Heather's cup of tea

HEATHER Eisenhut is an American with a love of all things English. She studied our literature, she revels in our history and she adores walking her dog in the green and pleasant countryside around her rural North Yorkshire home. But these pale next to her real passion in life: taking tea.

She didn't get her first taste of tea until she was 18, but it captured her imagination immediately. She was intrigued by its history and began studying its many and varied blends.

Heather left her home in Indiana and came to York to study English literature. She also took the opportunity to investigate the English obsession with tea in more depth.

"I started reading up on 19th century tea parties and the intricate rules of etiquette by which they were governed," she said. "I was sent to etiquette classes by my parents - manners are still very important in the South - so it was not such a great leap for me."

Heather has taken a year off from her formal studies to share her wealth of tea-related knowledge with visitors at Castle Howard. With the high falutin' title of education and interpretation co-ordinator, she runs 19th century-style "etiquette teas" in the glorious Grecian Hall, showing up to 60 pre-booked guests how to make the perfect pot of tea (always use leaves and steep them for precisely five minutes - not a minute more nor a minute less), how to avoid those embarrassing moments of silence with the help of conversation cards and how to decipher the tea leaves left in your cup.

As if all this were not enough, she also plies participants with a delicious feast of teacakes, sandwiches, scones and cakes created from period recipes.

She dresses in character - she was wearing a particularly severe riding costume on the day of our interview - and is often joined during tea by other grand costumed characters such as Lady Georgiana or Lady Rosalind, who mingle with guests and deign to take a little refreshment.

The refreshment in question is tea, which has been an English favourite since the 16th century. It was not until the 19th century, however that the leisurely process of taking afternoon tea became really popular. The Duchess of Bedford started the fashion when she had a tray of bread and butter, cakes and tea brought to her in the afternoon to avoid the pangs of hunger she felt while waiting for her fashionably late dinner, which would not normally be served until around 10pm.

The idea caught on quickly and soon became an essential part of the day for most aristocratic and upper middle class women. And it was not just because it satiated their appetites - it also fulfilled their need to socialise during a time when they were forbidden to venture outside their home without a chaperone.

"It was not until 1884, when the manageress of the ABC, or the Aerated Bread Company, opened a tea shop on London Bridge, that women could enjoy the social conversation of a tea in public," explained Heather. "These places provided a morally safe haven for women to see others and, perhaps more importantly, be seen by others.

"These early tea shops and the men-only coffee houses of the 18th century were given the nickname of Penny Universities because of the self-improving conversation which was meant to take place there."

Despite the introduction of tea shops, tea in the home remained the most popular form of entertainment for ladies, not least because it gave them an opportunity for a spot of unmitigated showing off. During an afternoon tea the hostess could demonstrate her impeccable taste in dress, manner, decoration and conversation. She could also, of course, fall flat on her face - metaphorically speaking.

"There were unwritten rules dictating how afternoon tea should be performed," said Heather. "It was important, for instance, not to choose flowers with too strong a scent as it was not unusual for tightly corseted ladies to faint if it was too overwhelming.

"If something went wrong, a lady could find herself ostracised from her peer group. A mishap during tea could be very embarrassing and very damaging to her social standing."

Making the perfect sarnie - crusts off, pressed thin between two plates and cut into pretty shapes - was important, but the tea itself was the real star of the show.

"Because of its value, the tea was always kept in a locked caddie, and the hostess would make the tea herself to avoid any of the precious leaves being wasted or stolen by unscrupulous servants," said Heather. "The choice of tea depended on availability, but when taxes were lowered and it became less expensive, the hostess had the opportunity to choose a variety to suit the weather or particular time of day."

Lapsang Souchong was - and still is - the perfect choice for a hot day, while Earl Grey or lemon is good for a warm day, China Black or Darjeeling for a cold day, and Assam for particularly inclement conditions.

Whatever tea was served and however many cress or anchovy sandwiches the guests were given, a tea party could still fail if conversation around the table ground to an embarrassing halt. So the 19th century ladies who lunched came up with an ingenious solution: they cheated.

"To avoid those dreaded moments of silence, the hostess placed a conversation menu on each guest's plate," said Heather. "Each of these cards had three different topics of conversation written on them, so when a lady lacked something to say she could subtly consult her card.

"It was important for a lady to know something of contemporary and historical events so she didn't appear ignorant in society. But there were certain topics, notably religion and personal gossip, which were considered inappropriate for polite society.

"What the family talked about when the guests had gone, however, was a different matter entirely. Gossip has never been that far from the tea pot."

And with that, we cast our conversation cards aside, tucked into particularly generous slices of Victoria sponge cake and began to put the world to rights over a delicious cup of Darjeeling.

To book a group etiquette tea, phone Heather Eisenhut at Castle Howard on 01653 648621. The £14.25 per person cost includes a feast of food, unlimited admission to the house and garden and an outdoor tour.

Updated: 16:52 Monday, September 22, 2003