Latest news with #teatime
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
We Tried Meghan Markle's Sold-Out Shortbread Cookie Mix
It was a quiet morning last month when a text arrived from my brother Seth in California. 'I just ordered Meghan Markle's apricot jam, shortbread cookie mix, and peppermint tea,' he announced. 'It was sold out in an hour last time—they just restocked. Get on it!' I'd never actually seen the Duchess of Sussex's crafty Netflix series, With Love, Meghan, and to be honest I don't have a strong opinion on her adventures and exploits. But I am a fan of teatime, and just like Meghan, I, too, like to make my own homemade jam. And while I don't whip up sachets of bath salts for my houseguests or host beehives in my backyard, I confess I can see the appeal. Thirty seconds later, I was frantically searching for in-stock products on Meghan's As Ever brand site. The tea was already sold out ('Gonna sell it on EBay,' my brother joked). But he was right—several items were still in stock. I grabbed a $9 jar of the apricot jam—a spread, actually, but I still wanted it. I also ordered the two remaining items that were available: a box of crepe mix and the intriguing-sounding Shortbread Cookie Mix With Flower Sprinkles. Those were $14 each. The order went through—or seemed to. An email promptly arrived letting me know that 'Something delightful is coming your way.' Another note popped up from Meghan herself. 'Dear Ingrid, I'm so pleased to have you here! At As Ever, we celebrate the beauty in the details and cherish the small moments of magic that can be found in the everyday.' A week later, on June 27, I learned that Meghan would be launching her own 'crisp and beautifully balanced' rosé on July 1. Sadly, I did not 'get on it' fast enough this time and the wine sold out. Still, things were looking up three days later, when I learned that two of my items—the mixes—were on their way. By day's end, I also got some surprising news, as did my brother and—to judge from the uproar on social media—many other disappointed customers. 'Due to high demand,' the email announced, 'we are unable to fulfill your order of the apricot spread at this time.' Clearly the Duchess was spread too thin. I was informed that I would get a refund and that 'when the apricot spread is back in stock, you will be the first to receive it, free of charge.' I'm still waiting. The jam was clearly in a jam, but two weeks after I placed my order, a plain brown box landed on my doorstep with a sticker that warned: Open with Care. Inside, a card said simply, 'Enjoy—Meghan.' I brushed away the popcorn peanuts, opened the shortbread mix, and set to work. The box contained two packages: the cookie mix and a small bag of 'flower sprinkles,' which turned out to be about a tablespoon of dried edible flowers, including rose, calendula, blue cornflower, and hibiscus. There was also a note from Meghan on the package: "Let's call this a hug in a box," she said. "I fell in love with the ritual of tea and 'biscuits' during my time in the U.K." All I had to supply was two sticks of butter. I whipped the butter and slowly added in the mix, aiming for the creamy consistency specified by the recipe on the box. Mine turned crumbly, but a little hand pressure got the dough to adhere. I folded in the dried flowers and rolled the dough into a log. At this point, I worried that it was too dry and made the mistake of checking TikTok, where amateur bakers were mixing and rolling their As Ever shortbread like pros. But with one rare box of cookie mix in my possession, there was no turning back. After an hour in the refrigerator, the dough was sliced into wonky rounds and baked. The recommended 9 to 11 minutes went by without the pale brown result recommended by the recipe. I added a few minutes, then removed them from the oven still looking a bit pale, but firm to the touch, and let them cool. My family looked skeptical but eager to try them. 'I prefer chocolate cookies,' my husband Joel declared. 'But for shortbread, they are 10/10.' At the ELLE Decor office the next day, my colleagues devoured the rest of the batch. I have yet to try the crepe mix but, once again my brother Seth was way ahead of me. 'The crepes came out a lot better than I predicted and were delicious,' he said. 'Though they could have used some apricot spread.'The Box Arrives My delivery from the Duchess of Sussex's As Ever arrives at my home.A note from Meghan She keeps it Coveted Mixes I ordered them in the short window before they sold the Shortbread Box One packet of cookie mix, and one bag of dried edible the Recipe Seems straightforward. Just add two sticks of in Progress Whip the butter and add the mix in Flowers Meghan provides a small bag of edible flowers including rose, hibiscus, and blue in Sprinkles The dried flowers add color but not a lot of the Dough The shortbread dough is rolled into a log and refrigerated for an hour before for Baking Meghan would have shaped the cookies better, but hey I Out of the Oven The bake was a little pale, but the taste and texture were spot Time Channeling Meghan's love of finishing touches, I garnished the tray of cookies with lavender from my garden. You Might Also Like From the Archive: Tour Sarah Jessica Parker's Relaxed Hamptons Retreat 75 Small (But Mighty) Kitchens to Steal Inspiration from Right This Instant Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Lion cub cuddles on offer with afternoon tea in China
