Hoogly Blogs / Hygge

Greetings Hoogly fans! As I was curled up on my sofa the other day, laid low by a nasty little cold, I flicked through the TV channels and came across a lovely old black and white film called Since You Went Away, a 1944 American flick about a family dealing with those they love being sent away to war. As I sipped my Hoogly Tea, I instantly relaxed as the opening credits rolled, with a fireplace framed in shot, the names of the cast members drifting upwards as the orchestral piece swelled and built to crescendo. I felt a comforting veil of tranquillity fall over me as the film began, the characters communicating with such lovely manners, eloquence and naïve enthusiasm. As the plot played out, there were moving sequences of loss and grief, as well as romance, humour and slapstick, all held together by sweeping violins, cellos and trumpets.

The world the film evoked was so pure and perfect—I was struck by a strange sensation of longing or nostalgia for a time gone by, even though I was born nearly forty years after the film was made. Here, in black and white, was somewhere safe. A retreat from the complexities and pace of modern life. A window into a simpler time, when emotions seemed somehow sharper, when love and loss seemed magnified and bigger than life itself. Which, for a wartime film, was almost certainly the case. Those watching Since You Went Away would’ve been experiencing all the same anxieties, insecurities and loss as the characters in the film. Watching it play out on the big screen, however, may have gone some way to dispelling their emotions: knowing that they weren’t alone, that others were going through similar trials and that by pulling together they might just emerge unscathed on the other side….

…See how easy it is to be swept up in the wave of sentiment?! Gotta love the golden oldies!

After the film finished, it dawned on me just how Hoogly the old black and white movies really are. Our ethos is all about feeling calm and cosy, and making a regular habit of filling your life with the things you love. Watching these classics is like slipping on a comfy pair of pyjamas and socks: soft, reassuring and relaxing. You know exactly what you’re going to get. They demand nothing from you, and you have to give nothing in return. This is Hygge in a nutshell. And once the film is over—simply find another one and do it all again!

And if you can’t decide on a film, here are some Hoogly recommendations:

1. Wuthering Heights (1939) A dark, brooding interpretation of Emily Bronte’s classic novel set in the Yorkshire Moors starring Laurence Olivier and Merle Oberon. Full of passion, obsession, love and tragedy, this beautiful film is complimented by a rousing score that stays with you long after the end credits. Best enjoyed with Around the Fire Oolong Tea, a cosy combination of smoky tea leaves and warming spices, licked by flames of safflower and crushed chilli—sure you get you through any stormy night on the Moors!
2. Brief Encounter (1945) An atmospheric romance starring Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard, following a married woman’s chance encounter with a doctor at a train station, which leads to an affair. Full of clipped English accents and repressed emotion, this stunning film explores complex moral issues and has one of the most masterfully constructed final scenes of all time. Woven together by Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto number 2, this is definitely best enjoyed with traditional English Breakfast black tea—simple, but full of hidden depths.
3. Casablanca (1942) Arguably the greatest film of all time, starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. An American expatriate runs a bar in Casablanca and comes into possession of documents that allow free travel across German-occupied Europe. When his former love Ilsa arrives with her resistance hero husband, she demands the papers, but Rick and Ilsa have unfinished business. With a timeless score, memorable lines and career-best performances, this is a treasure to be enjoyed time and again. Best served with Chocolate Brownie black tea, a wonderfully rich and unapologetically decadent treat that just gets better with each sip!

So, there we are—from Hygge to Hollywood and back again, all you need for complete tranquillity and cosiness is a black and white film and a mug of Hoogly tea!

THE END

Written by Chris Bedford.

www.hooglytea.com

Reading is one of life’s simple pleasures. Children the world over fall in love with books, transfixed by the story, the world within which it is told, and the adventures that their beloved characters are thrown into. Whether it’s funny books, scary books, thrillers & mysteries or books that help us learn about the world, there are few better ways for kids to find a few moments of calm, mindfulness and intrigue than a good read.

