by a woman who complemented her on her dress. "I do have some nice dresses" Judy replied. The woman then said, "Well, I shan't feel sorry for you any more." Judy realized that she had taken away this woman's "security blanket" of feeling sorry for the usually ill-kempt, downtrodden Daisy.

5.) She is not a meek mouse

In 1971 Judy filmed Whoever Slew Auntie Roo and found the movie's star Shelley Winters to be quite a handful. Not one to be fooled with, Judy soon stood up to the formidable Ms. Winters when she thought the veteran actress was deliberately trying to throw her off her game during their scenes together. They got along much better after that.

There was also the time on the Keeping Up Appearances set when they were doing a scene in which the old clunker of a car caught on fire. Judy's hair got singed and director Harold Snoad wanted her to do the scene over. Judy flatly refused and told Snoad to put on her cardigan and do it himself. He did and the scene went off well.

6.) Judy Cornwell has actually mingled with aristocracy

Following a performance of Most Gracious Lady, the play's cast (including Judy) was presented to the Queen Mum herself. Hyacinth would be so jealous. Having presented reasons why she's not like Daisy, I would be remiss not to mention a couple of similarities.

7.) Judy Cornwell Is Like Daisy Because...

She has always been an avid reader. In fact, she is so passionate about the importance of reading that it was her suggestion to have Daisy seen reading her Boons and Mills romance novels. She is also the author of several novels. Her first published work was 1985's Cow and Cow Parsley followed in 1989 by Fishcakes at the Ritz. The Seventh Sunrise was released in 1994 and her last novel, Fear and Favour, was published in 1996. Following that she turned her attention to her autobiography, Adventures of a Jelly Baby, which came out in 2005.

Like Daisy, Judy Cornwell also loves her family. Not just her own family but also her on-screen family from Keeping Up Appearances. She and Geoffrey Hughes got along very well, though she claims he could be very naughty on the set and would do a bit of bottom pinching underneath the covers. She was also very close to Mary Millar, who played Rose. When Millar was diagnosed with cancer and going through treatments they spoke on the phone frequently and Judy was touched by Millar's indomitable spirit.

Judy did not work as closely with Patricia Routledge and Clive Swift since the majority of her scenes were with Hughes and Millar. When KUA came to an end in 1995 Judy completely understood Routledge's decision not to continue with the show because she had done the same thing herself. In 1974 she played spinsterish civil servant Daphne Pegg in the series Moody and Pegg. The show was very popular but Judy became afraid of being typecast and opted out after two seasons.

Since the end of KUA Judy has kept busy traveling, writing and working on both television and stage. She is currently touring the UK in a production of Alan Ayckbourne's Bedroom Farce and in her spare moments will most likely be found with her nose in a book - just like Our Daisy.

The Insider | January 2007


3 

Tea News Bits

A Salute to John Inman

On March 8, 2007, everyone's beloved John Inman passed away at the age of 71. We've received many emails asking if MPT planned to do a memorial in his honor. We are pleased to let you know that we have attained the rights to air Mr. Inman's biography from the BBC. The biography, in conjunction with three of his best Are You Being Served? episodes will air on Saturday evening, May 5 from 9:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m. We hope all of our Tea Goers will tune in.

April Programming You Won't Want to Miss

No, it isn't British but you won't want to miss Chesapeake Bay Week on MPT. Beginning on Monday, April 23 and ending on Sunday, April 29 look for programming throughout the day that informs you about our beloved Bay or related stories. From sturgeons to painters to Jamestown to muskrats, we offer a slice of life from many different angles and how this bold body of water affects all of our lives. This is the third anniversary of Chesapeake Bay Week and each year, because of the interest from our viewers, we do our best to expand our offerings.

Don't miss the grand finale - the Chesapeake Bay Volunteer-A-Thon on Sunday evening, April 29 from 7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. Volunteers from various organizations that support Bay efforts will be in our studios asking for your time to help them. If we all do a little, the help will add up to a lot! It's a great way to meet new people and be part of some feel-good community service. We are hoping the phones ring off the hook!

