English people like to invite their friends to have tea with them.
On a certain day, perhaps once a month, the house is made very clean and fresh flowers are put in the rooms. Children are told not to leave their things about, and they are sent to their own room.
The guests arrive and soon the sitting-room is full of people, all talking. They talk about their homes, their families, their friends, clothes, the cost of things in the shops; they tell each other about their holiday plans, the plays, films and TV programmes they have seen, and sometimes about the things that other people have said and done. The conversation never stops.
Then tea is brought in. In England making tea is a very serious matter. This is how it is done. Fresh water is poured into the kettle and when it is hot, a little is put in the tea-pot to warm it. The tea-pot is then dried and the tea put in – one spoonful for each person and one 'for the pot'. When the water is quite boiling, it is poured on to the tea and then the tea-pot must stand in в warm place for four or five minutes before it is ready.
Tea must be poured as carefully as it is made. Some people like to have milk in the cup first and then tea, others like to put tea in first and then add milk, while others say they cannot see much difference. Some people do not take milk in their tea at all. When you are pouring tea, you should ask each person what he or she preferes.Mine people don't like sugar in their tea, others like one, two or three lumps.