An Idyll by a Lake

Having recently spent many hours of our holiday sitting on/walking along /cycling by the gorgeous beach at the end of our road we decided to take a cycle ride into the interior of the island. There are a whole series of cycle routes marked out and we chose one through a wood just a couple of miles from our little house. It was a lovely cycle ride – although I now realise that people have different definitions of “really flat” - and in the 25 degree heat it was nice to be in the shade whizzing along through the cool dappled light. After climbing a gentle hill we came coasting down to a beautiful lake surrounded by trees; and there on the shore was a guest house, appropriately called Idyll am Wolgastsee. After our exertions we thought we deserved a little refreshment and found a shady seat on the terrace overlooking the lake.

Feeling a little parched I ordered an Earl Grey from the selection of about ten teas on the menu and, unsurprisingly, Coffee Boy ordered a Latte. We made a tentative enquiry about whether there might be something to accompany our drinks and were directed inside to a cake cabinet. The selection was amazing: at least eight different kinds of home made cake. I settled on a crumbly looking chocolate one and Coffee Boy went for a strawberry yoghurt tart. By the time we got back to the table our drinks had arrived and I was thrilled to see my teapot contained an infuser full of proper leaves, and to satisfy my obsessive tendencies even further there was a china container to put the infuser into when the tea was properly brewed. And the tea itself didn't disappoint – really refreshing with quite a strong hit of bergamot but, unlike so many Earl Greys, there was a nice complexity to the leaves themselves. With the latte also being of a good quality we were already feeling rather chuffed but once we tried the cake, well, smug doesn't really cover it. They were every bit as good as they looked and the strawberry yoghurt tart was particularly delicious with an intense taste of real strawberries but a lightness that stopped it being too sweet thanks to the yoghurt.

All in all, as the name suggested, it was pretty idyllic. After we'd finished we walked by the lake for a bit and then decided to cycle a bit farther. After about fifteen minutes we stumbled upon a smaller, even more beautiful deserted lake where we decided to have a dip. It was the most perfect afternoon. With only a couple of days left of our Baltic holiday we're sorely tempted to go back. I know it's not always a good idea to try and recreate those ideal moments but with another six cakes and nine teas to try I'm just not sure I can resist...

Baltic Tea Heaven

So my amazement at the quality of tea in Germany continues. I am currently holidaying on the island of Usedom in the Baltic Sea: it's very beautiful and when the sun's out – which luckily it has been – the five mile beach of powdered sand is close to idyllic. But imagine my surprise yesterday when after a short bike ride to the town of Heringsdorf virtually the first thing I see is the speciality “Old Pomeranian Tea House”. Packed to the rafters with large caddies containing everything from fourteen types of green tea to around thirty “classic” black teas – it really was pretty astounding. They also stocked loads of flavoured and herbal teas, most of which had a few too many flavours and aromas to really take my fancy, although I was tempted by an interesting sounding Chai. As well as hundreds of teas the shop also sold loads of tins, teapots, cups and pretty much every other sort of tea accessory you could hope for. On the whole they were a little chintzy for my taste, but nonetheless there was no doubt that this was an impressive tea shop - and let's remember it's located in a tiny town on a small island in the Baltic. But here's the real shocker: a mile and a half cycle ride along the sea front is Ahlbeck, another little town with, wait for it, another tea shop! What is going on here? Have I stumbled into tea heaven? Although in truth I suspect that I would find a similar picture all over Germany – would that I could say the same for Britain. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to make the most of it while I'm here. I'll keep you posted about what other tea delights I stumble upon.

A Tea Tin Paradise

For a nation of tea lovers us Brits really could learn a thing or twelve from our German cousins. I am currently in Berlin (which accounts for my recent lack of posts) and am constantly amazed by the superior facilities for the tea obsessive. As I've mentioned before I am a big fan of the tea accessory and none is higher on my list of must-haves than the attractive tea tin. I have searched high and low for nice tins in the UK and although I've managed to find some good ones online it certainly hasn't been too easy. You would expect that department stores like John Lewis or the considerably more gift-oriented Fortnum and Mason might have them, but no, they are completely bereft. Here in Germany it's a different matter altogether.

As you can see from the photo I have quite a number of really attractive tins in my cupboard here in Berlin. But the most surprising thing about my collection is that I've picked them up in all sorts of places: a specialist tea shop in Hamburg train station (I know!); a local market with a pretty impressive tea stall; a little wine and tea shop round the corner from my place; and, most recently, from the local department store. I was actually looking there for something else entirely the other day when I stumbled across an entire stand full of tea tins in all shapes, sizes and colours. I picked out the rather attractive plum one above, and the nicely textured white one with spots. But I found myself with mixed feelings: why is it so easy to buy nice tea accessories in Germany and next to impossible in the UK? What's wrong with us? Does our love of tea extend no further than a cardboard box filled with pyramid shaped tea bags?

Well this is my advice: tea lovers everywhere, seek out lovely tea tins and I think you'll find that your desire for and appreciation of the tea inside will be just that bit greater. And if it's not, at least your kitchen cupboards will look good!