ceramic teapot

A Hand blown glass tea kettle is a unique and cost effective gift selection for birthdays, anniversaries, Mother's Day, wedding presents, or christmas. Every tea pot is meticulously hand finished by experienced glass artisans.

Hand made Euro tea pot. Tea pots have a real artistic, historic and cultural value throughout the world. Teapots have become great gift items. The first tea pot originated in China in the sixteenth Century. The Japanese enjoyed assorted teas, including green tea. By the 18th Century the teapots made at Yixing, China, were being made in forms which had symbolic significances, for example, peach shape for longer life and good luck, pomegranate for many, hardy kids.

Early teapots, when brought to Europe, prompted potters to develop new variations of tea pot culture. England, being more keen on tea drinking than the rest of Europe, made the tea kettle their own specialization.

Now, tea drinking is making a comeback in the U.S. Some say Americans are switching over from "happy hour" to "tea time." Excessive social drinking is increasingly frowned upon and, with executives facing shrinking expense budgets, the "power lunch" is being replaced by the "power tea." Herbal teas popularized during the 60s are also realising adoption as other folks try to avoid caffeine.

Today we love an assortment of herbal healthy teas. Many specialized "healthy" teas are now available. Many of these are decaffeinated and organic versions of the different tea types. A selection of tea varieties is ideal for afternoon tea or a simple tea party.

Research with green tea in animals has shown it can repress arthritis. Green tea, already extolled for its cancer fighting ability, may also protect against certain autoimmune diseases, new research indicates. Green teas suppress the expression of antigens made by the body, substances that can activate an immune response. EGCG, a substance found in green tea is known to suppress inflammation.
See more healthy eating, gourmet food items.

Browse our unique glass-within-glass oil and vinegar cruet decanters.

• See our selection of elegant kitchen gourmet cruets.
• Great for a birthday gift, mothers day gift, wedding present, crystal gifts,
• Christmas, housewarming and/or romantic gifts.

Chi Ka Yan

Last week I visited Chi Ka Yan, which has just opened in Bushey Heath, Hertfordshire. My Time Out review is now online.

Dim sum: dish up a dinner with a difference

'Small and intricate, dim sum may be fiddly to make, but with a little practice you'll soon be dazzling guests, says Bill Knott.' I'm not so sure. The recipes in this feature, from London's Shanghai Blues restaurant, are seriously cheffy, requiring ingredients such as roast duck and jellied chicken stock. One of the recipes also fails to advise readers to wear gloves when slicing taro, a problem when the majority of the population will get itchy hands without.

Fuchsia Dunlop on how to eat like Chairman Mao

More from Observer Food Monthly: Fuchsia Dunlop on how to eat like Chairman Mao. There's a recipe for Chairmain Mao's red-braised pork in this excerpt from her new book on Hunan cooking, The Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook. I guess this means I can talk about the book now - Fuchsia asked me to hold off until the Observer published.