whistler teapot

A Hand blown glass tea pot is a unique and affordable gift idea for showers, anniversaries, Mother's Day, wedding presents, or the holidays. Every teapot is carefully hand finished by experienced glass crafters.

Hand made European tea pot. Tea pots have a real artistic, historic and ethnic value throughout the world. Teapots have become great gift items. The first tea pot was developed in China in the 16th Century. The Japanese enjoyed assorted teas, including green tea. By the eighteenth Century the teapots manufactured at Yixing, China, were being produced in forms which had symbolic meanings, for example, peach shape for extended life and good luck, pomegranate for many, sound kids.

Early teapots, when brought to Europe, inspired potters to develop new variations of teapot culture. Great Britain, being more keen on tea drinking than the remainder of Europe, made the tea kettle their own forte.

Now, tea drinking is making a resurgence in the U.S. Some say Americans are changing 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 substituted by the "power tea." Herbal teas popularized during the 1960s are also gaining adoption as more folks try to stay away from caffeine.

Today we love an potpourri of herbal teas. Many specialized "healthy" teas are now available. Many of these are decaffeinated and organic variations of the various 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 subdue arthritis. Green tea, already lauded for its cancer fighting ability, may also protect against certain autoimmune diseases, new research implies. Green teas inhibit the expression of antigens made by the body, substances that can touch off 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.