How to Make a Cup of Tea - The Victorian Way

I think I'm just about ready for a cup of tea. Everyone here at Audley End House likes a good cup of tea. Lady Braybrooke makes hers herself in the house with her own urn. She, I'm told, has it very weak. And she has it made from expensive Indian tea leaves. Here in the kitchen we like ours stronger and with a lot more sugar. And naturally we have the cheaper Chinese tea leaves. This is how I like the girls to make a pot of tea for the kitchen. Firstly, warm the pot. Add just under a tablespoon of leaves to the pot for each person. Pour over the boiling water. Then pour the tea into your cup. Now I like my milk to go in second, but Mary-Anne the kitchen maid always puts her milk first. And don't forget to keep the tea leaves so the housemaids can use it to clean the carpets. So there you have it. The perfect cup of tea according to us at Audley End House. Others may argue that their way of making tea is the perfect way to make it. The most important thing is to make it how you enjoy it. And of course, when you have a cup of tea, don't forget the biscuits.