Antiques Roadshow in Baltimore

Antiques Roadshow is coming to Baltimore on June 16. The show will be held at the Baltimore Convention Center. If you have a treasured piece that you want appraised, you need to get a ticket ahead of time. The tickets are distributed by WGBH, the public television station in Boston.

To get your ticket, you can go to www.pbs.org/antiques to sign up. For those of you without computers, you can send a standard size postcard, postmarked by April 21, to:

     Baltimore Roadshow
     Box 249
     Canton, MA 02021

Be sure to include your name and address; and preference for morning, mid-day or afternoon entry (not guaranteed). Only 2 tickets are allowed per household.

Questions? Please call 1-888-762-3749.

Is Charity Shop Find a Real Picasso?

A chance find in a charity shop could turn out to be more than a pretty piece for a bargain hunter, who believes he may have found a Picasso.

Graham Duncan bought an oil painting in the new Relief for Romania charity shop on York Road, Twickenham, and is appealing for the person who donated it to come forward.

Mr. Duncan says, "I will split any profits between myself, the donor and the charity three ways - a third share for each of us."

Nearly three weeks ago, Mr. Duncan, a draftsman for Richmond Upon Thames Council, took a shine to the painting on a visit to the shop and paid £5 ($9.71) for it: "I like finding art and books in charity shops. I'm no art specialist but I quite liked the colours on this one."

Noticing the painting was signed, "Picasso," Mr. Duncan's girlfriend researched it on the Internet and found that it featured on archivists' websites. "I wrote to an art gallery who put me in touch with Claude Picasso, the son of Pablo, who will look at specialist photographs that I am going to have taken. Picasso was a prolific painter, so if it is genuine it could be worth £1,000, £10,000 or even £100,000 ($1,942.00-$194,211.00)," he said.

Mr. Duncan needs to track down the original owner to help with the verification process.

www.thisislocallondon.co.uk

Bomb Used as Doorstop for 60 Years

An unexploded World War II shell which was used as a doorstop for 60 years has been removed by bomb disposal experts from a New Malden house.

The bomb's owner, Betty Johnson, inherited it 50 years ago from the previous owner of her house in Knightwood Crescent, who had been using it to prop open the door or her garden shed for about a decade.

I never really thought much of it. I thought if it had lasted ten years, it was probably dead," she said.

"A friend of mine came round recently and got quite funny about it, and it's been on my mind ever since. I thought I'd better get someone to take a look. "Mrs. Johnson called police and had two visits from officers before bomb disposal experts from central London came to collect the bomb last weekend.

"They seemed quite interested in what kind of shell it was, and asked if they could take it away. I asked him not to bring it near the house, and he said quite right not to, madam. They took it away with flashing lights - the neighbours came out to see what was going on and why I had all these visitors."

Mrs. Johnson will now wait to hear what kind of bomb it is, and whether it was at any risk of exploding.

www.thisislocallondon.co.uk

Graffiti Thieves Remove Wall with Angle Grinder

Thieves removed a graffiti masterpiece from a wall with an angle grinder - and tried to sell it for £20,000 ($38,839.00). The stolen piece is the work of Bristol's famous graffiti bandit, Banksy.

Found just below a "no balls games" sign in Gloucester Gardens, Central London, the graffiti showed a mischievous rat playing with a ball.

The culprits put their loot up for sale on Ebay with a £20,000 asking price. Ebay has since removed the item from the site.

www.thisislocallondon.co.uk

4 

Still Humphries After All These Years

A Chat with John Inman

"You know what they say about vodka Mrs. Slocombe, one's alright, two's the most, three under the table, four under the host!"
– Wilberforce Claybourne Humphries

It took every ounce of restraint I could muster not to begin my talk with John Inman by using that famous refrain, "Are you free, Mr. Humphries?" I'm sure he's heard that a million times, but in the end, I got the impression that he might not have minded hearing it again. We all have those times in our lives that we remember with an inordinate amount of fondness and for Inman, it seems to have been his tenure as Mr. Humphries on Are You Being Served?

