Time for Tea: Tea and Conversation with Thirteen English Women

When I started reading this book, I quickly became engrossed and decided to read one chapter everyday with a cup of tea envisioning myself in England sitting and chatting with the ladies or maybe just listening to their stories. One of the ladies, married with children, was once a ballerina who then enrolled in a school to study law when she was in her mid thirties. She shared her story about how awkward she felt when she found her classmates were all teenagers and how she juggled in her study with the support of her family. I truly enjoy reading this book. It gives insight and make me reflect on my own life experiences. As the other reviewer wrote, put the kettle on, brew some English tea or any kind of tea, sit back and relax with this charming, awesome and inspiring little book. Blow away the stress from our mind !

If you love tea and all that goes with it, you'll certainly enjoy this book. It doesn't have a lot of technical information about tea, but that doesn't matter and that's not the focus of this book. What it does have is "coziness" to spare. As far as I know, this book is unique in the tea literature in that it explores how people view the tea ceremony (or tea break) and the part that having tea plays in their lives--and who knew it could be this fascinating? One elderly lady is an expert (and award-winning) maker of clotted cream and bemoans the fact that the standard loose tea bought in the market is just dust anymore instead of leaves (a result of mechanization where leaves are not left whole but are cut, torn, and curled). Another lady works for D. J. Miles tea company, a small privately-held tea business in the country side, and gives an interesting glimpse into the business end of tea. The ladies interviewed by the author come from different walks of life, but their commonality is they take time out for tea. They have found it to be a comfort, a break and respite from the cares of daily life, and a time to gather friends and loved ones and enjoy each others company. It's a shame that the traditional afternoon tea is apparently falling on hard times in England, but not with these ladies. They recognize the value of taking time out for tea and just the sheer pleasure of a cuppa with a bite to eat--no apologies needed! Each lady, by the way, also provides a few recipes for tea time treats. I've not tried any of them, but they generally sound tasty. One little side note: I work for an English boss who introduced me to English brand teas. Let me tell you, they are FAR superior to anything you can buy in American markets. Even though they are not premium teas, they are stronger and have more complex and interesting flavors than American brands. I highly recommend PG Tips, Yorkshire Tea (Regular and Gold), and Barry's (an Irish brand) for hot tea--all loose leaf, of course. All make excellent hot or iced tea. The British have not taken to iced tea, probably because the only kind they've tried comes in bottles and cans--no wonder they think it's nasty! You can find English tea all over the internet, (...) You'll get your purchase quickly, and some companies put in a few samples to try. Put the kettle on, brew some English tea, and sit back and relax with this charming, entertaining, and fascinating little book. I guarantee that stress will vanish!

This book is enchanting, it touches the soul and reaffirms traditions such as tea time, in its many forms. The ladies in each chapter are as different as jasmine tea and Earl Gray and delight, each in their own way. The recipes are wonderful as well. I would recommend this book for any tea lover, or lover of tradition in our lives, the special rituals that shape us early on and touch us deep insde.

I feel like I have had Tea with 13 different women and come away with 13 delicous recipes! The description of the countryside,and cities made me feel as if I was right there, I think I could actually hear the church bells ringing! The sharing of their lives was a fascinating read. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you for such a book!

You'll love this book if you like England or tea. The writer is an unusally skilled interviewer and her subjects reveal more than you would ever expect from an English woman. They don't always say the expected thing!The photography and presentation are excellent. Recipes are included. This is a lovely gift for someone else or for yourself. It's a charmer.