Putting the Tea in Britain: The Scots Who Made Our National Drink

by Les Wilson

Overview

Deserves to sell like hot cakes' - Allan Massie, The Scotsman

From the Indian Mutiny to the London Blitz, offering a ‘nice cup of tea’ has been a stock British response to a crisis. But tea itself has a dramatic, and often violent, history. That history is inextricably interwoven with the story of Scotland. Scots were overwhelmingly responsible for the introduction and development of the UK’s national drink, and were the foremost pioneers in the development of tea as an international commodity.

This book reveals how Darjeeling, Assam, Ceylon and Africa all owe their thriving tea industries to pioneering work by Scottish adventurers and entrepreneurs. It’s a dramatic tale. Many of these men jeopardised their lives to lay the foundation of the tea industry. Many Scots made fortunes – but it is a story with a dark side in which racism, the exploitation of native peoples and environmental devastation was the price paid for ‘a nice cup of tea’.

Les Wilson brings the story right up to date, with a look at the recent development of tea plantations in Scottish hills and glens.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781780276571
Publisher:	Birlinn, Limited
Publication date:	08/03/2021
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	5.45(w) x 8.50(h) x (d)

About the Author

Les Wilson is a writer an award-winning documentary maker who specialises in Scottish historical subjects. Among his film credits is the 30-part series, Scotland’s War, an oral history of World War Two, and the 13-part series The Real Tartan Army, a TV history of the Scottish regiments. He is the co-editor of Islay Voices (Birlinn, 2016) and lives on the island of Islay. Lord Robertson of Islay (George Robertson)was born in Port Ellen, Islay. He was UK Defence Secretary from 1997 to 1999 and Secretary General of NATO from 1999 to 2004.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations ix

Introduction 1

1 To Drink a Dish of Tea, Sir? 11

2 Without Milk, Sugar - or Tax! 30

3 Take Things Coolly and Never Lose Your Temper 49

4 The Days for Gathering Rupees 91

5 The Place of Thunderbolts 131

6 The Master Who Is God 165

7 A Handful of Seeds 193

8 Home for Tea 216

A Note for the Botanically Curious 237

Notes 241

Bibliography 251

Index 255

Acknowledgements 261

Editorial Reviews

The blood-stained story of tea is a fascinating one in which the Scots were front and centre. Les Wilson is a skilled writer who weaves a fast-paced, compelling tale'

Scottish Field

[Wilson's] book is overwhelmingly a delight, infused with unstinting research'

Glasgow Herald - Hugh Macdonald

Rich in fascinating detail and stories ... it deserves to sell like hot cakes washed down with a fortifying blend of Assam and Ceylon tea'

The Scotsman - Allan Massie

Wilson is an excellent writer, creating an intriguing and compulsive narrative from remarkably thorough and wide-ranging research. Encapsulated in the cup of tea tray on the breakfast table is a history of which few of us are aware, and a history that often reads like a novel of buckled swashes and dos that have been derringed. Even if you’re a coffee drinker, 'Putting the Tea in Britain' is a highly desirable purchase'

Ileach - Brian Palmer