News

Date

December 02 2023

Written By

seamus mc arevey

Irish soda bread recipe for Christmas

Written By seamus mc arevey - December 02 2023

Irish soda bread recipe for Christmas

Easy Irish Soda Bread recipe

Mrs Doyle's Irish Soda Bread is one of the quickest breads to make, and it does not require any yeast. The leavening of the bread comes from baking soda and that amazing Irish buttermilk. This Irish Soda Bread recipe is dense, and soft all at the same time and has the best ever crusty exterior.

 Sometimes making homemade bread feels like it could be difficult and time consuming, but it's your lucky day. Mrs Doyle's Irish soda bread can be made quickly and easily by almost anyone. Yes this is a shortcut bread but it certainly doesn’t skimp on flavor. 

Irish soda bread is so easy because it only needs a few ingredients, and the one that makes it taste so good is buttermilk. The buttermilk is so important because it reacts with the baking soda and so permits the bread’s leavening, and of course it gives the bread that great flavor, so with a cup of the best Irish tea and a slice of soda bread you can relax and if you are living far away from Ireland or if you are with friends and family you will always feel at home with this great soda bread and a nice cup of Mrs Doyle's tea .  

  • Mrs Doyle soda bread recipe gives a bread that has a golden brown crust and also a dense crumb, just lovely. Mrs Doyle's Irish bread isn’t heavy, it’s really tender and soft, the crust is perfectly crisp as soon as it comes out of the oven,  and in a day or two it's even better and it is the perfect bread for an great Irish breakfast , so if you are sending a friend or relative an Irish gift for Christmas or a Irish gift hamper well why not make up Mrs Doyle's Irish soda bread and send it to them as well Go On Go
  • So how do you make the best Irish soda bread? The method
  • First whisk buttermilk and one egg together, at the same time whisk a little sugar, flour, baking soda, together in another bowl. Now cut some butter into the flour mixture, remember that cutting the butter into the flour is an important step, and this is how you get the great flaky texture. Go on use your hands and mix it up, and then using a very good knife, score the dough, so that heat gets into the center so that the bread will bake well. Also please note that Irish soda bread can be made without an egg, it's really up to you. However an egg will add a little richness to the soda bread. Feel free to skip it to make a slightly lighter loaf. No other changes necessary, and if eggs are not for you ,simply leave out the egg. Finally  bake until it's golden brown as easy as it gets .

Ingredients

 

    • 1 teaspoon of baking soda and 1 teaspoon salt
    • 5 Tablespoons  unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
    • 4 and quarter cups  all-purpose flour 
    • 1 and three quarter cups buttermilk
    • 1 large egg this is optional
    • 3 Tablespoons  granulated sugar
    • and depending on your taste 1 cup  raisins, but you can leave them out if you like !
How to serve ? 

This Irish soda bread has a little sugar, but not too much, and It’s a wonderful for afternoon tea and you can serve it with butter, jam, or even a nice Tipperary cheese. 

    1. COOKING INSTRUCTIONS:
    1.  Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C). Use a ordinary baking sheet and line it with parchment paper , grease a 9-10 inch cake pan or maybe a pie dish. Now grease or line with parchment paper. You will need to whisk the buttermilk and egg together, and then set it to one side. Next whisk the flour, the sugar, the baking soda, and salt all together in a big bowl. Next cut in the butter with your fingers, also remember to  do your best to cut the butter until the butter is tiny balls sized crumbs. Stir in the raisins if you decide to use them. Now pour in the buttermilk .
    2. Now its time to fold the dough together until dough is really stiff .Pour the crumbly dough onto a little floured surface. Finally with your hands, work the dough into a ball, then knead it until all the flour is moistened. What next ? simply transfer the dough to the prepared pan and using a very sharp knife score the dough with a  X about 1/2 inch deep.
    3. Now it's time to bake until the bread is golden brown and center appears cooked through, this will take about 45-55 minutes. Place foil over the bread if you see a  heavy browning on top. Now remove the bread from the oven and let the  bread cool for 10 minutes, and then transfer to a plate.
    4. It is best to serve warm, or at least at room temperature, or toasted with desired toppings/spreads. You can store leftover bread at room temperature for up to 2 days or actually put it in the refrigerator for up to a week. 

Ok now its time to enjoy so Go on sit back with a nice cup of Mrs Doyle's Irish tea and jam and enjoy the best soda bread ever!

Irish Christmas gifts

Date

November 23 2023

Written By

seamus mc arevey

Irish Christmas cake recipe

Written By seamus mc arevey - November 23 2023

Irish Christmas cake recipe
Mrs Doyle's Irish Christmas cakes are made in lots of different ways, all with lots of love and in general they are variations on the old fashioned fruitcake. They are very tasty, and they can be light, dark, a little moist, a little dry, sometimes heavy, and even sometimes spongy . Mrs Doyle's Irish Christmas cakes are made in many different shapes, sometimes with a little with frosting, or a dusting of icing sugar and of course they can be as simple and plain as you like .

