Tea and Toast

 What is it about a mug of freshly brewed tea and a slice of hot buttered toast?

Is it the salty butter that melts and drips on to your fingers making them so tasty to lick?  

Or the warmed seeds in the bread that add such depth of flavour as you bite into the toast?

Oh, there is that crunch of the outer crispy layer then the inner warm soft bread washed down with a mouthful of smoky Assam tea - warm enough to fill your throat with a comforting glow without scalding yourself. You can feel yourself radiate warmth from within.

It is a guilty and go to pleasure - when I want something to eat quickly - it fills that need. 

Some days I can fill the kettle and the toaster and patiently wait as both heat up. I can stir the tea and allow the vapour fill my nostrils and swirl around my head as the toaster emits a warm mouth-watering fragrance. I can then spread the butter and savour the taste and enjoy the moment .... then...... there are days that I slam the kettle on with barely enough water to give it the quickest boil time, I throw bread into the toaster - usually one slice in the false hope that is all I need, then fling open the fridge and retrieve the butter and milk.

The tea bag is hurled into the mug as the kettle clicks off and the water follows soon after. A teaspoon twirls the steaming hot liquid, fishes out the soggy bag and stirs the milk. Heaven help the toaster if, at this point it is still gently warming the bread - often I pop it up, give the bread a hard glare and quickly press back down.

Often the toast is barely tanned, more dried out when 'fridge-hard butter is forcibly smushed along the top and stuffed into my mouth ... as I put in a second slice, ignoring the voice in my head which in a  disappointing tone reminds me that I was not going to have that additional piece. However, I am usually so busy chomping that the voice is drowned out and then soothed by a glurping of tea.

The second slice is usually a little more genteelly quaffed  as the first slightly warm and dried out bread has taken the edge off..... but not always!

I was going to share a photo of an artfully arranged slice of toast and gently steaming mug of tea - but as you can see, the toast did not make it to the photo shoot and the tea ... well, the tea is all but finished.... oops.... it has been one of those days!