I'm not a big coffee lover, the caffeine makes my too giddy and I get the shakes, but I'm a big, big fan of a good cup of tea. I had a few friends around my flat last weekend for tea and cakes, all beautifully presented in my black and white mugs and plates of course! For me, it's got to be either PG tips, brewed until it turns a dark tanned colour or, if I'm feeling a bit airy-fairy, a nice mug of Lady Grey (it smells like flowers and meadows!). The milk always goes in last, no sugar, stirred in a clockwise direction. Perfect.

There's a lot of debate about the perfect cuppa, milk first or last? Semi skimmed or a slice of lemon? Mug or cup and saucer? George Orwell even wrote a whole essay on how to make the perfect brew - he must have been taking a break from Animal Farm. Whatever you decide, be it tea pot, loose leaf, decaffeinated, tea bag in, or tea bag out, the most important thing (in my opinion) is that you sip your tea from a top notch mug.

Bone China makes the tea taste so much better than clunky ceramic or, god forbid, polystyrene, and gives a reassuringly classy "ting ting" noise when you tap your teaspoon on the side of the mug.

Size matters. Too small and you'll be reaching for a refill every 2 minutes - hardy a relaxing tea break. Too big, and the tea gets cold too quickly, something to do with the surface area of the tea I guess, and even worse, you'll be nipping to the loo all morning! Those giant over-sized mugs favored by the cast of Friends in Central Perk are completely impractical, save them for serving strawberries or cookie dough ice cream in.

So where can you find the perfect mug? Funnily enough, here.

Enjoy!

PS When it comes to the ideal biscuit / cake to go with your cuppa, I'm a big fan of the Jaffa Cake or chocolate digestive. Mmmmmm. Just don' be tempted to dunk too long, nobody like biscuit sludge in the bottom of their mug!