[Margaret Pilkington]

I too, have a beautiful Royal Albert service....courtesy of my dear departed Gran. I take it down now and then to give it a gentle wash.....but I don't think I would ever use it. I prefer my tea brewed in a bucket of a cup....I use leaf tea and the tea gets better as you near the bottom of the brew....you just have to remember that when you get to the bottom you need to sieve the leaves with your teeth, although I am not averse to swallowing a few stray tea leaves. When I worked in the mill we used to call this 'Tacklers Tea'.