So what are the special ingredients and what do they represent? well the  dried fruits in the cake may represent the fantastic eastern spices which the three Wise Men brought to the newborn King! And remember just to make things a little more interesting the fruits are sometimes soaked overnight in Irish whiskey.

 

So what are the ingredients of Mrs Doyle's Christmas  cakes ? ok here it comes , now remember , this cake only tastes great if you enjoy it with friends and family and a nice cup of decent Irish tea for everyone  !

 

My Christmas Cake Ingredients:

100ml  Irish whiskey

quarter of table spoon of ground clove

50g ground almonds

grated rind of 1 lemon & 1 orange

150g  raisins

125g  stoned dates

quarter of a block of real Irish butter

125g sultanas

100g glace cherries

extra butter for greasing

200g soft brown sugar

4 eggs

grated rind of 1 lemon & 1 orange

2 table spoons of black treacle 

225g  plain flour

half a table spoon of salt

1 rounded table spoon of baking powder

1 table spoon of  mixed spice

quarter of teaspoon of  grated nutmeg

 grated nutmeg and a little few teaspoons of Irish whiskey 

 

My Method:

        You should Preheat the oven to 150°C (300°F), around Gas mark.

Now grease a 20cm cake tin and then line it with greaseproof paper. Next wrap some newspaper around the outside of your cake tin with string. This should  help the outside of the cake from going too brown during the cooking and so help it from  drying out.

Now it's time to beat together in a big bowl all that lovely  sugar & butter until its all very creamy. Next  add the eggs, add a little  flour in with each egg, and some treacle and perhaps a few grated fruit rinds and make sure you mix all  for a few minutes.

it's time to stir the flour and baking powder into the bowl of all these lovely soaked fruits and add some salt, some  spices and a few almonds, again stir all of these great ingredients together and mix well.

Now fold the fruit mix into the amazing egg mix, stir it all evenly. Now spoon the mix into the big cake tin, and maybe pull a little bit back in the middle of the cake , this will help as it rises, it will level itself off perfectly.

So Bake in the oven for 3 hours. If it is browning a lot , then cover it loosely with some tin foil. Now cook for another 30 minutes. You will know the cake is ready if you insert a fine skewer into the middle of the cake , and it  comes out clean and really dry.

Now it's time to leave the cake to cool in the tin. 

When the cake is cool, you can remove it from the tin, take off the lining paper, and  wrap it first in clean greaseproof paper and then in tinfoil.

Here is the secret!  do all this in November and each week leading up to Christmas, pour another little bit of your favourite drink over it. This will help the  alcohol to penetrate to the Christmas cake and will make it taste so Irish Go On Go!

here's a hint for the perfect Irish gift to send to some one you love or may be a self gift ? yes go on try a Mrs Doyle's Irish Christmas breakfast hamper for everyone to enjoy with your Christmas cake , you can check out just how good Mrs Doyle's tea is vs Barry's ! no competition at all ! 

Date

November 10 2023

Written By

seamus mc arevey

Best tea for longevity

Written By seamus mc arevey - November 10 2023

If you want to live a long life and a healthy life—it's very much a matter of what you eat and drink. So next time you are shopping in the supermarket or health store check out their loose leaf teas and herbal infusions or if they don't stock loose leaf tea then simply go online, infect most high end foods these days can be shipped to you by next day delivery, including loose leaf teas. .

 

What are the best foods for longevity for people who live in Britain and Ireland ?

Our climate can be difficult in winter but all the natural ingredients that we need for a healthy life do grow in these islands, it is just a matter of knowing how to use them. So what are the life boosting foods we should all be using .

BERRIES FOR LIFE 

Yes berries are natures secrete weapon to help keep us healthy, in the UK and Ireland we  are not part of the Blue Zone of countries where people commonly reach their 90's but we do have the most amazing variety of berries growing everywhere and sure today we can pick them up in the supper market and buy a pack of frozen berries, i love blueberries but what ever your tastes are go for it.. Also beans , leafy greens are all linked to giving you extra years to your life. So  what are the best types of drink to help us live a long life ? 

For a long time they said red wine in moderation could be beneficial but new research seems to indicate that even small amounts of any alcoholic beverage is not really that good for you ! To day almost all research indicates that the best drink for longevity is actually green tea. Tea is a super beverage that has potent phenolic compounds which can help fight cancer and protect our cardiovascular system. Green tea is by far the winner for healthy drinks, it is  rich in catechins, which are some of the most powerful disease-fighting phytonutrients we can find anywhere on the plant kingdom.

