Britain Grows its Own Tea
Tregothnan Estate, in England’s Southwestern county of Cornwall, is producing the first tea ever to be grown in British soil.
Jonathon Jones, head gardener at Tregothnan, with a new tea shoot from one of the Tregothnan bushes.
Some readers will be surprised to learn that the tea that is now being grown and manufactured on the Tregothnan Estate in Cornwall, is the first tea ever to be produced in Britain. Others may think that tea has always been grown in Britain, and may therefore wonder what the fuss is all about. There are comments that are not unknown, such as: “I always buy Yorkshire tea. It’s so good to think of it growing out there on the moors,” and “I only ever buy good old British tea.” However, these are - of course - totally misguided! There may be a few ornamental tea bushes dotted around certain British gardens, mixed in with the azaleas and rhododendrons, but they have never been plucked, nor added to the supply of tea that is consumed as the ‘national beverage.’ In general, the British climate is not kind to the camellia sinensis plant, making it hard to keep them alive in normal conditions. However, the temperate climes of Cornwall are not so different from those of Darjeeling. In fact, Darjeeling experiences winter minimum temperatures that are a few degrees lower than those of Southwestern England, and the plants are still thriving.
