"Shall I put the kettle on?" or "Would you like a nice cup of tea?" are questions you might be asked if you visit someone’s home in the UK. The traditional English drink is tea - it is drunk throughout the day and is often made during social occasions. Coffee has become popular in recent years, but many people continue to drink tea.

In the UK there are as many different ways of making and drinking tea as there are flavours. People drink Indian teas, Chinese teas, herbal teas, and fruit teas. English tea is specially adapted for UK tastebuds.

To make a cup of English tea the first step is to boil some water - usually in an electric kettle. Traditionally the drink is then made by pouring the boiling water into a teapot and adding tea leaves. The leaves are left to infuse, or brew, and when it is ready the liquid is poured into teacups through a strainer and drunk with milk. Nowadays, many people use teabags, which are perforated pockets of paper with leaves inside. There is some controversy over the use of milk in tea - some people say that milk should be put in the cup or mug before the tea, and others are equally insistent that it should be put in afterwards.

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Photo courtesy of Bob Burch