So green tea protects against cancer and helps your heart stay healthy and also very importantly it can help you sleep better. The studies undertaken around the world seems to indicate that  drinking green tea on a regular basis is directly linked to living a long and  healthy life. 

There was a 2018 study which found that regular tea drinkers have a reduced risk in age-related decreases of high-density lipoprotein , that is in ordinary English it helps with "good" cholesterol"! .Green and black tea are helpful with green tea having a slightly stronger effect than black tea. It has also been found that Green tea’s EGCGs , which is a type of good for you catechin, which is particularly prevalent in the tea and this may help inhibit tumor growth.

Green tea is also good for your gut health as within your gut there are beneficial gut bugs, these feed on foods rich in polyphenols, which include green tea. One of these beneficial gut bugs is called akkermansia muciniphila and it is this bug that supports the protective mucus layer that prevents a leaky gut , it basically keeps the gut lining strong. It has been found that low levels of this critical bacteria have been linked to diabetes, obesity,  autoimmune disease, cancer, and  heart disease.

It also seems that green tea is good for the brain, this is because of green tea has caffeine and catechins, and it is these Catechins that can help protect your body from free radicals, so protecting both your brain and the rest of your system.

So green tea is definitely a supper food and most definitely the winner, it is the best beverage to help you live a long and healthy life. 

So how much green tea should you drink? we think two cups a day is perfect !

 

What if you don't like the taste of green tea ?

That is not a problem , because high end tea companies have expert blenders who add little touches of taste like vanilla which is actually our most loved , yes green tea vanilla is the most healthiest breakfast tea. Also green tea is blended with many really good ingredients like mint, check out our Mr Doyle's chillout tea , it is probably the best minty tea in the world and also you can have green tea with rose petals like our Emperors Seven Secrets tea or try a green tea blended with white tea .

The overall message is that green tea is really good for you and so we would say check out the many tastes of green tea and the many blends of green tea with other herbal infusions so that you can taste the best and most healthy drinks in the world , Go On Go.

 

Date

November 02 2023

Written By

seamus mc arevey

Ayurvedic tea might be the perfect tea for Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales

Written By seamus mc arevey - November 02 2023

What is Ayurvedic tea?

Ayurvedic tea is a herbal type of tea that is made from a variety of many herbs. In India Ayurveda is a traditional system of medicine, it has been used for centuries, it works by classifying personalities into one of three categories which are known as doshas. These three are Vata, Pitta, and Kapha personalities and all have individual characteristics. Ayurvedic teas are known by the similar names: Vata tea, Pitta tea, and Kapha tea. Basically Ayurvedic tea is thought to help balance these three doshas and so may help improve health.


The ingredients of Ayurvedic tea

In the ayurvedic system every person will have an overall dosha, so each tea is blended to have a selection of herbs to help balance the dosha. Everyone will also have certain elements of each dosha within them, therefore the teas made with ingredients from other doshas are also good to drink.

What are the common ingredient of the three main types of ayurvedic tea? 

1.0 Vata tea ingredients include cinnamon, fennel, and cloves.

2.0 Pitta tea ingredients include cardamom, fennel, and roses. 

3.0 Kapha tea ingredients include cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, and black pepper.

Also please note all the teas can include licorice and ginger, and other ingredients.

 

Why these ingredients?

The thinking behind the ingredients has been passed down the generations but basically cinnamon is included in Vata tea because it warms the body and it is through to be a good  detoxifier. Fennel is thought to be good for digestion, cloves are considered to be good at fighting infection and also boosting the immune system. Cardamon it is thought helps improve digestion and also it is considered to have a calming effect on the body. Fennel it seems helps to reduce bloating and also calms the body. As for Roses these help boost the immune system. Licorice can be a fantastic ingredient for all three of the main teas as it helps to improve digestion and has anti-inflamtory properties.

 

 

.How do I make Ayurvedic tea ?

There are no real rules or recipe on how to make Ayurvedic teas, as it depends on your own individual dosha. The ingredients are basically simple, and you can find them i most stores. So to start prepare the hot water and warm your teapot, then add each of the ingredients into the teapot and steep for around four to five minutes. To make Kapha tea we use Cloves, ginger, and black pepper as ingredients as they have good detoxifying properties, and they can also help boost the immune system and so fight possible infections.You can use sugar, stevia, or honey, to sweeten the tea or you can leave out the sweetener and also many variations can be taken cold as well as hot.

 

 

Top 6 Benefits of Ayurvedic Tea: 

There are many benefits associated with Ayurvedic tea. Some of the top benefits are said to include:

Digestion & Detoxification

Ayurvedic tea has been used for centuries for aiding digestion and soothing the belly. Many of the ingredients in Ayurvedic tea help with detoxifying your system and also help to boost your immune system, for example cardamom improves digestion, fennel can help to reduce bloating, cinnamon is a good detoxifier, and licorice sooths the belly. Basically all the ingredients help to make an infusion that is really good for digestion and can help improve your gut health.

