Tea From The Manor is very proud to be entering into a new and exciting partnership with Care UK. Over the last five months our proprietor, James Green, has been working alongside Care UK’s Hotel Services Manager, Andrew Mussett, to create ‘Next Level Tea’.

Four different flavours have been produced to provide a wide range of flavours for residents with dysphagia (a difficulty in swallowing). Green Tea and Mint, Red Berry, English Breakfast and Earl Grey are all on the menu, giving residents of Care UK care homes a diverse selection. With the herbal and fruit tea options being decaffeinated, this further adds to a varied choice for resident

Although making a drink which would be safe and nutritious for residents with dysphagia was vital, making sure that it tasted nice and would be a drink that could be enjoyed was of equal importance. As Andrew at Care UK has said;

From our research, we know most residents switch to coffee when they enter care homes. We think this is due to personal preference – care homes may not carry a resident’s favourite brand of tea, for example. It was important to us that the teas maintained their strong aroma to help promote the flavour. Usually, once the thickener is added, this is lost, but we’re pleased that this is not the case here. They are the perfect palate cleanser for residents and the teas leave them feeling refreshed.

With decades of experience in tasting and developing the finest teas, James was able to bring his knowledge and passion to the process.

I was particularly excited by this project in terms of finding flavours that would work well with the thickening agents used in drinks. We tried a lot of combinations to get every blend just right. Residents each have their own taste memory so we wanted to make sure we could represent as many of them as we could in our partnership with Care UK. A favourite of mine is the Red Berry flavour. Not only can it be enjoyed as a hot drink it can also be allowed to cool make a delicious chilled beverage.