Time for tea with Prestige Vintage

When I was a child the choice of drink at family dinner times was tea. A teapot would be brought to the table and everybody would be served from it. All the tea served was made with tea leaves so a separate strainer would also be on the table. We only used to have one brand of tea except at Christmas when a special packet would be purchased. At the time the most popular tea brands were identifiable by their television adverts and characters. We used to have the one made famous by chimpanzees and the collectable cards you got in every packet. I vaguely remember trying to get complete series of cards featuring wildlife and coastal scenes but I think you needed to drink a lot of tea to get a full collection!

The rise of tea consumption hit its peak in the 20^th century. It became the drink of the people with virtually every household in the UK relying on a couple of cups of tea a day to restore and revive them. My nan came from the Isle of Dogs in the East End of London and her brother worked in the docks. When he heard that another dockers' strike was imminent my great-grandmother would stock on tea and sugar as these would be some of the first items which would run out as deliveries of these relied on working docks. My mother remembers the cupboards being full of tea and sugar just in case the shops sold out. Tea was never wasted by my great-grandmother. It would either be drunk cold or used to water her aspidistra. I have to say it must have been very good for the aspidistra since I leaves from her original plant in my house although mine has only ever had water!

Tea has always been the hot drink of choice for me. One thing I can't abide by is the use of paper, plastic or polystyrene cups. Quite often I turn down a cup of tea if I know it's going to be served in a disposable cup. With such a love of tea goes with it a large collection of cups, mugs and teapots – there's no excuse for tea not to be served properly. With this in mind Prestige have launched a new Vintage Collection inspired by the past. With their bright red and white stripes combined with the timeless durability of enamel it certainly harks back to days gone by but with a clean modern touch.

This is an entry for Prestige Vintage collection competition. I was sent a mug and teapot set but the words, opinions and photographs are my own.