With this in mind, Hoogly are delighted to suggest some fun titles for three different age brackets—books that we think will bring excitement and magic to your child’s downtime. Hygge is, after all, about relaxing and focusing on the things you love most—and there are few things more wonderful than the feel and smell of a new book, and the thrill of turning to page one and seeing what awaits inside…

First off, a book for the little ones: we recommend ‘Ruby’s Worry’ by Tom Percival. This is a lovely book about a fun-loving girl called Ruby who one day discovers a worry (which looks a little cloud with eyes). The worry gets bigger and bigger and threatens to spoil Ruby’s fun—can she find a way to get rid of it? This is a beautiful and poignant introduction to emotions, with lovely and inventive illustrations. It should be a must for all children’s bookshelves!

For the 7+ age range, we recommend “The Trapdoor Mysteries” by Abie Longstaff. This is an exciting, magical story about a servant girl called Tally, who works in a large manor house. One day she meets a squirrel and discovers an underground place of magic—and must use the help of both to solve a burglary!

For the 9+ age range, we recommend “Secret of the Sun King” by Emma Carroll. This is a thrilling, old-fashioned adventure story that will keep you gripped from the first page! It’s 1922: Lil and her friends must return a secret package to Egypt in order to break a Pharaoh’s curse and protect those they love. It’s a race against time—can they save the day, or will the perilous journey be their last...?

And while the kids have their noses buried in these brilliant books, why don’t you put your feet up and chill out with a cosy, calming Hoogly tea? Our brews are lovingly crafted to be the perfect tonic for a long, hard day, helping you stay mindful and enjoy your well-earned slither of peace.

As your inner balance returns, try a mug of our dazzling Vanilla Chai black tea: this combination of bold and fiery chai spices and super-smooth vanilla offers a unique taste experience that will draw you in, seduce you and have you rushing back for more!

Alternatively, for an invigorating taste sensation, we recommend Lemon & Ginger herbal infusion. This marriage of zest and fire will energise your day, giving you a refreshing and zingy new way to enjoy one of life’s simple pleasures.

So, there you have it: books and tea, thrilling young and old for generations. And with Hoogly—and our book club—they both just keep getting better and better! Enjoy!

Written by Chris Bedford

www.hooglytea.com

Greetings Hoogly lovers! It looks like the heatwave has subsided for now and our lawns and plants have been given a long-overdue drink from Mother Nature—and we’ve had a chance to turn off our fans and wear at least some of our clothes. This feeling of pleasurable relief is something we’re always looking to replicate in our teas: a lovely treat to look forward to after a long day at work or with the kids; a tasty and refreshing way to take a deep breath and regain your inner balance once more.

And the best thing to do with a good feeling once you’ve got it? Share it around! One of the most Hoogly things you can do—in cool or warm weather—is to host a tea party! Our Danish ethos of Hygge is all about feeling calm and content, surrounding yourself with your favourite people and things and building bonds and memories that sustain and enrich us. So what are you waiting for? Get those invites out and let’s get the fun started!

With Hoogly’s delightful range of brews, there’s something wonderful waiting for every single one of your guests, making the day easy and exciting. You can thrill your visitors with sweet and indulgent treats like Chocolate Brownie black tea, Apple Strudel green tea, or our brand new crowd-pleaser: Berrylicious herbal infusion! For the more traditional tea-drinkers, you can serve up charm and elegance with our English Breakfast black tea, Earl Grey or the calming delights of Chill Out Mint herbal infusion. If your guests want to try something unique and different, why not indulge them with the liquid luxury of Marzipan Rooibos, the national treasure that is Danish Pastry rooibos, or the zest-tastic Spiced Orange herbal infusion. With all these flavours and styles, you can try a different and delicious Hoogly blend with each mug, keeping your taste buds dancing for joy.

And what party would be complete without cake? The Danes are masters at gathering together to get hands-on in the kitchen, keenly aware of the benefits. Being with friends and loved ones, creating in partnership, making a mess and licking the spoon—these are not only a great way to spend an afternoon, but they also help us bond, lower our stress levels, keep us away from those pesky phones and tablets, and hopefully result in a yummy masterpiece!

Why not go even further? Once in a while, make a whole batch of cakes, cookies or muffins, give them a price tag and sell them at your party. The money you raise can go to a charity of your choice—and there are loads of official fund-raising tea parties to help you organise, such as the Marie Curie Blooming Great Tea Party, which seeks the support of tea and cake lovers up and down the country to raise funds and awareness for cancer care—a valuable cause that will affect most of us directly or indirectly at some point in our lives. So invite your friends and neighbours around and get the whole street sipping, scoffing and rock and rolling to create memories that will last for years to come.

