Tea time

Carol O’Callaghan says indulging in a cup of tea is a ritual where you can bring out your best cups, saucers and tableware, and even a glass of bubbly.

ABANDON the new gas-fired barbecue you invested in and thought would be well and truly seasoned by now but hasn’t even had its cover removed. Stay indoors from rain and wind in the cosy warmth and transport yourself back to a gentler time when the clock struck three and everything stopped for tea.

Consider the real pleasure of our comforting caffeinated friend and find a moment to be still to gaze out the window undisturbed, cup in hand.

Perhaps this is why in Japan and China the indulgence in a cup of tea is steeped in ritual: the laying of the cloth, the choice of tea - loose leaves, of course - filling and re-filling cups. It’s civilised and relaxed, a sort of yogic libation where the preparations and the process of pouring and handing around the cups has a meditative quality.

Our own version of the tea ritual inevitably involves more munch than meditation. When have you ever visited an Irish house and been offered a cup of tea without a digestive or two perched on the saucer? Take it a step further and picture a three-tiered cake stand. The bottom plate artistically laid with crust-less sandwiches filled with thinly sliced cucumber, egg and cress and smoked salmon; scones with clotted cream and jam taking up the middle plate, finished with a top plate of exquisite pastry morsels. Accompany this yumminess with loose tea poured from the pot. Now all you need is a few friends to share it.

For hosts and hostesses who love an excuse to entertain, it’s an opportunity to air cups and saucers and tablecloths and napkins which don’t routinely get a look-in on our busy mug and tea-bag lives. And it’s really these items that come into their own if you are not a domestic goddess who dreads the thought of getting out the mixing bowl to whip up a batch of scones and a plate of dainties. Focus on presentation using gorgeous wares and napkins beautifully placed on your linen-bedecked table. It will draw the guests’ attention away from your sliced pan ham sandwiches and shop-bought scones.

To add to the occasion include a glass of bubbly. In the absence of champagne, a flute of Spanish Cava is perfectly acceptable with its deliciously tiny bubbles to stimulate appetites and see off every last crumb. The only cooking you should have to do is boil the kettle as your guests will definitely need a cup of tea after the bubbles and before you pour them out the door.

If you’ve invited significant numbers, it isn’t necessary to seat everyone together. Some can gather around a table, others can spill onto sofas, where cups and saucers can balance daintily on napkin-draped knees, and plates sit on occasional tables.

For authenticity, tablecloths are essential, but don’t feel you have to cover the entire tabletop. Runners and lightweight throws are perfectly acceptable too. Linen napkins are luxurious, but as this afternoon tea party is about fun and involving as little labour as possible, you’ll find a fabulous selection of colourful paper napkins in most home interior stores.

¦ Next week we’re off in search of the perfect coffee table.