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Christmas Bells are Ringing

gabiconstantine
Dec 14, 2017
2 min read

I decided to make my favorite time of the year even more special with a visit to the lovely and quaint tea shop Betjeman and Barton, situated in the Denneweg Den Haag. The whole street has at this time of the year a Dickens feel about it.

Entering the front door I am greeted by my good friend Marion van den Blik who is also the proprietor of the shop.

She explains to me that there are more than 190 different teas to choose from here.

It being Christmas I opted for one of my old time favorites the Pouchkine, a black tea beautiful flavored with citrus fruits. The tea coming from China and Ceylon, the citrus fruit balance a forty year old kept secret. The romance and thought this tea you could be drinking in Moscow or St Petersburg was what the great man must have wanted. And while filling my ‘le choix de Marion ‘ tea caddy with the Pushkin, I was told that this is a signature tea of the shop. Why am I not surprised!

The company of Betjeman and Barton founded in 1919 by a Frenchman and his English employee. For years the company was run by men, working to the ‘a la française’ line of thought.

The fortune of the company were then taken into the hands of women. This is more than evident here in Den Haag with Marion running two beautiful tea shops. This year marking her 25th anniversary. And to honor this milepost a special tea caddy was designed for her. I am delighted to now own one.

With ten days still to go before Christmas try to drop by Betjeman and Barton in the Denneweg and let me know what choice of tea you made.

I leave you with my final thoughts, Peace on Earth, Tidings of Good Cheer, Joy to the World, Merry Happy and Healthy Christmas wishes to All.

Oooh and ps. My Christmas will be spent cuddled up with a fine book, dogs at my feet, and sipping a good cup of tea.