Oriental beauty - a unique green tea

A magical garden in a glass

It starts as little bigger than a two-pence piece and is ever so tightly wrapped. But by placing in a heat resistant glass it transforms.

I prepared a thick stemmed wine glass by placing it under hot water and inserting a metal spoon inside, before pouring on the just boiled water.

The green leaved bundle floats to the top of the glass but then sinks to the base where it slowly unravels.

At the centre of the bundle is a golden-glowing calendula (marigold) wrapped around a twisting and twirling stem of jasmine which floats to the top of the glass.

This spectacle takes around 5 minutes and it is worth sitting back and enjoying.

The taste doesn't disappoint. The delicate green tea flavour is complemented by the jasmine and the saffron like taste of the calendula.

This is one of a range of teas available from Flora Teas - they have to be seen to be believed.

Shopping for Mother's Day in Deal

A bathtime treat

Greencades for gorgeous gifts

Deal has some great independent shops for gifts of all kinds ranging from stylish seaside-insprired crockery and retro-based prints at Greencades, sumptuous bedspreads and blankets at Carried Away through to indulgent chocolates, and heaven-scent teas at Sara's Chocolates.

Carried Away will do just that

All of these shops put great store in their imaginative window displays, and Mother's Day is no exception. Greencades is a favourite of mine, as it always has something new to choose from. I am rather fond of the bath tulips which look and smell fantastic (£3), and the natural reed-scented room aromas including Lemon Verbena (£14.99).


Carried Away has beautiful pottery, silky scarves and some luxurious blankets to snuggle up in.

Heaven-scent Aromatic Mayflower

Sara's chocolates

And what better treat can there be than a box of delicious, hand-selected chococates from Sara's Chocolates which are beautifully packaged and come in a variety of sizes. After a day of shopping, you could carry yourself away with one of Sara's Flora teas - served in a wine glass: this grey-ish walnut sized ball magically transforms when seeped in boiling water into an underwater garden - unfurling green tea fronds, a gently swaying hidden flower and the sweet scent of osmanthus or jasmine will transport you . I am sure that anyone would be as amazed and surprised by this underwater garden-in-a-glass as I was, and it would make the perfect light-weight, much-meant gift to a mother who is far away. The teas are available online.