Putting the Tea in Britain: The Scots Who Made Our National Drink

Deserves to sell like hot cakes' - Allan Massie, The Scotsman

From the Indian Mutiny to the London Blitz, offering a 'nice cup of tea' has been a stock British response to a crisis. But tea itself has a dramatic, and often violent, history. That history is inextricably interwoven with the story of Scotland. Scots were overwhelmingly responsible for the introduction and development of the UK's national drink, and were the foremost pioneers in the development of tea as an international commodity.

This book reveals how Darjeeling, Assam, Ceylon and Africa all owe their thriving tea industries to pioneering work by Scottish adventurers and entrepreneurs. It's a dramatic tale. Many of these men jeopardised their lives to lay the foundation of the tea industry. Many Scots made fortunes - but it is a story with a dark side in which racism, the exploitation of native peoples and environmental devastation was the price paid for 'a nice cup of tea'.

Les Wilson brings the story right up to date, with a look at the recent development of tea plantations in Scottish hills and glens.

Author: Les Wilson
Publisher: Birlinn
Published: 08/03/2021
Pages: 256
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.01lbs
Size: 8.60h x 5.30w x 1.10d
ISBN: 9781780276571

About the Author
Wilson, Les: - Les Wilson is a writer an award-winning documentary maker who specialises in Scottish historical subjects. Among his film credits is the 30-part series, Scotland's War, an oral history of World War Two, and the 13-part series The Real Tartan Army, a TV history of the Scottish regiments. He is the co-editor of Islay Voices (Birlinn, 2016) and lives on the island of Islay. Lord Robertson of Islay (George Robertson)was born in Port Ellen, Islay. He was UK Defence Secretary from 1997 to 1999 and Secretary General of NATO from 1999 to 2004.

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