 

Calming effect

It is thought that Ayurvedic tea has a calming effect on the body, basically the thinking is that herbs and ingredients in Ayurvedic tea may help relax the mind, so helping improve sleep quality and possibly your mood throughout the day. Ingredients like fennel, cardamon and ginger it is thought calm the body and may help to reduce stress levels. 

 

Immune system

We all know that Ayurvedic tea is loaded with antioxidants so the ingredients in Ayurvedic tea are great at helping boost your immune system therefore great at keeping us healthy. For example cloves, black pepper and  ginger all really helpful to boost your immune system.

 

Skin Health

The rain and wind in the UK and Ireland is not easy on the skin so it is important if you do not want to look old before your time that you start on a good system and one of the vital area for healthy young looking skin is what you drink!  The ingredients in Ayurvedic tea can help you look younger ! as they help cleanse your skin. Ayurvedic tea can also be great for your skin as the antioxidants found in Ayurvedic tea can help limit and so deal with  the free radicals that can cause cell damage in your body. Skin that has been damaged will age much quicker that normal therefore it is important to keep your antioxidants topped up .

 

Mental Health

It is thought that the ingredients in Ayurvedic tea may help with maintaining good mental health, as it is felt that the ayurvedic tea can help reduce stress levels in our bodies, possibly by calming the mind, and therefore improving your overall mood. Cardamon, black pepper and Ginger are great ingredient for improving mental health as it seems they contribute to helping reduce stress levels and so calm your mind. As for Black pepper it seems it can help improving concentration! so worth a try!. Remember for good mental health, you must consume the recommended daily value of vitamins and nutrients which you get through a healthy diet form regular meals and foods full of nutrients,  minerals and vitamins, and if you feel you are suffering from depression please go and see your doctor as metal health is so so important for us all 

 

Weight Loss

Many also consider that Ayurvedic tea has the ability to help you loss weight! The ingredients in Ayurvedic tea do support metabolism and help with a healthy gut health. We know that cinnamon is a great ingredient for boosting metabolism and Holy basil is used in Ayurvedic tea and is also good for gut health so helping to improve digestion. If weight loss is what you are trying for then it is also important to make sure you get all the required vitamin, minerals and  nutrients so ayurvedic tea can help you with weight loss but it's just part of the picture , diet and exercise and removing pollutants and stress should not be underestimated ! . all the array of  Vitamins like  B12, vitamin C, vitamin D, and calcium are very important to help lose weight.

Persian tea party

Ayurvedic tea and your health

Ayurvedic tea is at heart a combination of herbs and other ingredients that can help in almost every aspect of your overall health. The ingredients in Ayurvedic tea come together to make a herbal infusion that is great for your immune system and for your over all health. It is important to choose carefully the ingredients if you want to blend your own  ayurvedic tea as the quality of the ingredients is important. Poor ingredients will result in a poor tasting and an inferior overall tea, so reducing any benefits to your health, so go on enjoy ayurvedic tea and love life and remember be nice to yourself .

Date

October 11 2023

Written By

seamus mc arevey

Irish Holloween food

Written By seamus mc arevey - October 11 2023

Samhain was the Celtic great festival of fire and feasting and today it is known as Halloween and yes it all started in Ireland . Samhain marks the change of seasons and the beginning of the dark months . Samhain main recipes is based around  turnips, nuts, gourds and apples, apple cider, and ale . Once the  harvest work was complete , the tradition was for the village to came together to feast and to tell stories of the past and of the future .

The main  Halloween foods were based around potato dishes like champ , which is mashed potatoes with spring onion. They also enjoyed  colcannon which is mashed potatoes and kale or green cabbage meal , and of course there was Boxty which is potato pancakes made with raw potatoes and buttermilk which is pan-fried .Other common foods were full of fruit and  nuts and of course we have to mention barmbrack bread which is loved by everyone on the island of Ireland around  Halloween .

IRISH HALLOWEEN TRADITIONS

It’s interesting to learn that many of the traditions that we all think of as part of American Halloween  have their roots in Irish Halloween traditions. So how did  holloween become part of American culture ? well Irish immigrants to the US brought these fantastic traditions to America, and so an Irish tradition became part of the mainstream of American culture! 

The famous Trick or treating originally  comes when poor Irish children who went door to door to request money and food.  The children would sing prayers and  in reward they would get soul cake which is a kind of bread with lots of  fruits. Turnip  Lanterns were also very  famous in Irish Halloween tradition.  These lanterns were carved from turnips or even  large potatoes.

