Review: London Review Cake Shop, Bloomsbury

When I recently visited the Hidden Tea Room one of the great pleasures was talking with other guests about our favourite tea spots. The birthday girl who was one of our number recommended the London Review Cake Shop to me. She told me it was near to her work place and was one of her regular haunts. I mentioned it to my tea buddy Miss O and she confirmed that she had heard great things about their cakes so we decided to meet there and sample their wares for ourselves.

Come Over to Keemun

Regular readers will know that I have never claimed to be a tea expert, just a very keen enthusiast. My tea education is a constant source of pleasure and excitement and a recent discovery is no exception. I love all sorts of tea but if it's first thing in the morning, or I'm having a slice of cake, it has to be black tea. I have a few blends that I really love but if I'm going pure I generally stick to a malty Assam or a refreshing Darjeeling. Indian black teas are where it's always been at for me. If I'm in the mood I do like a Lapsang Souchong but on the whole I've always found black teas from China to be a bit lacking in depth for my taste.

Review: Yumchaa, Soho

I'm never happier than when I'm having a good cup of tea, except perhaps when I'm having a good cup of tea with a good friend. One of my favourite spots to meet for an unpretentious afternoon tea is Yumchaa in Soho.

Review: Hidden Tea Room, EC1

Last weekend I got a chance to attend a secret tea event. When I read about the Hidden Tea Room in a magazine recently it sounded as if it was designed just for me. An underground tea party hosted by a afternoon tea enthusiast in their own home. I immediately tried to make a reservation only to discover that they were fully booked until December. But last week fortune smiled on me when the hostess Lady Gray emailed to offer me a place thanks to a last minute cancellation. So on Sunday afternoon Coffee Boy and I rocked up to a secret location in EC1 and after giving the password were escorted through labyrinthine halls to a flat high above the hustle and bustle of the outside world.

Don't Be Fooled: This is Tea Hell

Firstly, I must apologise for my recent absence. But I have a good excuse. I've been away in what can only be described as tea hell. I was on the Spanish island of Fuertaventura in the Canaries and in my week there I didn't drink a single cup of tea. Before I left for my trip I actually contemplated taking with me some loose leaf tea and a little infuser but stopped myself on the grounds that I couldn't cope with being one of those English people that thinks you can only get a decent cup of tea at home - my trips to Germany have shown that to be far from true. Sadly, in terms of tourist Spain it looks like those tea-carrying people could be right.

A Beautiful Boîte

I have to admit to a secret longing. It's been nine months now and I feel I have to come clean. At the beginning of the year I was visiting friends in the Czech Republic and whilst hanging out in their kitchen I spotted a gorgeous tea tin that had come from shop in Paris. It was a lovely flat oval shape and when you pulled back the sliding lid, there beneath it was another lid which you pulled off using a little handle. I didn't even try the tea inside but the tin lodged there in my psyche just waiting for a chance to assert itself.

From Disappointment to Delight

I'm no longer on the beautiful Baltic island of Usedom but I didn't feel I could totally leave my lovely holiday behind until I told you about a search I made for some reputedly fantastic cake. As I've already mentioned, Coffee Boy and I were really enjoying our little cycle rides into the wooded interior of the island and our eyes lit up when we read about a forester's hut that served "the best cake on the island". Naturally we set off straight away.