Like many of British comedy's biggest stars, John Inman hails from the north of England. He was born in the town of Preston and at 12 moved to the popular seaside resort of Blackpool. Blackpool can be described as a bit like Las Vegas. It's a place where you can see Elvis impersonators, ballroom dancing, cheesy B-list comics and, in general, be entertained. Somehow, the atmosphere must have gotten into Inman's blood because he knew from an early age that he wanted to make his living entertaining people.

At 13, he made his debut in the play Freda at Blackpool's South Pier Pavilion and to this day, the theater remains his first love. It was his work on stage that first caught the attention of legendary producer David Croft. Inman worked for Croft in a few small roles, but one day a script for a Comedy Playhouse production called Are You Being Served? came through the post and he hasn't looked back since.

What was his first encounter like with the character destined to make him a Britcomedy icon? "In the first instance, there wasn't anything there - just a description saying that he was a sales assistant in Gentleman's Ready-to-Wear." Inman said. "They took my mannerisms and things I did in rehearsal and went with it." So Mr. Wilberforce Clayborn Humphries came to life, based partially on shop assistants Inman worked with during his short stint as a window dresser.

AYBS? was originally to revolve around Trevor Bannister's character, Mr. Lucas, but it was soon apparent that Mr. Humphries was going to be a breakout character. This surprised Inman, because Humphries was not at first a "leading role." Given the show's immense popularity, it is also surprising to hear that the show wasn't an instant hit. "It was a slow burner," he said. "It was at least the third series before it was huge."

Incredibly, episodes went from rehearsal to film in only four to five days. The process started with the cast simply sitting around the table reading the script and laughing. "Reading it to yourself is one thing," Inman said, "but actually hearing the lines read, it was a thousand times funnier." The following days were set aside for blocking out the scenes and getting the technical aspects right. Then on the last day there was camera rehearsal, dress rehearsal and finally the studio audience came in for the taping.

This didn't leave much room for error. Videotape was very expensive at this time, so the possibility of multiple takes was slim. This didn't daunt the cast, however.

"Most of the artists in it were theater people, not television people," Inman explained. "We were used to getting it right the first time."

Not to say that there weren't the occasional break-ups. Arthur Brough (who played Mr. Grainger) was known to miss his lines quite often and Trevor Bannister would laugh at the drop of a hat. Unfortunately, these mess-ups were not saved for posterity, so an AYBS? outtakes video (similar to the ones done for Red Dwarf), is not a possibility.

The show's overwhelming popularity led to the inevitable spin-offs. The cast did a fifteen-week, twice nightly stint on stage followed by a movie loosely based on the stage production. In 1980-81, Inman was the only one of the AYBS? ensemble to travel to Australia when a network there decided to make its own homegrown production of AYBS? called Bones Brothers.

"I certainly enjoyed being in Australia," he said. It was extremely enjoyable and I was excited being asked. The only catch was that all the characters were similar to the original, but had different names, so it took a bit of getting used to." Bones Brothers lasted two series, but the original AYBS? lasted from 1972-1985.

Inman offers a simple, true explanation for why AYBS? has stood the test of time and developed such a rabid following, especially among American viewers.

It's visual to start with," he said, "Colorful. Simple. A little bit naughty." Indeed, double entendres were the basis for much of the humor, though they were always done with an air of innocence.

Also guaranteed laugh getters were the silly costumes the cast was often required to wear. In fact, Inman says his favorite episodes were those in which the cast was able to dress up. He cites Heir Apparent (in which he plays his mother) as a particular favorite. When queried as to which episodes he remembers less fondly, he says there aren't any, but if you compare the early episodes to the ones made in the late 70s, the earlier episodes don't come off as well "because they look poor." There wasn't even enough of a budget for such later trademarks as the wigs that provided Mrs. Slocombe's ever-changing hair color.