 

SLICE OF BARMBRACK TELLS YOUR FORTUNE

In Ireland the traditional fruity loaf is known as  Barmbrack, it's name came from the Irish " bairin breac" which translates as speckled loaf. Barmbrack is eaten all year round, however at Halloween magic is added to this bread and fortune telling is added to the mix. The fruits in barnbrack are traditionally soaked in tea and whiskey to create the rich flavour, and the tea is of course Mrs Doyle's favourite part of Holloween. 

Traditionally Irish homes would always have the smell of baking bread and barmbrack cooking , usually over an open fire in the kitchen or living room . At its basic Barmbrack is simply a dried fruit-studded bread, but it has magic powers around holloween ! The Irish Halloween barmbrack tradition is that everyone gets a small slice,  however you need to careful when biting into it, as you might find that something has been hidden inside the bread  that can tell your future for the coming year !

You might find perhaps a ring, so expect the discovery of a true love and even a future wedding, alas if you are unlucky and find a thimble, this predicts that  you will never marry, and a button predicts bachelorhood for the men. For those who find a coin this is a prediction that they might get rich in the coming year!

So how do you make this magical bread , well Mrs Doyle's traditional Irish Barmbrack with a nice cup of Irish tea is of course the best recipe and being the decent sort she has written it all out for us all to make 

HOW TO MAKE IRISH BARMBRACK FOR HALLOWEEN

Baking Barmbrack is an Irish Halloween tradition and so you just have to include some charms to make your barmbrack magical . 

Mrs Doyle's Barmbrack recipe takes  3.5 hours to make which includes resting and cooking time, to enjoy it please serve it straight from the oven

 

INREDIENTS

Fruit mix

  • warm Mrs Doyle's Irish tea , which should be enough to cover the sultanas
  •  a 350g (1½ cups) sultanas
  • 50ml (¼ cup) Bushmills whiskey
  • 1 lemon, juice and zest

Dough

  • 450g around 2 cups, strong bread flour
  • salt, pinch
  • 15g (1tbsp) dried yeast
  • one nice  beaten egg
  • salt just a little pinch 
  • 280ml  room temperature of creamy milk
  • 50g  around 3½tbsp, Irish unsalted butter
  • 50g  sugar

To

  • teaspoon of  Irish butter
  • 1 table spoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ table spoon ground mixed spice

THE METHOD:

  1. Soak the sultanas in the Irish whiskey, lemon juice and Mrs Doyle's hot tea for around 30-45 minutes, then drain off the liquid.
  2. How to make the dough, simply  put all the ingredients into a mixing bowl and mix with a big wooden spoon.
  3. Knead the dough on a floured surface with your hands for five to six minutes.
  4. Put the dough in a bowl, then cover with a damp tea towel. Leave for about  1 hour, until the mixture has risen and fills the total  bowl.
  5. Knead the dough again on a floured surface, add soaked fruit until spread throughout the mixture.
  6. Place it in a 20-23cm buttered cake tin then cover with a damp tea towel.
  7. Leave  about 20 minutes until the mixture rises up to the top of the tin.
  8. Bake for 50 minutes in an oven preheated to around 200C.
  9. Making the topping simply  cream the butter and spices together until soft , 
  10. Lastly now remove the barmbrack from the oven and right away spread spiced butter on top and leave to cool.

Date

October 08 2023

Written By

seamus mc arevey

Mrs Doyle's tea at Dublin Veg Fest

Written By seamus mc arevey - October 08 2023

We attended the Dublin Veg Fest a few weeks back on 23rd & 24th September at Leinster cricket club and it was a fantastic weekend full of fun and great food and drinks. Our primary wish was to raise awareness of our vegan products, meet lots of new friends, and lean about other new great vegan foods and drinks .


Mrs Doyles Tea as a small business, and it is committed to providing high-quality vegan products to our customers. We decided to attend Dublin Veg Fest which is probably the biggest festival of this type in Ireland , in order to really meet  with the vegan community, who have always loved our loose leaf teas and to let everyone taste our new tea blends and herbal infusions. And yes there was overwhelmingly positive feedback from everyone , yip everyone really loved our happy teas! and our wide selection of loose leaf teas and herbal infusions, which are mostly all sourced directly by Mrs Doyle and her team of lovely girls, while on their world tours each year.

We did lots of tastings and indeed many of our visitors bought their favourite teas especially our famous Irish Breakfast tea. This indicates a growing demand for vegan products and indeed for great loose leaf teas , and our presence at the festival allowed us to connect directly with lots of  new customers and renew old friendships . Our participation in the festival of course helps get the word out ,  increased brand exposure but mostly its a great way to meet everyone who has supported us over the years and especially to show Mrs Doyle's support for animal rights which is close to all our hearts.

Our stand attracted a steady flow of visitors, and our teas received attention on social media platforms, which is good for everyone, sure Go On Go!  .
The festival provided an opportunity to observe and learn from competitors in the vegan market and exchange great recipes for vegan cake which is the perfect cake for well tea and cake!

