It was one of those long, lazy, do-nothing Sundays, and the perfect way to span the void between lunch and dinner was, of course, an equally long, lazy, tea session.

Seeing as I was in no hurry, my favourite gaiwan was to be my steeping vessel of choice, and based on my mood, the weather, and the fact that a butterfly in Guatamala twitched its antennae as I went towards the tea cabinet, I opted for Silver Needle tea.

The pace was decidedly sedate to say the least.

I can’t honestly say how many infusions I managed to get out of this batch of leaves, only that I was at it for about an hour and three quarters. Ish. I think.

All that I can say with any degree of certainty is that the tea was as delicious as ever, and the session left me completely and utterly relaxed, and more than ready to face the challenge of cobbling together a spicy, herby meatloaf later on that afternoon.

If only Douglas Adams could have discovered Silver Needle tea, then perhaps the long teatime of his soul might not have been so dark…