Food nostalgia: yes, it’s a thing! And it makes sense as to why — when we eat foods that are associated with good memories, we feel good.
Which, in turn, impacts how good we think those foods taste, too! And these festive ones that we have collated below taste fantastic.
So, whether it’s teleportation to Nana’s kitchen with lashings of sweet custard or that Christmas you spent in Spain sipping mulled wine Sangria, there’s a treat here that will jog your memory and have you running to try more!
Mini Fruit Trifles with Trifle Delicious Jelly
Created by @lisaeatworld
Serves 4 people
Ingredients
- 1 packet of 85g berry jelly crystals
- 2 tsp of T2 Trifle Delicious tea
- 1 ½ cups of thick vanilla custard
- 1 cup of vanilla sponge, cut into small cubes
- ¼ cup sherry or juice
- 400g of fresh berries
- 300ml thickened cream
- Pistachios to garnish — optional
Method
-
1
To make the Trifle Delicious Jelly, place two scoops of T2 Trifle Delicious in a teapot and fill with 250ml of boiling water. Infuse for 4 minutes then strain. Place the jelly crystals in a bowl and add the tea. Add 200ml of cold water and stir.
-
2
Pour the jelly mixture into the bottom of 4 jars. Place the jars in the fridge and set until wobbly yet firm — minimum 4 hours.
-
3
Pour the custard on top of the jelly layer to make the second layer of the trifle.
-
4
Place the vanilla sponge in a bowl and drizzle with sherry or juice to lightly coat. Place the sponge on top of the custard later and sprinkle with some of the berries.
-
5
Whip the cream until it forms soft peaks and place on top of the berries.
-
6
Decorate with berries and pistachios.
For this recipe you’ll need
Loose leaf tea
Vegan Oat Milk Eggnog Rice Pudding
Created by our Tea Sommelier
Shot by @johuczek
Serves 1 person
Ingredients
- 120g risotto or pudding rice
- 800ml oat milk
- 4 tbsp maple syrup
- 8 tsp T2 Eggnog tea
- 1 tsp vanilla paste
Method
-
1
Place 200ml of water and 8teaspoons of T2 Eggnog loose leaf black tea into a pan, bring to the boil then remove from the heat and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Strain and discard the tea leaves.
-
2
Put the rice, oat milk, 200ml of brewed tea, half the maple syrup or honey and the vanilla into a large pan, stir and reduce the heat. Cook gently for around 45 minutes, or until thick and creamy, stirring regularly. Add the remaining maple syrup on top as you serve for a sweeter treat.
For this recipe you’ll need
Loose leaf tea
Christmas Breakfast Tea Poached Pears with Rice Pudding
Created by @lisaeatworld
Serves 4 person
Ingredients
Poached pears
- 4 Beurre Bosc pears
- 1 ½ litres (6 cups) boiling water
- 6 scoops of T2 Christmas Breakfast tea
- 1 cup caster sugar
- 1 small stick of cinnamon
- 1 star anise
- 50g saffron threads —optional
- Pistachios to garnish — optional
Rice pudding
- 3 cups milk
- ½ cup medium grain rice
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Method
-
1
Peel the pears, making sure to leave the stalk intact.
-
2
Place the tea in a large heat proof jug and fill with boiling water. Allow to brew for 4 minutes then strain.
-
3
Pour the tea into a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the sugar, pears, spices and saffron (optional) then stir. Bring the mixture to the boil then reduce the heat. Cover the saucepan with non-stick baking paper to ensure pears are submerged. Simmer for 30 minutes until the pears are tender.
-
4
Using a slotted spoon, carefully remove the pears from the pan and transfer to another bowl. Increase the heat to medium and cook the poaching liquid for a further 20 or so minutes until it reduces into a golden syrup.
-
5
While the syrup is reducing make the rice pudding. Combine the milk, rice, sugar, cinnamon and vanilla in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 – 20 minutes until the pudding is soft and creamy, stirring frequently to ensure the pudding doesn’t stick to the pan. Add more milk if required.
-
6
Divide pudding into bowls and top with poached pear. Drizzle extra syrup on top. Serve immediately.
