Waterloo Sunset

Hitchcock Blonde tucked her earphones into her ears and watched the rain pouring down in grey rivers in the street in front of her. She was standing outside Waterloo Station contemplating how to get to Mayfair without ruining her new Louboutin stilettos. The Kinks were singing “Waterloo Sunset”on her iPhone which brought a smile to her face…

Blonde curls and full red lips, she was a head-turner even on this grey London day.

She hated the tube but given the grey rain it looked like the only option. She was just about to turn around when a bright yellow Lamborghini splashed up in front of her, completely soaking her Burberry cashmere coat.

“You have got to be joking!” she shouted, looking down at her sodden coat, wiping off the rain with black leather gloves.

“Sorry Miss. That was very rude of me”, the window of the car had silently slid down and a warm English accent caught her attention.

She leant over and peered into the car. A handsome friendly face smiled at her.

“Can I offer you a lift somewhere as a sorry?”

She bit her bottom lip. Stuff it. Why not. She jumped in the car and slashing her seatbelt across her coat, she turned to her new companion.

“Just take me to Simpsons Tea Room in Mayfair. I need some of my favourite Hitchcock Blonde Tea”

 

MISS MAYFAIR – black tea and mango loose leaf tea

The sweet scent of raspberries drifts past as Miss Mayfair saunters along Mayfair.

Swinging her blue leather bag, she is a head-turner!

She stops to admire herself in one of the long shop windows, pouting as she applies her mango flavoured red lipstick.

Fluffing up her hair, she adjusts her pearls and smiles at her reflection. Glamorous British babe!

 

Arty Afternoon Tea in Stockbridge…

So Hitchcock calls. Right in the middle of my manicure.

“Er Hitchy, I am in the middle of making myself look beautiful darling!” I explain.

“Oh come on Lady M no need for that! You are stunning already, honey”, Hitchy purrs down the phone, “Look, meet me and Popcorn Pin-Up in Simpsons Tea for a wonderful Arty Afternoon Tea. We need you!”

I look down at my bright red nails and sigh. She is always the most persuasive of ladies.

“Ok then, but only if they have my tea available. You know I only drink Lady Manhattan”.

“No worries, sweetie! They always have all our teas as we are Simpsons top ladies!”, she clicks off with a girlish giggle…

I finish up and wander down the sunlit Stockbridge street to Simpsons Tea opulent tea room, down a cobbled lane. I push open the heavy brass door into the tea room that looks more like a boudoir than a tea room. Looking around, I spy Hitchcock Blonde and Popcorn Pin-Up nestled in the corner.

Hitchcock is a buxom blonde bombshell who is a model and writer and leaves mens broken hearts everywhere she goes…

“Hi lovely Simpsons Tea ladies”

“Well hello Lady M” Hitchcock rises up and takes my newly manicured red nails in her hand…”Wow – looks beautiful! Almost good enough to eat!”

“Think I will settle with a cup of tea” I laugh, grabbing my hand back.

“Try some Hitchcock Blonde for a change”, she pleads, “It really is delicious! Just like me”.

“Hello Lady M,” whispers Popcorn.

I turn to look at her. She is posing and talking out of the side of her mouth, without looking at me.

“You alright Popcorn?” I ask watching her balancing on the edge of her seat.

“She is posing, silly!”, Hitchcock laughs, “She is getting her Simpsons Tea Arty poster made.

Popcorn Pin-up is another stunning blonde. Pert red lips, set off with the blondest of pin curls, she really is the perfect pin-up girl.

As she sat there posing, I noticed an artist sitting opposite, drawing, painting and drinking tea.

I picked up Popcorn’s tea and had a little sniff…raspberry and popcorn – just like her perfume!

“Is the artist going to do posters of us all?”, I asked Hitchcock.

She turned and smiles her lovely beautiful smile. “You just ruined my surprise, lovely lady!” she laughed. At that, she ran over to the artist and whispered in his ear. He smiled and nodded.

She skipped back over and sipped some tea.

“I may have already given him your photo, Lady M! He has already done your poster and now with Popcorn’s finished, they are all ready!! Wanna see?”

She waved her hand and the artist slowly sauntered up to the table, his dark brooding eyes scanning the table of beautiful women. She smiled at him, seduced by his slow smile.

“Here we go, ladies! Three posters for three lovely ladies!”

He laid the posters down on the table and the three women leaned over to look at them.

“Wow! I love them” Popcorn Pin-Up exclaimed, grabbing the three posters and dancing around the table…

“Simpsons Tea is going to love these” Hitchcock Blonde shouted

The artist just smiled…

 

 

 

 

Lady Manhattan – the creative process

Creating a new tea blend at Simpsons Tea is all about design and creativity. Simpsons Tea is a true artisan tea company, founded by artist and entrepreneur, Anna Louise Simpson.