HONG KONG (Reuters) -Teatime revels in China now include hugs with lion cubs in a four-course afternoon set offered by a restaurant in the northern province of Shanxi, drawing widespread attention online and fuelling concern for the animals' welfare. Customers cradled the lion cubs as if they were babies in pictures and video clips posted online on China's Wechat and Weibo platforms. The Wanhui restaurant in Taiyuan city features llamas, turtles and deer in addition to the cubs on its page on Douyin , China's counterpart to social media app TikTok. Wanhui, which opened in June, sells about 20 tickets a day to customers looking to snuggle with the animals as part of a set menu costing 1,078 yuan ($150), the state-run Shanghai Daily said on its official Wechat page. "The service has raised serious concerns about legality and animal welfare," the English-language newspaper added. Reuters was unable to independently contact Wanhui. Online comments were mostly critical, saying the venture was dangerous and not good for the animals. "This is for the rich to play," said one Weibo user. "Ordinary people even can't afford to drink." Another user urged action by the authorities, adding, "The relevant departments should take care of it." The incident comes just after authorities investigated a hotel in June for offering a "wake-up service" starring red pandas, state media said. The hotel in the southwestern region of Chongqing allowed the animals to climb onto beds to awaken guests. ($1=7.1806 Chinese yuan renminbi)
CNA
14-06-2025
- Business
- CNA
He made matcha cool: Meet the founder of Kyoto specialty teashop Yugen
As a child, teatime was an important part of the day for Tadayuki Sudo, who grew up in Osaka, Japan. Every afternoon, his mother would brew him a cup of hot matcha, which he would slowly savour. The founder of Japanese specialty tea store Yugen in Kyoto missed the drink when he left for San Diego in the US to study sociology in university. 'But whenever I went home – matcha!' laughed Sudo. For Sudo, drinking matcha is associated with the comforts of home. I met him in his casual, chic shop-cum-gallery that also sells its teas online, as well as to retailers, cafes and restaurants in more than 40 countries. Even after graduating and moving to Tokyo where he founded two companies (one in advertising, the other in branding and human relations) with friends, he looked forward to teatime. 'I was very busy and whenever I felt exhausted, I always made myself a cup of hot matcha,' said Sudo. 'I love matcha,' he reiterated. FROM BRANDING TO BREWING This affection for tea led him to swop his fast-paced life in Tokyo to become an advocate for the Japanese tea industry. It started when Sudo was working on an advertising project for a big tea company. 'I was helping to promote its tea products, but these were matcha sweets and bottled matcha, not [pure] matcha for drinking,' he shared. The frequent tea drinker could not understand why consumers preferred the processed products until a colleague analysed that drinking tea was not in vogue anymore – brewing tea was also time consuming for busy urbanites who regularly had their coffee on the go. Not long after, Sudo chanced upon a farmer's market at Omotesando Station. He struck up a conversation with a tea farmer who bemoaned the industry's decline. 'The farmer didn't want his son to take over his plantation; he wanted him to go to university to work in a big company,' recalled Sudo. Unsure of how to help the farmers who faced challenges due to low demand, he started by supporting the farmer he had met, creating pro bono branding and marketing collateral that highlighted the benefits of tea. It's delicious and very good for health. It also has a long history and culture,' said Sudo. As a drink for relaxation, tea also contains less negative side effects. 'When I drink a few cups of beer or black coffee, I don't feel so good. But two or three cups of tea a day feels okay,' Sudo commented. Despite his efforts, Sudo felt that a quicker remedy was necessary to help the ailing industry. The Eureka moment came when Sudo realised there were few casual, modern places to enjoy a good cup of matcha or tea. Most places serving high-grade matcha were formal venues, such as traditional teahouses. 'There were so many good coffee shops in Japan and also the world, but not many modern teahouses,' he said. 