The story of tea

Tea is often thought of as being a quintessentially British drink, and we have been drinking it for over 350 years. But in fact, the history of tea goes much further back. The story of tea begins in China. According to legend, in 2737 BC, the Chinese emperor Shen Nung was sitting beneath a tree while his servant boiled drinking water when some leaves from the tree blew into the water. Shen Nung, a renowned herbalist, decided to try the infusion that his servant had accidentally created. The tree was a Camellia sinensis, and the resulting drink was what we now call tea.

It is impossible to know whether there is any truth in this story. But tea drinking certainly became established in China many centuries before it had even been heard of in the west. Containers for tea have been found in tombs dating from the Han dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD) but it was under the Tang dynasty (618-906 AD), that tea became firmly established as the national drink of China.

Method

Peel and mash the eggs with a fork. Add the chopped spring onions and mix with mayonnaise and some seasoning.

Spread the bread with butter and make the sandwiches.  Scatter with cress.

Method

Lightly spread 6 slices of wholemeal bread with butter. Cover with a layer of thinly sliced cucumber, then use a 5-6cm round cutter to stamp out 12 circles (or cut into squares).

Mix together 4 tbsp mayonnaise with the zest of 1 lemon. Top each circle with 1 halved large cooked prawn and a dollop of the lemony mayonnaise.

Method

In a large frying pan, heat butter and oil over medium heat. Add onions, and stir to coat; cook, stirring occasionally until they begin to soften, about 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low; continue cooking, stirring every 20 minutes, until onions are amber coloured and completely caramelised, just over 1 hour. Remove from heat, and transfer to a bowl to cool.

In a small bowl, mix horseradish and cream cheese; season with salt and pepper. Spread two slices of bread with a thin layer of horseradish cream cheese; cover one with a layer of onions, and top with roast beef and another bread slice. Trim off crusts and cut into four small squares. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Cover with damp kitchen towel until ready to serve.

Method

Put 8 of the eggs in a pan of cold water. Bring to the boil, cook for 5 mins, then quickly lift out of the pan and plunge in a big bowl of cold water to cool. Once cool enough to handle, peel.

While the eggs cool, put the oil, onions and garlic in a frying pan. Fry very gently until really soft and just starting to turn golden. Add the spices and fry for a few mins more. Tip into a food processor and whizz to a paste, then add the chickpeas and coriander leaves, and pulse until finely chopped but not pasty. Stir in the wholemeal breadcrumbs, flour and final egg, beaten first with a fork, with a good amount of seasoning.

Divide the mixture into 8. Take a portion at a time and flatten between your hands (rub your hands with a little more oil if it’s sticking to your fingers too much). Roll 1 of your peeled eggs in a little flour, shake to remove the excess, then wrap the falafel mixture around it, moulding it to completely cover the egg and squishing it together at the joins to seal. Repeat to cover all the eggs. Tip the panko or dried breadcrumbs onto a plate and mix in the sesame seeds. Roll each egg in it to coat. Can be made 1 day ahead, loosely covered with cling film and chilled.

Get a large, deep saucepan and half-fill it with oil, or use a deep-fat fryer. Heat until a bit of bread browns in about 30 secs. Add a couple of eggs at a time and fry, turning, until really golden and crisp, about 2 mins. Lift onto kitchen paper to drain while you cook the rest of the eggs in batches. Season with a little more salt and eat warm or cold.