One of the reasons for the success of AYBS? was the chemistry among the cast members. The employees of Grace Brothers may have taunted each other mercilessly, but in the end, there was a real closeness and affection among them.

This translated into strong, lifelong friendships off screen as well and Inman keeps in touch with surviving cast members.

So, will the new millennium see a reunion of the Grace Brothers staff?

"We would like to do a one-hour special and would willingly get together," Inman said, "but ultimately it's in the hands of David Croft, Jeremy Lloyd and the BBC."

While fans pine for a reunion, Inman will return to the stage in December, starring as Wanda in a pantomime production of Jack and the Beanstalk. Pantomime, more commonly known as panto, is one of Inman's loves and in the past he's appeared in panto productions of Cinderella and Mother Goose.

"It's a particularly British form of entertainment," he explained, "which, despite what Americans might think, isn't what Marcel Marceau does. Pantomime is a very big musical based on a nursery rhyme - a quirky thing with role reversal and up-to-date, popular jokes."

In fact, Inman will take on the role of Jack's mother, while Jack is being played by a young woman he described as "very attractive, with legs up to her armpits."

Otherwise, Inman claims he "shan't do anything for a while." Has he ever toyed with the idea of writing an autobiography? "Yes, I've considered it," he said, "but I wouldn't say it's in the process. There just might be too much to try to include."

He often travels to America to meet fans and he describes them as "extremely kind," although hard-core loyalists have been known to correct him on lines and other details from the show. Like most British people, he seems to prefer the spots in America where there's plenty of sun and warmth. He recalls La Jolla, California, as a particular favorite and said when he visited there he thought, "I could live here."

Inman says he doesn't watch many of the newer comedy programs, but is a fan of Keeping Up Appearances. He is not, contrary to popular rumor, the cousin of KUA co-star Josephine Tewson, though the duo did work together on the 1977 ITV sitcom Odd Man Out. In this program, Inman played Neville Sutcliffe, the owner of a Blackpool fish and chip shop. Tewson played his half -sister.

In the end, Inman wistfully remembers his years on AYBS? as a "happy time" with a lot of laughter. Obviously so did the rest of the cast, whose infectious enthusiasm and camaraderie helped turn AYBS? into a timeless classic.

The Grace Brothers staff was once described as a family with Mr. Grainger as the grandfatherly figure and Mrs. Slocombe as the dotty Aunt. In that scenario, then, Mr. Humphries must have been the fun uncle - always a laugh and great to be around.

That pretty well sums up John Inman himself. Viva Mr. Humphries.

Did You Know?

• Inman played a male secretary to Rula Lensky in the 1981 sitcom Take A Letter, Mr. Jones...
• There was to have been an episode of Are You Being Served? Again! during which Mr. Humphries tied the knot with Mavis Moulterd. The wedding was to have been interrupted by Wilberforce's mother. The script was written, but the BBC yanked the series before the episode was filmed.
• In 1976 Inman was named Variety Club BBC TV Personality of the Year and was also named the TV Times award for Funniest Man on Television.
• Are You Being Served, Sir? The Record was produced by DTM Records in 1975. This 45 record featured John Inman singing Are You Being Served, Sir? on the A side and The Teddy Bear's Picnic on the flip side. It peaked at 39 on the charts.
• In a pilot for an American version of AYBS? the character of Mr. Humphries was played by former Laugh-In star Alan Sues. The show was called Beanes of Boston and it was never picked up by the network.

The Insider | November 1999

5 

Obituary: John Inman

John Inman, who has died in a London hospital aged 71, belonged to an era of comedy which shunned satire for broad slapstick and sexual innuendo. But any criticism of Mr. Humphries, the camp, sharp-tongued sales assistant in Are You Being Served? was overwhelmed by public popularity.

Inman won BBC TV personality of the year in 1976 and was voted funniest man on television by TV Times readers. The show attracted up to 22 million viewers and his shrill "I'm free!" hardly faded from the public's imagination.

