Hey Paula, Dad loved his tea very strong too, just a dash of milk, and yes, that phrase about 'tea you can stand your spoon up in' rings a bell too. :0) When I grew older and went out to work, it took me ages to get used to very milky tea, which so many people used to have, mainly to cool it down I think, so they could gulp it faster during tea break time.

And we had tea at Betty's, in York a year or two ago now. Like stepping back into another age.

This thread also reminds me of when I was a teenager, and I shared a holiday with my friend, going to her Granny's in the Lake District. We went out for a cup of tea in the afternoon, into Keswick, and Oh, Afternoonn Tea in Keswick, back then, was a very different affair to back home in the cafes around where I lived. Oop North, tea was accompanied by enough cakes to feed half an army! :0) Served on a bone china cake plate, with three tiers, each tier brimming over with warm scones, fruit cake, chocolate cake, and sandwiches cut into small mouthfuls.

It was a real 'occasion'. I remember sitting there staring at this wonderful food, not knowing where to start. And they'd always bring the tray of tea things to the table, with a cheery "And who's going to be Mother?", meaning who was going to pour the tea out, etc.

My Mumm always carried a tea strainer in her handbag, because she had a real hang up about tea leaves in the cup, and back then, tea bags didn't exist and not all cafes/restaurants had strainers. I always recall the strange looks when out she came with the tea strainer! LOL   

Actually, her handbag was more like a survival kit, but then these days, so is mine. Hey, maybe there's a whole new thread there. :0)