'I wanted people to feel that it's not difficult to enjoy tea, so I opened my shop.' THE RITUAL OF MATCHA Seven years on, modern teahouses and drinking matcha have become trendy. Like Yugen, many of these teahouses pair the drinks with wagashi (traditional Japanese confectionery) and serve them in an aesthetic, kaiseki style. Sudo shared that acquaintances and even coffee shop owners have asked him to teach them how to make a good cup of coffee using the correct steps and techniques. As an intentional, precise ritual, the tea ceremony has become the poster child for the slow living trend – not unlike the pour-over coffee experience. Making matcha forces one to put aside other thoughts in order to focus on the visceral actions of measuring, scooping, pouring, stirring and swirling a chawan. It involves all the senses – sight, sound, smell, touch and taste – with the final sensation being the warm, slightly bitter and umami drink flowing down the throat and warming the stomach. Yugen's success also stems from Sudo's keen business sense. The entrepreneur saw that the steep prices of good-quality matcha discouraged common folk from drinking it on a daily basis. This was partly due to the many entities it takes to get the harvested leaves from the farmer to the customer, with tea-processing factories, and retailers and restaurants in between all adding to the costs. Sudo chanced upon a tea-processing factory that was closing and approached the owner. 'I told him that I was going to start my own business, where people can enjoy tea like in a coffee shop,' said Sudo. He encouraged farmers in Kyoto and Uji to plant good-grade tealeaves before purchasing directly from them and sending them to this particular factory for processing at competitive rates in order to reduce overall prices. 'Now he is very, very busy,' chuckled Sudo on the factory owner. Drawing on his creative background, he packaged Yugen's tea in attractive, minimal casing with clear graphics. Sudo also created four original blends, simplified into Matcha #01 to #03. The higher the number, the better the grade. For instance, #01, which is mixes five leaf types, is a light tea blend; its natural sweetness makes it a popular choice for everyday drinking and making matcha wagashi. Meanwhile, blend #3 mixes Asahi and Samidor tea leaves, and is typically enjoyed as a koicha (thicker tea) using a larger amount of matcha powder. Each packaging come with information on the tea's origins, picking methods and tealeaf varieties, as well as information on how to brew a cup. In the same spirit of education, Yugen's website provides detailed instructions on how to brew the different teas and blends. For instance – the first brew of sencha requires four to six grams of tea leaves per 1,000 ml of hot water at 85 degrees Fahrenheit for 90 seconds. View this post on Instagram A post shared by YUGEN (@yugen_kyoto) On the increasing popularity of drinking matcha, Sudo believes that the COVID-19 pandemic was a catalyst. 'During COVID, people started caring more about their health. They realised tea can help them become more resistant to viruses so they drank more. Aside from having a lot of nutrition, tea also makes one more relaxed. So now many people make matcha to drink, not just make matcha ice cream or sweets,' observed Sudo. He is most happy for the farmers, many of whom were initially only interested in growing quantity, not quality. 'But now, it's different. The farmers try to improve in their jobs, learning how to grow good tea leaves,' said Sudo proudly. BUSINESS WITH PURPOSE In Singapore, Yugen is served in some Japanese fine-dining restaurants. Japanese cafe Kurasu also uses Yugen's single-origin variety matcha known as Okumidori to make its matcha latte, matcha latte espresso and ceremonial matcha that is whisked using the usucha (classic matcha) method. Beyond making tea-drinking fuss-free and offering good tea at affordable prices, Sudo believes that Yugen offers something 'meaningful'. Back in Tokyo, his businesses were thriving and he had fun running them, but he had questioned if they brought meaning to his life. As long as Yugen brings positivity to the lives of the people who consume the teas or matcha, Sudo is grateful. Now, he is applying the same approach to supporting related craftsmen and ateliers, whose fate was suffering alongside the declining tea industry. These include those who make metal tea scoops, chawan pottery, glass bowls and so on. Sudo contemplated that if they are more affordable priced and well made – just like the matcha – more people can purchase them and use them at home. 'There are many expensive [crafts] but there are also many that are not so expensive but still of high quality,' said Sudo, whose shop sells many of these intricate pieces. This was why in 2022, he moved Yugen from the more touristy Kawaramachi area to a quieter location near the Kyoto Imperial Palace. It is also much bigger with a cafe on the first floor, a gallery for changing exhibits on the second, and a retail space on the third. While I was there in September 2024, the gallery was exhibiting the works of glass artist Aki Sakaida. 