Tregothnan Tea (or something stronger) at Tolverne

One of the most intriguing tea houses in the UK is entering a new phase in its many centuries of history. Peter Newman, whose family have lived at Tolverne since 1934 said ‘When we decided to retire from Tolverne we really hoped Tregothnan would consider taking on Tolverne. We are happy and relieved that tea here has a great future and we can now tell our longstanding customers.'

Up until 1832 it was known as Tolverne Passage Inn and was a transport hub for the Fal. The pub licence continues to this day as does the licence to ferry passengers on the river. It’s great to see this continuing as part of Tregothnan.

The Boscawen Family have lived at Tregothnan since 1335 and Tolverne is a very special part of Tregothnan. Tolverne is within sight of Tregothnan and whether arriving by land or boat, Tolverne is the hub for the Fal and truly a unique place in Cornwall.

Chilli Herb bouquet - display and then eat (with care...)

We've recently created a stunning, edible posy made entirely of chilli's & herbs grown on the estate. The posy (pictured here) contains: Chilli’s – Sage – Bay – Rosemary & Pepperleaf (Drymis).

The posy makes a beautiful table decoration and can then be hung in a kitchen and dried giving a unique, natural source of herbs (and heat!) to enhance your cooking. We will be offering this through the website and selected stockists.

We really think this is something a little different and besides making a nice gift has to be the ultimate in vegetable recycling!

Hairybikers freewheelin' at Tregothnan

Two of the friendliest motorbike riders you could ever meet visited Tregothnan earler in the year and enjoyed a tea sampling with Jonathon Jones our garden director.

Having tried all the teas in the range they continued their Cornish journey to Kevin Viners restaurant and used Tregothnan Earl Grey tea to create a superb dish with locally caught scallops. The BBC2 TV programme sparked a flurry of interest despite appearing in the early evening. We would love to include a link to the BBC iplayer but it has unfortunately been taken down.

Getting high with Tregothnan tea

James Wong the presenter of the popular BBC2 series recently came and filmed on the estate.

Despite a touch of rain & grey Cornish cloud, James was keen to see the tea plantation & use the Pepperleaf we grow. Despite a long day the production crew were successfully revived with pasties, tea and freshly made chocolates.

Look out for his new series in the Autumn.

Probably the UK's largest garden opening...

Following the success of this Springs charity garden weekend, Tregothnan announced that its 2010 event would take place on the 10th & 11th of April. With in excess of £20,000 raised at this years event, next years nominated charity the 'Precious Lives' appeal is hoping to enjoy the same level of support as the 'Seafarers'. For full details of the event and how to book a ticket please click here.

Reevesia -
A very rare tree and the first time in decades that it has flowered at Tregothnan- possibly the only one in UK?

Herbal tea sales take buzz out of coffee

The following article appeared in the Financial Times on July 12 2009 regarding the growth of tea sales:

Tea sales are rising after decades of decline as people abandon pricey cappuccinos and buy more green and herbal teas for their alleged health benefits.

“The decline has stopped,” said William Gorman, chairman of the UK Tea Council, adding that the tea market was expected to grow by 3 per cent this year, with speciality teas likely to boost sales by as much as 25 per cent. “[People] are waking up to the fact that tea is mostly water and antioxidants.”

“There’s no reason to think demand won’t keep on growing,” said Katy Tubb, director of tea buying and blending at Tetley. “The question is whether supply will keep up with that ... We’re not seeing a lot more land planted out for tea.”

Peter Unsworth, chief executive of Tetley, said rising global tea consumption, particularly in Asia, was pushing up global demand. “This is having an impact on the short-term supply-demand balance and is driving up tea prices.”

Mr Unsworth said he was not worried if price increases became permanent since tea was still cheap relative to other drinks.

Jonathan Jones, garden director at Tregothnan Estate, which has launched a range of what it says are the first teas grown in England, said people once again saw good quality tea as an “affordable luxury”. When the Cornwall estate launched its English Estate Teas at the Chelsea Flower Show in May, “our entire week’s stock sold out in the first day”, Mr Jones said.

Rising demand for green and herbal teas is encouraging producers of black tea – the industry term for the commonplace brew – to diversify. Unilever, which buys 12 per cent of the world’s black tea, last year expanded the green tea range in PG tips and launched a range of fruit and herbal teas under the Lipton brand.

Dr Stuart’s, an independent group with £2m in annual sales, said Tesco stocked four lines of its herbal teas in about 700 stores and was considering distributing them in its Tesco Express stores.

Tesco, which confirmed it was expanding distribution of Dr Stuart’s, said overall tea sales were rising by 3 per cent year-on-year, with green tea the fastest-growing.

Darren Williams, tea buyer at Fortnum & Mason, said while the retailer’s green and white teas accounted for less than 5 per cent of total tea sales, it was selling twice as much of these teas today as a year ago. Overall, tea sales are up 20 per cent on last year.

To read the full article or to subscribe to the FT - please click here...