The best way to make a perfect cup of tea is one of the most contested topics in Britain. But when it comes to a cuppa in keeping with royal standards, there’s a particular knack to it.
Former royal butler Grant Harrold revealed there are four steps to the tea-making process in the BBC Three comedy series Miss Holland.
According to Harrold, who was a member of the Royal Household of The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall, you should start by pouring in the tea to a cup from a teapot (avoiding the alternative of brewing the teabag in a mug).
Milk should be added to the cup afterwards, rather than before, he says. Then, it’s time to stir – but there’s an important art to this.
Harrold tells viewers to stir ‘back and forth’ after pouring the tea from the pot, adding ‘never use a circular motion and never touch the sides’.
Finally, he recommends sipping rather than slurping when it comes to enjoying a brew. It’s a pretty straightforward process, but avoiding a circular motion when stirring could be a hard habit to break.
Explaining his preferred method to Business Insider, Harrold said: ‘If we stir in a circular motion we can create a storm in a tea cup and see the tea coming over the sides which we should never allow.
‘If the spoon touches the sides it makes a clinging sound and we don’t want that at the afternoon tea table.’
He added: ‘I am sure the Queen enjoys her Assam or her Earl Grey the traditional way, made with tea leaves in a teapot and poured into a fine bone china teacup. She will also use a strainer.’
And for those who believe proper tea drinking means sticking your pinky out, Harrold cleared this up, too. ‘I have never seen that happen once,’ he said.
