Derbyshire Christmas - Birdhouse Teas

I'm featuring some companies this week that are either based in Derbyshire or have links to the area. They are all wonderful artisan producers carefully crafting quality goods that would make perfect vegan friendly gifts. I'm starting today with Birdhouse Tea Company. They are based in Sheffield in Yorkshire but among their many handcrafted tea blends they have a Peak District collection. I came across Birdhouse when we popped into the fantastic, cosy Grasshopper Cafe in Hope, Derbyshire one rainy afternoon. I had a cup of tea that was so mind blowingly good that I had to ask the owners who their tea supplier was. I messaged Birdhouse to find out if they were interested in a blog review and they very kindly sent me the whole* of the Peak District range of teas to try.

*Please note that one tea - Moorlands, does contain honey so is not featured here.

Blue John is named after the famous Blue John mines and is a blend of assam and darjeeling with gorgeous vibrant cornflower petals in the mix. This makes for a great breakfast tea with a subtle fruity, maltiness to it.

The Edge is an unusual green tea blend which has cardamon seeds, ginger, clove, black pepper, cinnamon and mint. For my palate it would have worked better without the mint. The smell made me think of roast dinners!  If you are a fan of green teas though and looking for something a bit different this might be up your street.

White Peak is a blend of white tea and peppermint. I've never come across white tea with mint before, fruit yes, but not mint. On opening the packet you get a big hit of peppermint. It's a really refreshing brew which is gentler and more subtly flavoured than regular mint tea which I liked.

This tea blend is named Secret Recipe. Any guesses what that might be referring to? I'll give you a clue that it's referring to a famous Derbyshire baked treat. Yep, it's Bakewell pudding. The tea is a blend of black tea, almonds, rosehips and raspberry and subltly captures the essence of Bakewell pudding. This would make a perfect afternoon tea drink.

Duchess Georgina got a mention last month when I made a Derbyshire style breakfast during Vegan Mofo. Duchess is a gorgeous smelling blend of black tea, grapefruit, rose, marigold and mallow petals. The grapefruit adds something special and the mallow flowers round out the blend beautifully to make a very elegant cup of tea.

There's two herbal teas in the Peak District collection. The Trail pictured above is a blend of chamomile and lemongrass. The bright, zesty lemongrass is the dominant flavour here so if you are someone who appreciates the calming benefits of chamomile but isn't keen on the flavour this could be one for you. I drink chamomile most evenings. As well as it being a great aid to sleep I find it really helpful with the post nasal drip condition I suffer from. I found this a fantastic change to my usual brew.

Dressed Well is the other herbal tea in the collection. It's a colourful blend of hibiscus, rosehip, apple, mallow, safflower, cornflower and marigold petals. It smells absolutely amazing, like a sweet shop! The taste was lovely and reminded me of sherbet lemons mingled with strawberries. I think that this would make an excellent iced tea too for the summer months.

And finally, the tea that started my journey of discovery with Birdhouse Teas - Muddy Boots. This is a picture of me on a walk we took up to Coombes Edge. We popped out one afternoon last week for an hour for a little walk and to watch the sun set. It was absolutely freezing and we were glad that we'd brought a flask. Muddy Boots is best drunk without milk and is a blend of black tea with roasted cacao husk, cacao nibs and vanilla which gives the tea a creamy edge. I was the perfect tea for the walk and was of course accompanied by a few squares of dark chocolate.

If you're a tea fan I highly recommend checking out the Birdhouse website. The quality of the teas is excellent and the packaging lovely. And don't forget to pop back tomorrow when I'll be featuring an impressive range of handmade marshmallows!