And once it’s over, do it all again! What better way to put life’s stresses behind you than to flip on the kettle, turn on the oven and have a Hoogly good time!

Written by Chris Bedford

Visit www.hooglytea.com

One of the most satisfying things about summer is escaping the grind and going on holiday. And one of the most satisfying things about going on holiday is checking into a lush hotel. As the doors to the accommodation open you can breathe a huge sigh of relief; the stress of packing, driving, flying, document-checking and queuing are over. You can wheel your suitcase inside content in the knowledge that you now have one or two weeks of complete, unadulterated leisure miles away from the rat-race and the strains of everyday life.

I’ve taken the liberty of listing just a few of the reasons that hotel stays are so gloriously pleasing:

No cooking or washing up! This is my personal favourite; being waited upon and served delicious meals every night without lifting a finger, and sauntering off after pudding has been devoured, knowing that someone else has to do dishwasher duties!

A tidy room! This is such a luxury—the wonderful world of housekeeping; somebody kind and patient to make the bed, clean the bathroom and straighten up our suncream-smeared books, spare flip-flops and endless wet towels.

Room service! Now we’re talking! A menu of food and drinks only a phone call away—and you don’t even have to leave the bed! When your stomach hasn’t quite adjusted to the new time zone and you absolutely, positively must have burger, chips and tequila at 10pm…voila, there is it. Genius!

A pool to lounge around! Of course this makes the list; it’s the whole reason we go, isn’t it? A fierce determination to get the perfect sunbed, soak up the rays in a calm, quiet environment, catch up with the latest thriller, and bomb into the pool when we start to look/feel a bit barbecued.

Staying in a hotel is all about indulgence. Treating yourself to something wonderful…just because. It’s about focussing on relaxation and switching off from the world. It’s about experiencing somewhere new whilst never feeling too far from home. And all of these things fit wonderfully into our ethos, Hygge. The Danish mindful way-of-life asks us to seek out pleasure and comfort in all its forms and bask in them. To laugh and to be cosy. To bake a cake with friends and not count the calories. To talk about things that bring us together. To experience the world around us and revel in its beauty.

Drinking our teas is like checking in to a lovely hotel. You can leave your cares and worries aside and be swept away by the indulgent flavours and exciting taste combinations. Allow our calming brews to restore your equilibrium, like the best spa day, draping you in a silk sheet of tranquillity. But don’t forget to party hard with our sweet and naughty offerings, remembering that there’s no judgement on our watch—only lives lived to the full, through pleasure and luxury.

The à la carte recommendation from Hoogly today is Danish Pastry rooibos tea—a wonderfully warming chocolate and cinnamon aroma combined with a subtly delicious and familiar pastry taste. Based on our famous national treat, this brew is seductive, succulent and sensuous—a gift for any tea lover.

As a sensational alternative, why not try Vanilla Chai black tea—with bold and fiery chai spices tempered by elegant and smooth vanilla pieces, this is a well-crafted and distinctive tasting brew that is sure to have you returning for more.

Wherever you go away to this summer, be sure to take a pack of Hoogly tea with you—it’s the perfect accompaniment to a perfect holiday, a slice of delicious Danish indulgence to make you feel at home anywhere in the world.

Written by Chris Bedford.

www.hooglytea.com

Prepare yourselves, people—this summer, the beautiful game is back in its most beautiful incarnation—the fantastic festival of football that is the World Cup! Yes, Russia 2018 is soon upon us—can you believe it’s been four years already? Four years since England finished bottom of their group after defeats to Italy and Uruguay. Four years since we last huddled in front of the television with a knotted mix of optimism and anxiety in our bellies. And two years since we were knocked out of another major tournament by Iceland…population 334, 252. Urgh, I thought I’d buried that memory…

Still, it’s not good to dwell on the past. Because quite frankly there’s a lot of dwelling to be done. We were last victorious in 1966, of course, and it hasn’t looked much like changing, despite a rousing semi-final appearance in 1990, complete with Lineker’s heroics and Gazza’s tears. This year we approach the tournament with a little less buzz, a little less chest-thumping belief. We’ve been humbled before—oh, how we’ve been humbled—and now England march to Russia not under the banner of potential favourites, but as maverick outsiders, a team of mostly young and upcoming starlets, many of which have never played tournament football. We don’t know what to expect from this squad, but we do know that youth and inexperience can often go hand-in-hand with courageous abandon, burning enthusiasm, and bags and bags of energy and pace! With the likes of Raheem Sterling, Marcus Rashford, Jesse Lindgard, Deli Ali and Harry Kane, we have a core of young players who can compete with and scare any and all opposition. Personally, I’m betting on a semi-final place at least. But, of course, I say that every year…

