Food and Drink

Tea time

Above: Tea picker

Despite knowing that the average supermarket teabag is to tea what the economy sausage is to meat, most of us continue to buy big boxes of saver teabags. Not so for Wandsworth resident Henrietta Lovell who, fed up with tea made up of tasteless dregs, set up the Rare Tea Company. The company produces a range of green and white teas such as Oolong and Jasmine Silver Tip which research has shown have some benefits in preventing cancer and enhancing the body’s ability to metabolise fat. "I started the Rare Tea Company three years ago," says Lovell, "because I found the array of green and whites available confusing and unexceptional in quality. People drink because they know it is good for them but don’t realise green teas can also be incredibly delicious. Tea may come from the same leaf but not all tea is equal. It’s like grapes producing different wines."  For more information visit www.rareteacompany.com

Henrietta Lovell’s top tea tip: High-quality leaves can be infused several times, with each successive brew releasing different delicate flavours in the tea. In China it is widely believed that the second brew of fine tea is the best.