'Tourist areas are good for business but I moved here so people can enjoy a slower, calmer teatime, and see these handicrafts and artisanal objects,' said Sudo. The interiors have a wabi sabi aesthetic, with paint stripped from the concrete surfaces. Marks and stains of time are streaked and scratched across the grey walls. Resin coats the raw cement floor on the upper levels to capture the memory of the rain-glossed floor Sudo encountered on his first visit to the building. Panels of translucent fabric draped along the floor like the ends of dresses, contrasting the beton brut (raw concrete). A SPACE TO SLOW DOWN After our interview, I took a long time to peruse the store on the third storey. There are Goto Yohei's coloured glassware, ceramics from Nishi Takayuki's Blade series with sky-blue glaze frozen in mid-drip, Miyo Oyabu's glass plates and bowls with bubbling from the glass-making process that forms unique shadows with sunlight, Akira Arakawa's glass pitchers and dishes and teapots by Saori Yamazaki with a distinct black lacquer. Sudo recommended not treating the objects like precious displays but that they are used daily as they were originally intended. This also increases the attachment between user and object. Sudo uses many of these pieces in the teahouse. While making matcha for me, he greeted a customer. It was a friend from Tokyo who is a model-turned-skincare brand founder. She had her matcha, a plate of wagashi and a short chat with Sudo before continuing her day. I got the feeling that regulars come to Yugen for that homely feeling, the sense that every process is cared for – much like what Sudo experienced as a child when his mother made him his daily matcha. In traditional Japanese aesthetics, 'yugen' refers to a kind of subtle gracefulness too deep and overwhelming to put into words. Perched on my shadowed spot at Yugen, sipping my delicious, warm matcha tenderly brewed for me, no words were needed.
Washington Post
08-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
Tea time on wheels: This fancy D.C. tour bus is made for TikTok
Growing up with five brothers, Ballina Koroilavesau enjoyed a good teatime — on her own. 'I had tea parties with me, myself and I with my toys,' said the 39-year-old Maryland resident. But on a recent sunny day, she was practically squealing with delight as she made her way down the aisle of one of the more unusual tea offerings in D.C. Tea Around Town is a double-decker tour bus decked out in plentiful flowers, shades of pink and pops of gold. Fancy hats known as fascinators are optional but often opted for, along with gloves. Instrumental version of pop songs fill the air. It feels like 'Bridgerton' on wheels. I was sitting in my own pink-and-white-striped booth admiring the serving stand full of finger foods when Koroilavesau walked by. She was with her soon-to-be daughter-in-law and a friend to celebrate the upcoming wedding. 'Look at all the pastries,' she said. 'I'm so excited!' I had spotted the company's buses in downtown D.C. — they are hard to miss — and wondered about this tea-themed experience. So I booked tickets while my mom was visiting from Florida; she sent pictures of flowered outfits to choose from before packing her suitcase. I considered wearing my go-to little black dress but dug deep for color so I wouldn't get tossed off the bus for ruining the palette. On the day of our tour, we looked for floral patterns to find our fellow passengers. There was a mother and daughter in Amazon-purchased fascinators. A pair of sisters who attend tea regularly were stunning in purple. The bride-to-be found her dress at a thrift store. Ryan Prescott, a spokesperson for TopView Sightseeing, which runs the tours, said passengers have seized the opportunity to dress up. 'You're around people that are doing the same, so it's a camaraderie,' he said. We arrived on the bus with an appetite, and it was a good thing; our table settings included three tiers of sandwiches, appetizers, scones and sweets. We paid $129 each for the 'luxe' package, which came with caviar, shrimp, a lobster roll and smoked salmon bite along with more standard finger sandwiches and snacks. A 'spring delight mocktail' tasted like sparkling juice with a spear of blackberries. With two scones apiece and a plate full of cream puffs, cake pops and other sweets, we were still snacking by the end of the tour — and brought leftovers home in an appropriately pink box. There were some misses; my mom deemed her first ever taste of caviar 'interesting' while I found it bland. Some bread was dry, a chip was tough, and the deviled egg was too heavily truffle-infused. The egg salad? My mom's version was