Fans favourite
Frederick John Inman was born on 28 June, 1935, in Preston, Lancashire. At the age of 13 he appeared at the South Pier in Blackpool and he went on to make hundreds of stage and screen appearances.

Inman's West End debut was in the musical Ann Veronica at the Cambridge Theatre, followed by a stint as Lord Fancourt Babberley in Charley's Aunt at the Adelphi Theatre. But he also performed in more than 40 pantomimes and was one of the country's best-loved pantomime dames.

Are You Being Served? began life as part of the BBC's Comedy Playhouse strand. But disruption to the 1972 Munich Olympics meant it was moved to fill gaps in the prime time schedule.

Are You Being Served? ran for 13 years
He stayed for its entire 13-year run, alongside Wendy Richard, who went on to play Pauline Fowler in EastEnders, as well as Molly Sugden, Frank Thornton and Trevor Bannister. Seven years after the final episode, five of the characters returned for a sequel - Grace And Favour - in which they tried to run an old house as a hotel.

Inman also appeared in ITV's Odd Man Out as Neville Sutcliffe, the owner of a Blackpool fish and chip shop who inherited his father's factory, but the show only ran for seven episodes in 1977. He next starred alongside Rula Lenska as a male secretary in Take A Letter, Mr. Jones for six episodes in 1981.

More recently, he returned to the BBC for Revolver, a 2004 sketch show in which he played an antiques-shop owner who got carried away when explaining the history of objects for sale. At the end of that year Inman, who suffered from hepatitis A, cancelled the opening of a London pantomime because of the disease.

In December 2005 he and his partner of 35 years, Ron Lynch, took part in a civil partnership ceremony at London's Westminster Register Office.

http://news.bbc.co.uk

6 

Tea With Jane Austen
by Kim Wilson

Tea in the Evening

7 

Tea Advisor

Essential Components of Tea

[This month and the next few upcoming months] you'll find some of today's most popular herbs, with a brief description of their effects plus instruction on how to brew each one into a tea. (Caution: When brewing herbs that you've gathered, do not use roadside herbs, which may be coated with noxious car exhaust, or herbs that may have been sprayed with pesticide.) You'll also find recipes for herbal tea blends and beverages as well as herbal recipes to transform your home and bath. Soothing, stimulating aromatic herbs - they are all here.

Basil: (Ocimum basilicum varieties) may be one of the tastiest herbs in Italian cuisine, but its fragrant green leaves also make a soothing infusion to help calm an upset stomach and quell nausea. Its tea has a clove-like flavor with peppery, mint-like undertones. Use 1 tablespoon of the fresh leaves or 2 teaspoons dried in 6 to 8 ounces of boiling water. Steep for 10 minutes.

Catnip: (Npeta cataria) is a mouser's delight, and its scalloped leaves produce a subtle, lemony, mint-like tea, which the British drank before China tea came to their isles. Belonging to the mint family, catnip, when infused into a tea, helps to settle upset stomachs and was a traditional cold and flu remedy. Use 1 tablespoon of the fresh leaves or 2 teaspoons dried in 6 to 8 ounces of boiling water. Steep for 10 minutes.

Chamomile: (Chamaemelum jobile, a Roman or English chamomile, Matricaria recutita, a German chamomile) makes a comforting herbal tea with a light, sweet, apple-like taste. A popular herb, chamomile is used as a base for many commercially blended herbal tea mixes. An infusion of the daisy-like flowers used for the tea relieves nausea and anxiety and, if taken before bedtime, promotes sleep. Use 1 tablespoon of the fresh flowers or teaspoons dried in 6 to 8 ounces of boiling water. Steep for 3 to 4 minutes, or up to 30 minutes for its medicinal effects. If you are allergic to ragweed pollen, it's best to avoid chamomile, since they are related.

