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240th out of 469 books
—
976 voters
Nice Cup of Tea and a Sit Down
by
Stuart Payne
Put a cup of tea in your hand, and what else can you do but sit down? This new book celebrates that most British of life’s cornerstones: the tea break. There is, however, another element to this ritual that is a must: biscuits. Finding the right biscuit for the right occasion is as much an art as it is a science, and it is a task that Nicey has selflessly worked on for mos...more
Paperback, 179 pages
Published
September 1st 2005
by Little, Brown Book Group
(first published 2004)
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This book is an easy and amusing read, as well as an introduction to the secret English world of Nice Cup of Tea and a Sit Down (as well as the many biscuits that go along with it).
As a Dane, of course this part cracked me up:
"...One of the most popular biscuit tins is the Danish Butter assortment. This, to me, is an enigma. What exactly is assorted about them? The Danes only appear to know how to make one type of biscuit, and in a feeble attempt to disguise this fact they make it in various sha...more
As a Dane, of course this part cracked me up:
"...One of the most popular biscuit tins is the Danish Butter assortment. This, to me, is an enigma. What exactly is assorted about them? The Danes only appear to know how to make one type of biscuit, and in a feeble attempt to disguise this fact they make it in various sha...more
I LOVED this little book! It is quirky and funny and who doesn't love tea and a biscuit to go along with it? If you read British mysteries and have wondered at the various biscuits and cakes that are consumed at alarming rates by the various sergeants and DCIs, this book is the answer to your questions. You'll never again wonder why someone scoffs at a Marie while gazing longingly at the chocolate Rich Tea and various digestives. The choice Jaffa Cakes and Battenberg will be easy. You'll know yo...more
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Charming little book, & I would have rated it quite highly. However the text colours chosen were extremely poor. The plain black text of most of the book was fine, but some sections were written in orange, which was really hard to read when in blocks of text. Worse still were the passages written in orange on a pale orange background (who thought that was a good idea?), & in orange on dark grey. Trying to read these passages strained my eyes & I wouldn't even say my eyesight was espe...more
An invaluable guide to one of life's great cornerstones. It elucidates some of the great mysteries of tea, for instance why tea from dark-coloured mugs never tastes right, and points out others which are forever unsolvable, such as why emergency-services tea always tastes glorious.
But despite the title, with its emphasis on the life-giving beverage, the great triumph of this book is the Venn Diagram of Biscuits. I firmly believe this should be available as a poster for the kitchen, and ideally...more
But despite the title, with its emphasis on the life-giving beverage, the great triumph of this book is the Venn Diagram of Biscuits. I firmly believe this should be available as a poster for the kitchen, and ideally...more
The author has a blog of the same name, and book and blog are both about the pleasures of tea, biscuits, and...sitting down. Nicey walks the perfect line of treating these subjects quite seriously, while writing with tongue planted firmly in cheek. An ideal read for someone like me, who has given hours of consideration to the vast differences between US cookies and UK biscuits. I strongly suggest, though, that one always read this book during meals or snack-time. There is no way anyone can read...more
Although this book may have been intended more as a mini-coffee table book, I of course read it cover-to-cover, and I loved it! I think the reader would enjoy it more if he is already familiar with British biscuits and appreciates British humor, but it is so full of pithy yet extremely well thought out and even scientific opinions about all aspects of tea and biscuits that surely all serious sweet fans will be entertained. One of the major highlights is the Venn diagram linking bread, biscuits,...more
Very enjoyable and surprisingly informative. However, it fails to answer the question as to whether the biscuit is simply NICE or whether it hails from the South of France.
Put a cup of tea in your hand, and what else can you do but sit down? This new book celebrates that most British of life’s cornerstones: the tea break. There is, however, another element to this ritual that is a must: biscuits. Finding the right biscuit for the right occasion is as much an art as it is a science, and it is
Jul 29, 2011
Karen
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
gave-away,
second-hand
Being more of a 'kaffee und kuchen' kind of girl, I probably missed the point (and the cake chapter was criminally short). Its target audience would be Johnny out of 'Two Pints of Lager', or as a Secret Santa present for the office tea fiend. It probably works better as a website (from which it derived) for timewasting at work. But it was still quite funny.
'A book about tea and biscuits? Who wants to read that? What a waste of paper!' So spaketh my partner. He is, quite obviously, not a drinker of tea. As such he cannot expect to understand the joy of a book entirely dedicated to the subject.
I found it to be thoroughly enjoyable, very well researched and great fun to read. Especially with a cuppa tea and biscuit in hand. Lovely!
I found it to be thoroughly enjoyable, very well researched and great fun to read. Especially with a cuppa tea and biscuit in hand. Lovely!
Despite the title, this is a book mainly about biscuits (the British, not the American type of biscuit). Such classics as the HobNob, the Custard Cream, and the Bourbon, not to mention Jammie Dodgers are dissected in minute detail. Much nostalgia for this expat who finds it hard to discover a decent Rich Tea or even a Garibaldi.
I love this book, it's hilarious. I've read it twice now and it's a brilliant read to help you escape. It's also the sort of book I feel compelled to read bits out to whoever is near me. A real treat!
This book is very well written and gives an interesting insight into Britain's love of tea and biscuits. It offers a detailed paragraph on many sweet baked treats, including their history and how they're advertised. I found it very fascinating but now have the urge to buy some orange Club biscuits to relive my childhood!
Simply brilliant and full of nostalgia. It also introduced me to biscuits that i had never tried before - most available at local supermarkets.
Mmmmm - nice!
Mmmmm - nice!
Clever little book celebrates one of life's little pleasures. Great discourse on biscuits. Wildly over-enthusiastic about mundane details.
The tea bit of the book gets two stars, the biscuits bit gets three, though I was actually crying with laughter at the drinking tea whilst on public transport bit.
A book about tea and biscuits, perfect with a cup of tea and a biscuit! I learned lots about the history of my favourite biscuits :)
A light hearted and nostalgic romp through tea, biscuits and cakes. I ate it at one sitting.
This book should be required reading for all tea drinkers. As in real tea, not silly fancy herby-fruity-absurdly named "tea". Witty and highly amusing, it demands you read it whilst having a Nice Cup of Tea and a Sit Down.
i'm more of a coffee drinker. could not fully comprehend others passion for tea. sorry, i tried.
just too much details over
1) tea leaves
2) sugar
3) milk
just too much details over
1) tea leaves
2) sugar
3) milk
Delightfully British! A must-read for anyone who loves tea, biscuits "cookies", and sitting down to enjoy them.
Aug 08, 2007
miffyness
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
people who like biscuits
Shelves:
books-i-have-bought-in-the-works
My lovely sister bought this for me in The Works because I was feeling down.
I like tea. I also like biscuits.
I like tea. I also like biscuits.
made me want mcvities really bad. horrible cravings for hobnobs and digestives.
Apr 02, 2013
Adriantrbw
marked it as to-read
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