We also of course gained insights into current vegan and vegie trends, and new innovations, so keep an eye open for Mrs Doyle's vegan cakes coming soon! .
We meet lots of other businesses, influencers, and organizations in the vegan
community, who are really great bunch of people . These relationships might even lead to collaborations, and maybe even a few partnerships in the future, and yes conversations with festival attendees provided valuable insights into their preferences, needs, and expectations from vegan products. 

So it was a great weekend and attending in Dublin Veg Fest was a positive and insightful experience for Mrs Doyle's Tea and our team of lovely girls really enjoyed meeting everyone who came along , so that was just great to see you all and, can't wait until Christmas when we will meet again at the upcoming Christmas festivals.

O' yes look out for us at the Christmas market in Kilruddery house and gardens  which runs from middle of November until 23 December 2023 , come along and meet us for a happy tea Go On Go  . .

Date

October 07 2023

Written By

seamus mc arevey

Best tea for helping with mild depression

Written By seamus mc arevey - October 07 2023

 

Winter is on its way and there is a lot less sunlight around which can have an effect on many of us, they call it SAD and it is a form of mild depression, usually well known in countries further North. So for tea lovers the question is are there any teas that can help when you are feeling a little low ?

Now firstly lets make it clear that Depression is a common mental health condition which may have a negatively affect on on how you feel, on how you think, and how you act, it is often causes  a general loss of interest in things and depression is a persistent feeling of sadness. So if you think you are suffering for Depression please check in with your doctor who can help, that is important ,our metal health is to be taken seriously. Remember  depression is a serious mental health condition. If you feel depression is interfering with your daily life, it is time to talk with your doctor, and remember tea is not a substitute for a doctor or the emergency services.

We do know that In mild forms, herbal teas may help lift your mood  For many years people all around the world  have been using herbal tea for its natural benefits and for its great taste. Many universities have undertaken studies that suggest drinking tea may be helpful in the treatment of depression, and these studies found a correlation between drinking tea and a decreased risk of depression. So you see tea is more than just a nice warm drink , it is here for us all to help with the everyday stresses of life.

There are many of the benefits of drinking herbal tea which include: elevated mood and help with relaxation, reduction in symptoms of insomnia, lowered stress and anxiety, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.

Which tea to drink?

It usually takes a little time to find which herbal tea blend tastes best for you and taste is very important , it is one of the main senses and so effects how you feel, so remember that it all boils down to the plant you choose to brew. So lets look at the main herbal tea blends and remember to talk to your doctor before adding these teas or other supplementary treatments to your routine.

 

Best for helping to reduce anxiety? 

Chamomile tea

Chamomile has been commonly used as an herbal remedy for helping with anxiety and sleeplessness. It has a relaxing scent, therefore it is one of the most popular teas in stores. In studies chamomile has been shown to help, with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) it was showed to help with a reduction of moderate to severe GAD symptoms. Obviously many more studies are required but the preliminary research seems to point out a possible correlation between chamomile and reduced stress.

 

Best for improving mood

Lemon balm tea

Lemon balm tea has a refreshing citrusy flavor with hints of mint, lemon balm has long been used to treat, sleeplessness, mild depression, and anxiety. The lemon-scented herb basically comes from the same family as mint and is native to Europe, North Africa, and West Asia, so its very common in most places and easy to grow. Lemon balm has been used to help improve mood and cognitive function, and having a mild calming effect, it makes a great drink before bed time , it is the basic sleepy tea.

St. John’s wort tea

St. John’s wort is a medicinal plant that’s been used for centuries to help with mild depression, as well as a host of other conditions. It has been commonly used to treat depression, sleep problems, anxiety and seasonal affective disorder otherwise known as SAD. Presently the medical research has not shown that St. John's wort is actually helpful for treatment of people with depression.

 

Best for lots of health benefits? yes it has to be Green tea

Green tea is thought to be one of the healthiest beverages on the planet. It’s full of antioxidants that have lots of health benefits, like protection against cancer ,ability to improve brain function and the ability to help with fat loss etc. Green tea is high in caffeine and L-theanine which is an amino acid that may help reduce anxiety, so If the morning cup of coffee is making you nervous, then try switching to green tea. Scientist believe that green tea consumption helps increases dopamine and serotonin, and both have been linked to some  reductions in symptoms of depression.

 

Ashwagandha tea

The best herbal infusion for a nice calming effect? try ashwagandha tea. In India Ashwagandha is an ancient medicinal herb and it is classified as an adaptogen, which means it can help your body deal with stress. The benefits  of Ashwagandha tea can include: lower blood sugar, ability to boost brain function and the ability to help with symptoms of anxiety and also depression.