The New Tea Book | By Sara Perry

Lu Yu, Chinese Tea Authorities

Although some Chinese tea-manufacturing processes have recently been mechanized, in essence the methods are still the same as those developed during the Ming Dynasty. Careful plucking is essential if good teas are to be produced. Tea leaf used must only come from tender new shoots, and old leaves must be discarded. As the shoots develop, the leaves become coarser, so the bushes have to be picked regularly. The classic exhortation is to pluck only "two leaves and a bud." The very finest Chinese Imperial teas were even more stringently selected, with the leaf coming from one leaf and a bud, or even solely from the new buds. Ordinary teas will contain two leaves and a bud plus a certain amount of older leaf.

The leaves are harvested into a basket slung on a plucker's back, and subsequently transported in baskets or bags to the factory. Any damage to the leaf will break some plant cells, which will release enzymes that will start the leaf fermenting (more correctly, oxidizing) and turning brown. It is important to minimize this by careful plucking and handling. The leaf must not be crushed, piled too deeply, or take too long to reach the factory. Nevertheless, once the leaf is plucked, however carefully it is handled, some bruising will occur and fermentation will start. It is important to keep this to a minimum before the manufacturing process starts. For this reason factories have to be within a few miles of the fields. Manufacturing tea needs considerable expertise and skill. All these requirements mean that is not normally possible for small-scale growers to process their own tea. Most tea factories, therefore, either serve a large plantation or a number of small farmers.

Tea | By Roy Moxham

8 

Mystery of the Month

What Is Your Guess?

Case One

A Danish woman travels to Africa in the middle of summer with a group of friends. One night, the group pitches its tent less than 200 miles from the Equator. The next morning, the woman and her entire party are found frozen to death.

The Mystery
In what country was the group camping and where did they pitch their tent?

Clues

• The country borders the Indian Ocean.
• The group complained about the jungle heat one day before they died.
• The group wasn't prepared for the cold.
• The group was at a high altitude.
• The country borders Kenya and is home to the Serengeti National Park.
• The group was atop Africa's highest mountain.

Case Two

A group of four comes together and follows a road they believe will lead to enlightenment. The group's leader brings along a trusted companion.

The Mystery
What is the name of the leader's companion and in what city does the road end?

Clues

• All four members of the group sing.
• You won't find the city on any map.
• There are no signs on the road.
• The leader's companion has four legs.
• The city is named after a precious gem and the road is made of brick.
• The leader and her four-legged friend aren't in Kansas anymore.

Be sure to check the May 2007 edition of the Tea Times for the answers

Answers to March Mysteries:

Case One: The horses are Coney Island carousel horses.
Case Two: The Trojan Horse was unleashed on the city of Troy.

30 Second Mysteries, © University Games

9 

England's Calendar of Events | April

British and World Marbles Championship

April 6, 2007

Every year the Greyhound pub in Tinsley Green takes a popular playground game to its most competitive level, as it stages the British and World Marbles Championship.

The tournament in its current guise has been played since 1932, although evidence suggests that the game has been played here for more than 200 years. In West Sussex the marble season traditionally takes place between Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, with this competition marking the climax. It was once considered bad luck to play past midday on the Friday, but now with over 100 competitors every year there simply wouldn't be enough time to play all the ties.

The tournament is played in a knockout format between around 20 teams, with team and individual titles up for grabs. An over-50s competition has also been recently introduced. It is free to watch and to participate but, if you'd like to enter, it is advisable to do so in advance.

www.whatsonwhen.com

Jazz Divas Festival

April 13-15, 2007

The Jazz Divas Festival, at the Ventnor Towers Hotel and other venues on the Isle of Wight, offers a weekend of stylish jazz including modern, mainstream, traditional and avant garde styles, featuring some of the best female jazz singers and musicians on the scene.

www.whatsonwhen.com

Lewes Lion Club International Toad-In-The-Hole Competition

April 25, 2007

This unique event is not, as the name suggests, devoted to that comforting British dish of sausages buried in Yorkshire pudding. It is instead a traditional throwing game, held annually at Lewes Town Hall, in which old penny coin-sized discs (toads) are tossed through a hole in the slanting top of a table.

www.whatsonwhen.com

April Dates of Note

April 10, 1998 - The signing of the Good Friday Agreement.