For this recipe you’ll need
Loose leaf tea
Oat Milk Bread & Butter Pudding Thick Shake
Created by our Tea Sommelier
Shot by @johuczek
Serves 5 person
Ingredients
- 3 cups oat milk
- ¼ cup old fashioned rolled oats
- 1 cup raw cashews
- ⅔ cup maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 8 scoops (approx. 30g) T2 Bread & Butter Pudding tea
Method
To infuse the milk
-
1
Place 8 scoops of tea into 2 cups of oat milk. Place into the fridge and allow to infuse overnight.
To make ice-cream
-
1
In a small sauce pan, simmer oats in 1 cup of milk until soft, about 10 minutes. Immediately transfer to a bowl to cool.
-
2
Strain the 2 cups of tea infused milk.
-
3
In a blender combine the 2 cups of milk and the cashews. Blend on high until completely smooth. Add the cooled oatmeal, maple syrup, vanilla, salt and blend again. Refrigerate for at least one hour.
-
4
Churn the mixture according to the instructions for your ice cream maker. At this point the ice cream will be softer than a typical soft serve consistency. Transfer it to a freezer-safe container, cover, and for 4 hours or until frozen.
If you don't own an ice cream maker you can still whip up a batch of this vanilla-maple oat ice cream. The no-churn method looks like this:
No-churn method-
1
After blending the ice cream mixture, pour it into a shallow, freezer-safe container.
-
2
Place in the freezer until it starts to freeze around the edges, about 45 minutes. Give it a vigorous stir, then return it to the freezer.
-
3
Repeat this process every 30 to 45 minutes until the ice cream is the desired consistency. It will take about 5 to 6 hours to reach soft-serve state.
To make the thick shake
-
1
Take 2 scoops of ice cream, ½ cup of oat milk, blend and serve with a wide straw.
For this recipe you’ll need
Loose leaf tea
Oat Milk Eggnog Custard
Created by our Tea Sommelier
Shot by @nina.c.sees
Serves 1 person
Ingredients
- 200ml double cream
- 700ml oat milk
- 4 large egg yolks
- 3 tbsp cornflour
- 100g caster sugar
- 8 tsp T2 Eggnog tea
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Method
-
1
Put the cream, milk and T2 Eggnog black tea leaves into a large pan and gently bring to boiling point. Remove from the heat and allow to infuse for 15 minutes. Strain the cream and milk. Discard of the tea leaves.
-
2
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk the yolks, cornflour, sugar and vanilla. Gradually pour the hot milk mixture onto the sugar mixture, whisking constantly.
-
3
Wipe out the saucepan and pour the mixture back into it. Heat gently, stirring with a spoon until the custard is thickened, but before any lumps form. Eat hot or cold.
For this recipe you’ll need
Loose leaf tea
Mulled Wine Magic Christmas Sangria
Created by @balconybartender
Serves 1 person
Ingredients
- 750ml of T2 chilled Mulled Wine Magic tea
- 500ml of red wine
- 100ml of orange liqueur — Grand Marnier preferred
- 250ml of cranberry juice
- 250ml of pomegranate juice
- 100ml of cinnamon sugar syrup
- Fresh apple slices, orange slices & rosemary for garnish
Method
-
1
Using a T2 Jug-A-Lot, brew one batch of Mulled Wine Magic tea by adding 8 teaspoons of tea to 750ml of water and allow to infuse overnight in the fridge.
-
2
In a large pitcher, add all the ingredients in and stir together before allowing to chill in the fridge for 2 to 4 hours.
-
3
To serve the cocktail, add crushed ice to a wine glass, and pour in the sangria mix.
-
4
Garnish with a fresh apple slice, orange slice and a sprig of rosemary. Enjoy!