 

CONCLUSION 

studies by the American Psychiatric Association have found that around 1 in 6 people will experience some form of depression at some time in their lives. If drinking certain teas or herbal infusions helps you that is great, but certainly be aware that depression is a serious illness so please don’t attempt to treat depression on your own, you are never alone, help is only a call away. Remember that with proper professional guidance, depression can become severe, but it can be properly treated. So see your doctor and discuss your consumption of herbal tea with them as some herbs can interact with medications you’re taking and therefore could negatively affect your health.

Date

October 05 2023

Written By

seamus mc arevey

Tea is good for you if you have a plant based diet

Written By seamus mc arevey - October 05 2023

  • The great benefits Of tea in a plant-based diet

    Tea has been enjoyed for many thousands of years to help comfort and heal. Today tea based beverages are recognized as a valuable addition for us who seek out a plant-based diet. There are just so many health benefits you can get from a nice cup of tea, and it is just so easy, so it is the perfect choice for everyone who is trying to go on a vegetarian diet or anyone who is vegan or trying to go vegan.

    The main benefits from tea is that it is high in antioxidants, and antioxidants are essential for keeping us in good health. Antioxidants help to protect our cells from all the damage caused by free radicals. The best tea for this is of course is green tea, as it is so high in antioxidant content. Green tea is also rich in catechins which are a type of antioxidant that has been shown to have great anti-inflammatory properties. We also know that tea is a great source of hydration, so it is a great choice for everyone to stay hydrated ,which is so important if you are following a plant-based diet. Tea also contains no added sugars or other artificial ingredients, so it is important for everyone trying to keep a health wight .

    In the western world the big killer in many cases can come down to too much stress in our everyday lives. Tea has a great ability to reduce stress. Lots of varieties of  teas and herbal infusions like green tea and dreamy chamomile all contain compounds that have been proven to  have a calming  effect and it is easy to create new and exciting flavor combinations of teas and herbal infusions. This makes tea a great choice for those looking to add variety to their plant-based diet.

    Tea can even be used in cooking, so adding great flavors to lots of dishes. We can use tea as a  marinade for tofu, or it can be added to stews and soups to give amazing flavor. So basically there are so many ways to use tea into a plant-based diet , it is the secrete weapon of nature! 

    We should also remember that tea is usually produced by small, family-owned farms, and so is very often grown by using sustainable farming , so it is really good for the planet and it is really good for us. Therefore we can really feel sure to say that  tea is really good if you are on a plant-based diet or starting to experiment with a plant based diet. Tea has so much with its high antioxidant content, it's ability to reduce stress, and with its amazing versatility tea really is a great choice for everyone trying to improve their overall health and energy levels, so Go on Go enjoy the great benefits of a nice cup of tea or herbal infusion this season.

Tea  

Date

September 20 2023

Written By

seamus mc arevey

Mrs Doyle's Happy teas at the Dublin Veg Fest this Sat & Sunday 23rd 24th September Rathmines

Written By seamus mc arevey - September 20 2023

Go On it's time to tty the best teas in the world at the Dublin Veg Fest ! Saturday, September 23 and Sunday 24th 2023, Leinster Cricket Club, Observatory Lane, Rathmines, D06 WF96

Come and say hallo to Mrs Doyle's team of Lovely girls who will be serving their range of happy teas and also launching their new range of Persian teas and Spices !

Yes Mrs Doyle's team of lovely girls have been away traveling along the Silk Road searching for more exotic teas and spices and have teamed up with sisters Mahay and Maryam, who's family have been trading the Silk Road for as long as time itself !

Join us for the celebration of all the best food on the island at Dublin Vegfest 2023! Get ready for a day filled with delicious food, cool talks, and lots of  exciting activities. There will be a variety of plant-based cuisines from local vendors and renowned chefs in the Food Village. We will have fantastic stories and tastes from the Silk Road and there will be comfort foods as well as decadent desserts and we might even teach you how to make amazing dishes from the Persia . So Go On discover new flavours and find your new fav vegie dish.

 

THE VEGAN FOOD VILLAGE

 The Vegan Food Village runs all day from 11 am till 6 pm so if you are vegan, veggie, curious about a plant based diet or even an Irish foodie, this might be the best place in Dublin this weekend and there should be plenty of free samples. We we will be partnering with sisters Mahya and Maryam all the way from Persia to show their Persian teas and Spices, these are amazing, the tastes are out of this world, you will just love them! The girls are publishing their new "Easy Persian" cookbook in time for Christmas so everyone can enjoy the fantastic flavours of Persiana, So Go On

.  

A little bit about the Dublin Vegetarian festival  ( Dublin veg fest).We are part of the Dublin veg fest as its all about being kind to animals and basically being healthy .The Dublin Veg fest is run by a small independent group of people that care deeply about animals and  about our planet. We are inspired by festivals worldwide and want to make Dublin Vegfest an important event for anyone curious about tasting ethical food, vegan options, community, health and enjoying life.

