“Where there’s tea, there’s hope”, so the saying goes.

It makes me think of the photograph above, such a poignant image. The civilising effect of a cup of tea. Something able to offer even a glimmer of hope amidst total destitution. I love the Britishness of it too, that even in the rubble, someone has managed to find a china cup. What temporary relief the cup of tea must have brought.

Though Brits do take tea drinking very seriously, the tradition of tea certainly isn’t exclusive to our little island. Just look to China for an example of the complex etiquette which surrounds tea ceremonies, or the rules of preparing matcha in Japan, or the elaborate samovars in Russia.

In London, it seems that the seriousness of tea is being stepped up at the moment though. I wrote some thoughts on the subject in a post on Tiosk earlier in the week. So it seemed fitting that this week’s pot luck should look at tea and just a few of its fabulous accoutrements.

• ‘Gimme Some Sugar’ bowl and tongs, Rebecca Wilson Ceramics, POA
• Antique Tea Timers, Lalani & Co, from £6.67
• Crowned Leaf Mug, Anthropologie, £12.50
• The Tiger Who Cam to Tea, Amazon, £3.85
• English Breakfast Postcard (inc tea), Postcard Teas, £9.50
• Tea-Jay, Whittard, £50