April 12, 1606 - Union Flag became the official Flag of the United Kingdom.

April 15, 1912 - HMS Titanic struck an iceberg and sank.

April 14, 1931 - Highway Code first issued.

April 19, 1978 - Post marks were introduced in Britain by the Post Office.

April 23 - St. George's Day. Patron Saint of England and also of Scouting. April 23, 303 is the accepted date of St. George's death.

April 23, 1584 - Shakespeare's birthday. April 23, 1613 is the anniversary of his death.

April 24, 1949 - Sweet rationing ended in England.

April 26, 1957 - First broadcast of The Sky at Night, a BBC program on astronomy.

www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk

10 

Tea Town Tongue Twisters

After 2 years of researching articles of interest for the Tea Times, we can't help but notice the enjoyable names of many of the English towns. We thought you might enjoy seeing some of them. Now try to say them!

• Upperwillpadburylake
• Lowerwicktondelbury on Avon
• East Folkscandonford
• Lowershrewsbedshire
• Eastislborolakeborough
• Westhaynorboroughwick
• Newoxwalkborough
• Upper North West Yorkqueenslakedelland
• Newuppersouthshrewsdonland
• East Middleshrewsfordboroughbury

http://funnies.paco.to

11 

Glossary of Tea Terms

Our last installment...

U - W Uneven - Term used to describe tea leaf composed of irregular shaped pieces indicating bad sorting. When applied to the infused leaf the term means that it contains mixed red, green and black colours resulting from uneven withering, fermentation or rolling. Uva - A high elevation quality tea district in Sri Lanka. Weak - Denotes a thin liquor. Often due to over-withering or under-fermenting.

Well Twisted - Leaf which is tightly rolled or twisted, which in orthodox manufacture indicates ideally withered tea. Wiry - Term applied to well twisted, thin leaf orange pekoe. A good OP has long, very black, even sized twisted leaf. Woody - Denotes an undesirable hay flavour in tea, often due to long storage. www.nbtea.co.uk

Did you miss T? Take a look at last month's edition.

12 

Butter Cream Easter Eggs

Do you remember growing up with homemade butter cream Easter eggs that your mother and grandmother used to make? Can you still taste the bittersweet chocolate that surrounded the butter cream? Have you wished you would have kept the recipe because you can't find it anywhere? Well look no further! Maryland Public Television's own Nancy Grayson has shared her recipe with us. We've tasted them and this recipe will take you back to your childhood days!

Ingredients

• 2 - 1 lb boxes of confectioner's sugar
• 2 sticks of melted salted butter (do not use margarine)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 beaten egg
• 1 lb unsweetened chocolate
• 1/3 of one block of parafin wax

Mix together all ingredients. Line a cookie sheet with waxed paper. Coat palms with butter to prevent egg mixture from sticking; repeat as necessary. Mold into 24 eggs. Refrigerate eggs for 24 hours or longer before coating with chocolate.

Coating the eggs:
Melt chocolate in double boiler. After melted, mix in paraffin wax. This helps chocolate from melting in your hands quickly when eating and produces a shiny look to the eggs.

Coat each egg by dipping in melted chocolate. Place dipped eggs back on cookie sheets lined with waxed paper. Refrigerate at least 24 hours. Wrap individually.

13 

Afternoon Teaisms

Rhymes and Wits

Fisherman's Luck
Henry Van Dyke

The first day of spring is one thing, and the first spring day is another.
The difference between them is sometimes as great as a month.

The Two Gentlemen of Verona
William Shakespeare

O! how this spring of love resembled
The uncertain glory of an April day!

Two Tramps in Mud Time
Robert Frost

The sun was warm but the wind was chill.
You know how it is with an April day
When the sun is out and the wind is still,
You're one month on in the middle of May.
But if you so much as dare to speak,
A cloud comes over the sunlit arch,
A wind comes off a frozen peak,
And you're two months back in the middle of March.

www.infoplease.com

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