Stick The Kettle On Socks

Tea. A drink so important that it has it’s own phraseology.“How do you take your tea?” Take. Always the verb ‘take’. Not drink. Take.“Do you take milk in your tea?” / “Do you take sugar in your tea?”Not put. Take. Tea is not just a drink. Oh no! It’s a moment of sharing, a hug in a mug, a leveller. A tradition.We all know that horrible feeling of a weak handshake. (*shudders at the thought.)But Good God Almighty is there anything worse than a weak cup of tea?This is often met with the refrain of ‘ Oh are ya having tea in your milk are ya?’Bleurgh. And then, THEN! The actual making of the tea itself. The process, the ritual, the recipe of it all. This has been the cause of debates and divorces. Some say to heat the mug first with hot water. Some say to put the tea bag in first. Some say put in a little bit of water, then the teabag, then give it a good stir. Others say ‘SHHHCALD THE POT!’(For those of you are unfamiliar with the verb ‘ to shhhhhcald’ ; this means you put the hot water in the teapot, rinse it out, put the teabags, fill with hot water and then let it steep.)