British manners

[oakdale160]

My mother was British and even tho living abroad clung to her Brittish manners, I was reminded of twice this week.
I had afternoon tae with an older Britsh couple at a 5star hotel. We had a pot of tea. I poured myself a cup of tea, then added milk. She reminded me, playfully I think, that in the UK you always added tea to milk, not milk to tea -- Does that persist??
The other, A friend of mine had died in China. I will Email his wife my condolences. Under my mother's rules, the note had to be HAND written and if possible hand delivered--Does that persist??
I have noticed that in the UK,when I open doors for ladies and let them enter before me they are very impressed--My mother would be so pleased.

[Dannie Boy]

My mother was British and even tho living abroad clung to her Brittish manners, I was reminded of twice this week.
I had afternoon tae with an older Britsh couple at a 5star hotel. We had a pot of tea. I poured myself a cup of tea, then added milk. She reminded me, playfully I think, that in the UK you always added tea to milk, not milk to tea -- Does that persist??
The other, A friend of mine had died in China. I will Email his wife my condolences. Under my mother's rules, the note had to be HAND written and if possible hand delivered--Does that persist??
I have noticed that in the UK,when I open doors for ladies and let them enter before me they are very impressed--My mother would be so pleased.

Regarding the tea, then if you make it in a pot then it should be tea first and add the milk afterwards, although these days, many people simply put a teabag in a cup/mug in which case you have to add the boiling water first, leave it to brew for 1-2 minutes, then take the teabag out and add milk.

As for the condolence letter, clearly delivering by hand to China is not practical so an email (but maybe better still a phone call) offering your condolences is a timely way to send your message. If you felt the circumstances warranted a follow up, then a hand written letter sent by post would be a nice personal touch.

[Bristolian]

if you make it in a pot then it should be tea first and add the milk afterwards.

I wondered what the rumbling sound was today, it must have been the sound of my mother turning in her grave!
As a young boy I was always told warm the teapot first and milk was always first in the cup. Failure to follow procedure could result in a good clip around the ear! Ouch!
I must admit that I'm a coffee person and on the rare occasion that PG or Tetteys call, it's a teabag to the rescue with milk only being added after the tea has brewed and teabag removed from the cup. Sorry Mum!

[oakdale160]

A friend of mine in the UK says that this subject is debated about every 2 years in the letters to the editor section of the Telegraph, so its obviously of great importance.