Anna Louise sits in her kitchen designing and drawing, dreaming of New York in the spring-time and explains a little about the creative force behind Simpsons Tea.

“For our new tea blend, “Lady Manhattan”, I took inspiration from the wild streets of Manhattan, black and yellow stripes, red stilettos and new york taxi cabs, to create a tea design that has the “it” factor”.

Sketching out some ideas is vital for the creative process. Taking inspiration from fashion magazines, her favourite stilettos and lots and lots of sketches enables the creative process…

Anna Louise explained some of the process behind creating Lady Manhattan, Simpsons Tea’s latest tea blend, “Lady Manhattan needed to be a full-bodied blend of tea yet light enough to make you feel like you are being kissed by the sweet warmth of spring”.

“Whether it is my leather gloves sitting on the table or the bright red of my favourite lipstick, inspiration is everywhere. I imagined what it was like to be jumping out of a NY cab on the first day of spring, wearing my stilettos and bright yellow leather gloves. Therefore I wanted to create a tea that brought that vision and feeling to life”.

“Sketching really helps me to imagine what the tea will taste like, which I know sounds crazy but it is just how my creative brain creates a new tea blend!”.

Lady Manhattan is a very subtle blend, a black tea base with the lightest touch of grapefruits, yellow roses and to top it off, bright red candy lips. The result is an exceptional tea blend, that really does bring spring into your teacup.

Anna Louise explains why she decided to finish this tea blend off with some red candy lips…”I wanted to take the tea to a different level. It already had the black tea base and some amazing mid-tones of marigolds, roses and grapefruits. However it needed a touch of sweetness, a kiss if you will! Staring at my red lipstick on the table gave me the idea to add some stunning red lips”.

At Simpsons Tea, tea blends aren’t just blended. They are created and designed. They are imagined well before they even blended.

Drinking a Simpsons Tea is like drinking a little work of art; designed by an artisan designer and passionate tea lover.

Lady Manhattan – yellow gloves

A lady she looked in all respects; painted nails, pointed stilettos and warm red lipstick lips. However, as she glanced out the taxicab, she smiled to herself. The allure of a real lady was the possibility of her being anything but. 

Spring NY streets flashed past as she took in New York in all it’s glory. Graffiti pictures merged with skyscrapers, all hinting at potential.She slid her long leather gloves on her delicate arms. She pushed the yellow leather fingers out in front of her and wiggled them. She never went anywhere without them – her signature look…long yellow gloves.

A little like the bright yellow roses in her favourite tea…she drank so much of it that Simpsons Tea on Fifth Avenue had named it “Lady Manhattan” in her honour…

She hugged herself in the back of the cab, as she thought about her next meeting…

 

LADY MANHATTAN

Yellow and red lights flash past on the crowded Manhattan street, as Lady Manhattan arrives in a bright yellow cab. Two long legs, clad in a black patent stilettos, slowly emerge followed by a soft yellow leather glove, as she peers around the cab door at the bustling city street.

She smacks her red candy lips and steps out, blinking in the New York warm sunshine. Sliding marigold sunglasses on her nose, she starts to sashay down the sidewalk.

Yellow roses and red candy lips infuse the warm Manhattan sidewalk with the sweet scent of spring as she passes; a sidewalk stiletto vixen.

A Halloween Tea Story….

The dark wet streets of Edinburgh didn’t bother Miss Mango…she had beautiful halloween candles burning in her Great King Street flat as she got ready for the Halloween party later that evening.

She pick up her bright red lipstick and carefully applied it to her full lips. She smiled at herself in the mirror, imagining the party later. Fangs, full vampire costume and black nail varnish finished off her look. She started to pin on her jewellery…

OUCH! She jumped as she realised that she had accidentally scratched her lips as she had pulled the choker over her neck…blood started to drip from her lips…she stared at her image…a true vampire…

She looked with horrified fascination as the blood smeared on her fake fangs…she would truly scare away the inhabitants of Stockbridge if she wandered around tonight like this. Who cares? She would just leave the real blood dripping from her lips…

She threw her cape on and ran out the flat, walking the dark New Town streets, deciding on impulse to visit her favourite tea bar on the way to the party.

Simpsons Tea was decorated in over the top Halloween decorations, orange light spilling out on to the cobbled Stockbridge lane. She opened the old wooden door and stepped into the crowded tea bar. People were drinking tea cocktails and dancing. She pushed through the crowd, drawing lots of admiring glances as she managed to make it to the bar.

The tattooed barman smiled at her and winked, “you in costume tonight or is your usual Saturday night attire, young lady?”

She smiled as she leant over the bar…”it would be rather dangerous to find out, don’t you think?”

As the light caught her eyes, they glowed orange in the light. He felt a shiver run down his back…”er, um, ok, what can I get for you then?”

