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9. A Nice Cup Of Tea

Can Sathnam Sanghera figure out how tea became such a central part of life in Britain? From 2023.

George Orwell described tea as 'one of the mainstays of civilization in this country'.

But how did this foreign plant become so British?

Sathnam Sanghera speaks to Orwell expert Jean Seaton, cultural historian Kate Teltscher and ramblers with flasks of tea in the Peak District to try and figure out how and why tea became a national obsession.

Producer: Paul Martin

A BBC Audio Wales production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in December 2023.

Available now

14 minutes

Last on

Thu 9 Oct 202509:30

Broadcasts

  • Thu 14 Dec 202313:45
  • Thu 15 Aug 202421:45
  • Thu 9 Oct 202509:30