For this recipe you’ll need
Loose leaf tea
Festive Christmas Crumble with Trifle Delicious Poached Berries
Created by @littlekalegirl
Serves 4 people
Ingredients
For the filling
- 2 red apples, sliced
- 500g blueberries — fresh or frozen
- 250g strawberries
- 100g mulberries
- 2 cups Trifle Delicious tea
- 1 teaspoon of cinnamon powder
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg powder
- ½ teaspoon grounded cloves
- 2-3 tablespoons coconut sugar or maple syrup or sugar
- Juice from 1 orange
For the crumble
- 1 cup of ground almonds
- 120g butter or vegan butter
- 100g oats
- 100g flour
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla essence
- 80g coconut sugar
- Zest from 1 orange
Method
-
1
Brew Trifle Delicious tea by adding 2 teaspoons of tea to 2 cups of boiling water and steep for 5 minutes.
-
2
Add filling ingredients to a pan and simmer for 10 minutes. 2 to 4 hours.
-
3
Leave simmered fruits in liquid for 5 hours (or overnight) to let flavours infuse. Then strain a majority of the liquid.
-
4
Prepare the crumble by combining the crumble ingredients in a bowl and rubbing between your fingers.
-
5
In a baking dish, add the cooked fruits and then layer the crumble mixture on top.
-
6
Bake for 30-40 minutes on 180°C degrees Celsius until the crumble is golden brown and the kitchen smells like Christmas!
For this recipe you’ll need
Loose leaf tea
Hot Buttered Rum & Eggnog Cocktail
Created by @balconybartender
Serves 1 person
Ingredients
- 30ml of spiced or dark rum
- 250ml of T2 Eggnog tea — served hot
- 1-2 tbsp of Buttered Rum Batter
Buttered Rum Batter
- 4 tbsp of butter (softened)
- 3 tbsp of raw sugar
- ½ cup of thickened cream or melted ice cream
- ½ tsp of ground cinnamon
Method
-
1
Brew 1 cup of Eggnog tea by adding 1 teaspoon of tea to 250ml of boiling water.
-
2
Add 30ml of rum to the tea and then scoop on 1-2 tablespoons of batter.
-
3
Garnish with a cinnamon stick. Enjoy!
To make the Buttered Rum Batter
-
1
In a mixing bowl, beat together ingredients until it becomes a light and fluffy texture. Move into a resealable container and store in the fridge for at least 2 hours before serving.
For this recipe you’ll need
Loose leaf tea
Bread & Butter Pudding Iced Tea
Created by @littlekalegirl
Serves 1 person
Ingredients
For the iced tea
- 1 brewed cup of T2 Bread & Butter Pudding tea
- Dash of milk or plant based alternative
To garnish
- Whipped cream — as desired
- Sprinkle ground cinnamon
- Fresh rosemary — optional
- Cinnamon stick — optional
Method
-
1
Brew T2 Bread & Butter Pudding tea by combining 1 teaspoon of tea with 1 cup of water and steep for 3-5 minutes.
-
2
Top with a dash of milk and let cool in fridge.
-
3
Once chilled, top with whipped cream and sprinkle with cinnamon.
-
4
Garnish with rosemary and cinnamon sticks if desired.
-
5
Enjoy! It’s that easy.
For this recipe you’ll need
Loose leaf tea
Spiced Eggnog Cocktail
Created by @balconybartender
Serves 1 person
Ingredients
For the iced tea
- 30ml of spiced or dark rum
- 30ml of bourbon whisky
- 30ml of thickened cream
- 15ml of cinnamon syrup
- 60ml of T2 Eggnog tea
- 1 whole egg
Method
-
1
In a cocktail shaker, combine all of the ingredients and then dry shake (without ice) for 10-15 seconds.
-
2
Add ice into the shaker and shake again for 10-15 seconds.
-
3
Double strain into a coupe style cocktail glass and allow the creamy head to settle.
-
4
Garnish with a sprinkle of ground nutmeg or cinnamon. Enjoy!
For this recipe you’ll need
Loose leaf tea
Related articles
All-new Advent Calendar
Smiles start with our all-new Advent Calendar. Including daily heart-warming affirmations, this is the perfect self-love gift to give yourself.
Read More
October is: Global Diversity Month
It takes all kinds of characters, opinions, experiences and abilities to create a world that embraces all flavours and tastes.
Read More
25 and feelin’ fine
They say you can’t change the past — and why would we want to! So, let’s cast our eyes back across the teascape and look at not only where we have come from, but prepare for what’s on the horizon, too.
Read More