better. There was an intense, inedible amount of ricotta on a mushroom snack. While the website mentions six teas, we ended up trying four, served in tumblers with a top to avoid spills. Fine print on the company's website mentions passengers can taste up to three teas during a ride. And though we expected we might be able to choose one from the menu, they came out as small pours with explanations by a 'tea specialist,' wine-tasting style. He described the English breakfast as a 'wonderfully full-bodied, well-rounded black tea' and told us the mint 'calms the mind, soothes the stomach.' I wanted cream, but was offered powdered creamer. I needed help to find sugar packets. For all the finery, those options didn't make me want to put a pinkie up. Still, we all loved the peach raspberry blend, and got an extra pour for the road as we departed the bus. The tour is advertised as 90 minutes, with 75 of those actually on the road. After leaving from a spot near the National Archives, the route visited the expected museums, memorials and monuments while the guide read from a script. While the PA system on our bus sometimes cut out, we caught some efforts to add unexpected details to the tour. The guide pointed out the massive blue rooster atop the National Gallery of Art's East Building and highlighted Thomas Jefferson's 'fabulous leather trench coat' at his memorial. Most unexpected, to us, was that the soundtrack suddenly switched to jazz and our tour guide started singing on several occasions. It turns out that's a standard part of the tour — and most people tend to be surprised by it. Between live songs, tunes like 'Despacito' and 'Toxic' played. Prescott said the company is trying to attract locals who want something special to do while also appealing to tourists who want a new way to see the city. Kathy Williams and Anita Fogan, sisters from D.C., were gifted the tour by their goddaughter for Mother's Day. They attend teas regularly in D.C. — had the perfect purple outfits, hats and shoes at the ready — and said they enjoyed the service, food and experience. Fogan, a retired human resources specialist, called the food 'scrumptious' and said she liked sampling different teas. 'It was very nice observing our city from the upper tier of the bus,' said Williams, a retired attorney. She said she enjoyed the company of her fellow passengers as well. 'We all sort of gelled together,' she said. 'I thought that was nice.' My take on the tea itself: the drink was secondary to the decor, the food and the mood. 'It's beyond the tea,' Prescott said when I spoke to him a few days later. 'It's a social media moment, it's an opportunity for sightseeing.' Indeed, many of the passengers I spoke to had first seen the bus on TikTok or Instagram. London boasts multiple tea bus tours. Hong Kong has a dim sum bus tour. 'We thought, you know what? People love tea,' Prescott said. 'Let's do our own version and introduce it as the first one in the U.S. And let's make it beautiful.' The company launched its D.C. tour a year ago after starting in New York City in 2023 and expanding to Philadelphia. Tea Around Town has five buses in Washington and is now in Atlanta, Houston, Dallas and, as of a month ago, Austin. Prescott said the company is expanding to new cities every two to three months. Beyoncé made news when she was pictured on a Tea Around Town bus in New York with her family in 2023. Stars of the latest season of 'RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars' held an event on one of the buses this year. The $129 price tag felt steep for several swigs of tea, even in a flowery tumbler with earnest explanations, and small bites to eat along with sights you can see for free. But the experience was more than just a bus ride with treats — and one I would probably pay for again, though maybe without the caviar. What I enjoyed most was laughing with my mom, toasting with our teas and comparing notes on our nibbles. We delighted in the unexpected musical performances and picturesque surroundings. And we loved complimenting fellow passengers on their outfits and congratulating the ones who were celebrating special occasions. 'I feel so spoiled,' my mom said. To me, that was priceless.
Telegraph
21-05-2025
- General
- Telegraph
Crab crumpets
For some reason, crumpets were a rare treat when I was a kid – maybe my grandparents, whom I lived with, just weren't fans. Oddly enough, fresh crab dropped off by local fishermen was more common at teatime than crumpets. Later in life, I had the idea to combine the two into a seafood starter or bar snack, and it turned out to be an absolute winner. If you're buying prepared crabmeat, make sure it's freshly picked – not pasteurised. Pasteurised crab just doesn't have the same flavour or texture. And if you're using a whole fresh crab, even better – you get a bonus meal out of it by turning the shell and leftover bits into a lovely bisque.
