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A solid enough tea shop. Good food selection, and I always like it when tea shops have an array of teas set out for you to smell before choosing. One advantage above many London tea shops is the size – there are more tables in the basement so even when the ground floor is full, there’s usually still somewhere to sit. However the staff always seem a bit rushed, and there’s not much opportunity to actually discuss the teas with them or find out a bit more about what you’re drinking.

A brilliant little gem of a tea shop, right in central London. The staff are extremely knowledgeable and the tea selection is really excellent. And you even get free cups of tea when you buy some to take home.

The only downsides are the fact that there’s no loo, and it’s so tiny that I always feel a bit pressured to drink my tea and make space for someone else to take my place, rather than being able to relax and take my time sipping different teas.

This is my favourite tea shop of all. It’s a tiny shop on the north side of Edinburgh, but definitely worth going to find. As the name might suggest, it sells antiques as well as tea – you can buy all the furniture and many interesting tea-related bits and pieces. It’s very prettily and old-fashionedly furnished, as you’d expect.

They have a great selection and really know their teas, and can recommend things or will occasionally even offer to let you try something they’re brewing for themselves. They also have really nice locally-made truffles, cakes and pastries which are worth a nibble.

The only downsides – it’s so small you sometimes need to book a table (especially during Festival time, though it is open more days a week then), and there’s no toilet facilities!