Date

September 16 2023

Written By

seamus mc arevey

Chamomile Sleepy tea can it help you sleep better

Written By seamus mc arevey - September 16 2023


SLEEPY TEA  does it work ? 

According to many studies most adults require between six and nine hours of sleep every night, so what if you just can’t get yourself to sleep at night? Well there are lots of reasons why it can be difficult to get to sleep at night , like depression , over work,  use of blue light devices like laptops just before bedtime and yes drinking too many drinks that contain caffeine during the evening.

Indeed caffeine is found in tea , coffee, chocolate, soft drinks and some medication. Yes it's true caffeine is great for giving us that energy boost we crave, usually when we are over worked. It is also true that some people are affected more by caffeine than others and can experience insomnia due to even moderate intakes in the late evening. Most medical sleep experts recommend that we don’t eat or drink anything containing caffeine in the four hours before bed, so what if you need a warm drink on a cold winters night ? would herbal tea i.e a nice cup of chamomile dreamy tea help ? yes we think so .

Can tea actually help you sleep?

Tea can be divided into several types , black, green, white, oolong ,Pu-erh and there is also herbal teas. We all know that great cup of Mrs Doyle's Irish tea is really good for us. All tea types contain antioxidant properties which will help to protect you from disease and will generally boost your energy levels. 

 

Herbal tea and the winter ? 

Basically herbal teas are not really tea in the technical sense as they do not come from the Camellia sinensis plant. However, herbal infusions are often refered to as tea because we brew them in the same way. The most popular herbal teas include chamomile, lavender, ginger, peppermint and rooibos. Herbal teas basically offer many of the same health benefits as traditional teas and are mostly caffeine-free, but can tea help you with your sleep?  

We believe tea can help with sleep, especially when used in conjunction with other healthy lifestyle habits and that is important to remember !

So what is the best type of tea or herbal infusion for sleepy time ? .

Chamomile tea

The chamomile herb produces daisy-like flowers, and it has been brewed from the dried Chamomile flowers and used for centuries as one of the best natural treatment for insomnia. Chamomile infusion is naturally caffeine-free, so it is ideal for drinking at any time of day. We know that chamomile contains apigenin, a phytonutrient that has a sleep-inducing effect. Chamomile it seems also helps reduce stress and anxiety ! Our Mrs Doyle's Sleepy tea is a soothing mix of whole chamomile flower heads, lemon balm, valerian, and lavender and rose petals. Lemon balm, valerian and lavender have been used for centuries to treat ailments like insomnia and anxiety. We don't know exactly how they work , there is lots of research going on at present , but it may be that the addition of these herbs enhances the chamomile brew.

Anyway let’s look at some of the fantastic health benefits of chamomile  herbal tea

  • Sleep-inducing benefits
     Chamomile contains a phytonutrient called apigenin which it seems has a sedative, relaxing effect. 
  • Chamomile may aid your digestion, digestion health is very important . 
  • Research suggests that Chamomile is anti-inflammatory, and so helps with soothing the stomach with symptoms such as nausea or gas. 
  • Chamomile may be beneficial for sufferers of diabetes, recent research indicates that Chamomile has been shown to help regulate glycaemic control, so helping those with either type of diabetes and helping blood lipid profiles, seemingly by decreasing HbA1C. 
  • Heart, Chamomile is rich in flavones which are a great antioxidant. Flavones  help lower blood pressure and LDL cholesterol, so allowing easier transport of blood around the body, and therefore reducing stress on the heart.
  • Potential Anti-Cancer properties, Apigenin is not only useful for sleep but there are studies that show it may help fight off cancerous cells, helping to reduce cancer’s progression.

Are there other teas which can help you sleep…

Most sleep researchers recommend abstaining from eating or drinking anything containing caffeine during the 4 hours before bedtime. However if you still feel the need for a cup of  tea during the late afternoon or evening, go for a nice Pure Rooibos. Rooibos is a herb native to South Africa, Rooibos has a nutty, full-bodied taste and it is naturally caffeine-free. Of course decaffeinated tea is another option , Black Tea is treated with liquid carbon dioxide to remove caffeine. and this is a harmless process and does not diminish the flavour.  

So basically if you are having problems with sleep that have been going on for some time, go  see your doctor! otherwise have a good life style , eat well ,don't do caffeine 4 hours before bed time and don't do too much work 4 hours before bed time , try a Chamomile herbal tea in the evening and if you need a tea that is a little stronger try a Rooibos.  enjoy the fall and winter season , its time to take a rest and sleep a lot GO On be nice to your self and enjoy a nice  warm cup of tea or  a tasty herbal infusion.

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