3 Ways To Cook With Tea

Whether you Earl Grey all the way, keep calm with a herbal or feel a little nice with fruit and spice, tea goes beyond the humble cup in these tea-riffic dishes.

Don’t get us wrong, we love to bag or brew and slowly sip on a good cup of tea. In fact, research shows that tea drinkers are “better people” (and probably less stressed, too).

Tea is number one on our ‘must explore’ list, especially after mastering this tea-smoked duck recipe – and this has us wanting more. With its smoking potential, dairy infusions and added spice, here’s how you can eat more tea, alongside your cup of, if you’re a little tea obsessed.

1. Infuse your creams and custard

Similarly with vanilla beans and herbs, using tea to infuse milk and cream is an easy way to add flavour to your custards, ice-creams and smoothies. Simply heat your milk with the tea of your choosing, let it cool and then strain.

Flourless dark chocolate soufflés with Earl Grey cream

The Earl Grey cream complements this rich piece of heaven and its an easy dessert you won’t want to share.

2. Switch it up

Substituting your liquid component for some freshly brewed tea is such a must. Using it in smoothies, soaking your oats in it, as well as combining it in your soups, pasta, rice and stews, either alongside or instead of your stock or liquid addition, can be a nice way to balance out your other flavours. I call adding tea, “sealing the deal”, because using the right and light brewed cup can add a delicate touch, balance your stock or seasoning component and not overpower your dish.

Jerusalem artichoke and chamomile soup

It may seem a strange combination to add tea to a soup, but the subtle flavour of chamomile really does work well with the earthiness of Jerusalem artichokes. And it’s nice to have a way to enjoy tea beyond the teapot, too.

3. Spike it

Tea and dessert work well side-by-side and fortunately for us, they work just as well all rolled into one. Using the brew as your ‘wet’ component in cakes, cookies and slices is a real treat. Tea powders such as matcha, chai and green also add delicious flavours, and pair nicely with the likes of fruit, nuts and chocolate.

Masala chai carrot cake

This is one “vegetable-type” cake worth incorporating into your daily count. The beauty of this carrot cake is all in the spice – the masala chai works wonders.


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