Your ViewsKeep your e-mails pouring in, it's good to know that there are lots of you out there with views and opinions. To help you work out what is what, are now little icons to help you see biscuit related themes. And now you can see at a glance which are the most contested subjects via this graph (requires Flash 6.0 plugin). Please keep your mails coming in to nicey@nicecupofteaandasitdown.com | If you like, you can use this search thingy to find stuff that matches with any of the icons you pick, or use the fantastic free text search, Yay! | Your e-Mails |
Nessa Folks |
I’ve just turned 30, so to mark the occasion I had a proper tea party with proper bone china and proper cake and scones and clotted cream and strawberries and even proper cucumber sandwiches without the crusts. I thought you might like to see a few piccies. Note the Nice Cup Of Tea and a Sit Down book on display next to the cups. Everyone had such a lovely time, maybe next year we’ll do it again, but with biscuits.
Nessa Folks
Swansea


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Nicey replies: Hoorah! for you and your lovely tea party, I liked the candelabra at the back and the plucky blue teapot which still took part despite having a chip out its rim, good for him/her (blue for a boy? (oh no have I just started a debate as to the gender of teapots? (probably not))). |
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Revd. Stephen Day |
Hi, Nicey,
I must confess to not noticing tea in films much, perhaps having a cup of tea is just such an obvious thing to do that my brain skips over it, like it does when I lock the front door when I go out then I'm blowed if I can remember doing it and have to worry about uninvited guests all the time I'm out.
Anyway, the two I can remember are the 'flying tea party' scene in Mary Poppins, and the bit in Toy Story where Buzz Lightyear gets tired and emotional on cups of tea.
Steve |
Nicey replies: Nice one on Toy Story. Actually that bit has an extremely 'in' Computer Graphics reference. Toy Story being the first entirely computer generated movie would have to have the Utah Tea Pot, which was one of the first digitised 3D computer models. CG pioneers like Alvey Ray-Smith used to render teapots to test out their ray-tracing software back in the 1970s.
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Jack Briggs |
Hi Nicey and Wifey,
I bought the book from Ottokars and keep randomly dipping into it for my amusement. I did not see the name of Gray Dunn with caramel wafers but my reading method might have skipped over it. I think they did a popular advertising campaign on TV at least ten years ago. Not that I like them any more than cardboard/Rivita. I endorse the assessment of the fig biscuits, they are some kind of perfection but they can go rock hard if not kept properly in a sealed biscuit tin. They don't normally last long enough to find that out.
It would be interesting to know what your readers use for biscuit tins. I have an old round one with a flower pattern on the lid but I also keep them in a modern sealable plastic container. I hear you screaming the word 'sacrilege'. I also have an old chromed biscuit barrel that I think goes back to my parents' wedding day in 1947. It has an inner container, like a little bucket, but does not hold a sufficient quantity of biscuits and it does not feel right to separate them into two places.
I hope that you don't mind but I have attached a photo of our workplace brewing area, exactly as it is every day, with its industrial teapot and messy fridge below. Mine is the KitKat mug. Note the rusty spoon and build-up of tannin in the teapot. The cleaning lady is under very strict instructions NEVER to clean the insides of the teapot. We always think it keeps the tea away from the metal and, anyway, it is probably bad luck if someone cleans it out. Out of the picture, there is a box of 100 Tetley teabags from the 'pound shop'.
The custard picture from your website is now my computer background picture. Yum!
Keep up the good work. I am enjoying the book.
J Briggs
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Nicey replies: Hello Jack,
That's a wonderful photo of tea making equipment, just the sort of thing I was after when I took the photos for the book. I like the brown tray underneath it all too and the reflections in the kettle. The teapot is glorious, I'm particularly impressed with the black wire handle over the spout to aid pouring. I'm also enjoying the old 10Base2 networking points behind the fridge.
Sadly we were informed a while back that Grey Dunn ceased trading in 2001 so I suppose I should really put an entry up or them in the missing in action section. |
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Owen Murphy |
Have you any information on the existence/availability of mug cosies? I like to drink my tea from a large mug (less trips to the kitchen) but hate having to wolf it all down before it gets too cold.
yours in tea,
Owen. |
Nicey replies: Well the purists would say get a pot and a cozy, others may simply point you at some of the new breeds of thermal cups like the one Adam acquired from Starbucks of all places
I'll leave it to your own conscience which one you pursue. |
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Ben Mawston |
Dear Nicey
With winter approaching here in Australia, I decided to buy myself a tea cosy and was delighted to find that my local charity shop had several colours to choose from (knitted variety only though, and all the same design). Am enclosing a photo of the one I bought to share my excitement with others. I am a bit peturbed by the fact it has two pom-poms though -- is this perhaps a genetic mutation?

Cheers
Ben |
Nicey replies: Ben, your new tea cosy is a source of inspiration to us all, you should be proud of your extra pom-pom.
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