She grabbed his hand with black nails, “I would like a Miss Mango Tea please. I have heard that Miss Mango is the prettiest lady around these parts…”

“yeah, she sure is!” he smiled as he poured the steaming tea…chunks of pineapple cubes and mango blended with orange slices, safflower petals, marigold blossoms and freeze-dried strawberry slices. Delicious!

“Thank you”, Miss Mango smiled, as she sipped her signature tea. Her costume worked after all. No-one could guess she was really the sweet, light beauty that her tea was named after! The perfect Halloween disguise!

Miss Liquorice and the Urban Breakfast | Part 1

She strode in…black ripped jeans and the highest heels he had ever seen…her polished makeup and beautifully styled blonde hair looked out of place with her outfit and the venue but on her it just worked. She glanced around and walked up to the bar. The bass had already kicked in and Sneaky Pete’s was filling up, the euphoric crowd pushing on to the crowded dance floor…but she seemed separate to it all. Distant, with an arrogance that made his blood boil. No doubt about it, she was his fantasy woman, curvaceous but petite all rolled into one.

She checked her makeup in the smoky bar mirror, red nails stroking her face. He couldn’t keep his eyes off her…

He was sure he had seen her somewhere before…but couldn’t place it. She was just gorgeous. He pushed his place through the crowd, who by now were dancing in a tribal trance. He walked up to the bar, just as she turned and walked off towards the front door.

“Wait!” he heard himself shout, without even thinking about what he was going to say next.

She turned. A tall man, well built with a full beard and tattoo sleeves was standing there, his arms crossed. As she looked him up and down, he self-consciously brushed his hair back, showing off his muscular tattoos. Mmmm. He was hot. No doubt. But looked like a real bad boy and she had had her fill of them.

“Sorry, were you talking to me?” she said haughtily, hating the faux arrogance in her voice. Her defence mechanism.

“Er, yeah. I wanted you to wait” he said, shifting his weight awkwardly. “I, er, wanted to have a wee chat”.

She looked at him closely. He didn’t seem like the usual guy in here, out of his head and just wanting one thing. He seemed a bit nervous to be speaking to her actually. Kinda sweet.

She stood and stared at him then, framed against the wall and the flashing lights. “what did you want to chat about” she asked.

God, did he look hot, actually. She started to feel a little hot, feeling the house music pulsing through her…the lights flashing in time, the crowd jumping to the beat….

“Er…just wanted to buy you a wee drink, like” he replied.

She had come in looking for a few mates that were supposed to be tonight for Wasabi Disco, but she just couldn’t see them. Stuff it.

“Ok then, but I just want some water.” He nodded and strode over to the bar. She watched him, he was a very sexy man, no doubt about it. Probably a player, she thought. Oh, well, at least she would have someone to chat to until her mates got here…

He turned and looked at her over his shoulder…she caught his eye and smiled. God, he really was hot.

Miss Liquorice arrives in the new Evolution Hotel in Lisboa #missliquorice #evolutionhotel

The stunning blonde swept through into the ultra cool hotel reception area – the EVOLUTION HOTEL. It was so trendy that she could self check in – perfect! She loved Lisboa….it’s wonderful old town with tiny winding cobbled streets…it was stunning! However, she also liked to stay in modern hotels with reliable wi-fi and a cool vibe…

She didn’t have long to get changed before meeting him….”Mr Urban” she had nicknamed him. She flicked her blonde hair as she went up to her room. As she pushed the door open, she was blown away – a beautiful pale yellow room awaited her. Cool and welcoming and extremely hi-tech. Just what she liked!

She checked the time. Perfect! She had just enough time to get ready…LBD, fushia pink lipstick, lashings of black mascara, long dangly earrings. Posing against the wall, she thought she would tease him with a little selfie on Whatsapp…

“……….hey! just arrived at Evolution! It is so cool! See you soon x”

Sent!

Ok, she needed some distraction to stop her nerves…She still had some time to spare, so thought she would check out the pool and sauna. She loved a sauna. Who didn’t??

Wow! That was some pool!

…and the sauna! Come to mama!

She wandered down to the bar area as her phone beeped…

“….right back at you, gorgeous! Can’t wait to see you. There in 5 x”

He was a model, so his photo was stunning. And didn’t help her nerves…..she wandered into the bar area and had a look at the Simpsons Tea menu….”can you tell me what is in the Miss Liquorice Tea please?” she asked the barman. “Oh, its a great tea – it’s a sweet herbal tea blend. A mix of fennel, fenugreek, nettle leaf etc – give it a try!”

“Ok then, Ill be a Miss Liquorice this evening!” she smiled.

She glanced around the bar, butterflies building up now…

To be continued….

FREE UK SHIPPING FOR ALL DECEMBER ORDERS!

Ok, so Santa popped in early to SIMPSONS TEA HQ and dropped all UK shipping costs for the rest of the month of December!

Yippee! Remember to order by 19th December 2014 to get delivery in time for Christmas!! BUY HERE!