Make tea, not war

Now I love beer - it's hard to top a good pint of real ale, something like Blackfriar's Yarmouth Bitter. And these days, because I'm getting all old and sophisticated, I have developed a reasonably acute taste for a decent wine too, be it red, white or (on a hot summer's evening) even rosé.

But above and beyond these wonderous beverages, there is one that I could not do without. And it doesn't even contain alcohol! Yes, I conform to the English stereotype in that I love a good cup of tea. Last night, my enjoyment of some Hobnobs was magnified immeasurably by having a proper cup of tea to dunk them in. And this morning, as I stumbled, heavy-legged and with black-ringed eyes, from my insomniac bed, it was a nice cuppa that picked me up and got me going. Before you start thinking I'm a caffeine junkie, rather than a tea fiend, hold your horses there - I drink decaff... so it really is the tea that does it for me.

A couple of websites to recommend to you then: the Tea Appreciation Society and a Nice Cup Of Tea And A Sit Down. I've pinched a slogan from the former for the title of this post, and the latter has a "biscuit of the week" section, in long-overdue recognition of the brilliance of the tea/biscuit combo. If all that isn't enough for you, you can even check out the UK Tea Council (yes, there really is such a thing) at the pithiest of all tea-related website addresses, tea.co.uk. Like the site says, it's the home of tea.

Right, it's nearly eleven o'clock, so I'm off to get a cuppa. Go on, put the kettle on - after all, you know the old saying: a journey of a thousand miles begins with... a cup of tea?