But what makes a World Cup winning team? Most footy fans will tell you the same thing: it’s about the perfect balance of flair, technical ability, strength in defence and a potent goal threat. Well, and a bit of luck, of course. England’s ’66 team has these qualities in abundance: Gordon Banks in goal, athletic and graceful. Bobby Moore, elegant and solid at the back. Bobby Charlton, a goal machine and driving force from midfield. And Geoff Hurst—hattrick hero in the final—a constant threat to the opposition’s goal. It’s the same for all the great teams. Brazil in 1970, Germany in 1990, Spain in 2010. A blend of silky and smooth with rough and ready, devastating pace with patience and guile, mouth-watering skill with savvy experience. 

And speaking of perfect balances…Hoogly Tea is the ideal accompaniment to your 2018 World Cup matchday, a winning combination of classic and comforting brews, with exotic and undiscovered tastes from around the world!

Here’s a brief rundown of our squad for 2018: For traditionalists, we have delicious English Breakfast and Earl Grey teas—our relaxing riffs on cherished favourites—the perfect beginning, middle or end to any day! For those seeking a little bit of decadence to celebrate a victory or mitigate against defeat, then why not try chocolate brownie black tea, a rich and indulgent brew that caters to your naughty side! For those seeking something to broaden their tea-drinking experience, why not try Danish Pastry Rooibos, which has a seductive warming chocolate and cinnamon aroma with a subtle pastry taste. Or how about Spiced Orange herbal infusion…a zesty summer taste sensation, combining fruit and mulled spices that will thrill your taste buds?!

Whoever you are supporting this summer (Hoogly founder Tina hopes it is Denmark!) make sure you flip the kettle on and calm your nerves with a mug of beautiful Hoogly Tea. If you give us a go in 2018, there is only one winner…and that’s you!

Written by Chris Bedford.

www.hooglytea.com

Believe it or not, the weather will eventually warm up and Spring can begin in earnest. One of the most highly anticipated events in the coming weeks is Easter, a time for family bonding, gift giving and relaxation.  It’s also a time to indulge in serious amounts of chocolate, as shops are stacked floor to ceiling with our favourite brands in egg form. And there is something extra exciting about finding chocolate within chocolate, with some eggs containing bonus treats!

Easter celebrations take place around the globe, but not all cultures refer to it by the same name. Early Christians knew it as Pesach, the Hebrew for Passover; and today many languages use a variation of this word: Pesach in French, Pasqua in Italian and Pask in Sweden. In Christian tradition, Easter Sunday celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ on the third day after his crucifixion, but the historical roots of contemporary festival practices are more widespread.

The origin of the English word is that of a pagan fertility goddess called Eostre, whose celebratory festival always took place during the Spring Equinox. Early European Christian missionaries slowly began to merge the pagan names, timings and some of its symbols into the Christian celebrations. Eostre’s symbol, in fact, was that of a hare or rabbit, thus creating one link to the Easter Bunny! Rabbits also tend to give birth in Spring, so as people saw fields overrun with baby bunnies at this time of year, it was natural to incorporate them into the celebrations, and eventually into Easter.

 And the tradition of eggs goes back even further than the time of Jesus. Many ancient cultures, including the Egyptians and Greeks, viewed the egg as a symbol of fertility and renewed life. Eggs were used in pagan rituals, hung in temples and utilised for mystical practices. As missionaries observed people hunting for eggs in Spring, they began to assign value and meaning to the eggs to describe Christ’s resurrection and renewed life. Eggs would be dyed symbolically: yellow for resurrection, red for the blood of Christ, blue for love. Children would hunt for hidden eggs, and then recount the story associated with them. 

Nowadays, Easter is big business around the world, especially in America, where spending at Easter can reach up to the tens of billions through a mixture of cards, candy and other gifts. This year, make sure you incorporate the gift of Hoogly into your celebrations! Our delicious teas are the perfect accompaniment to your relaxing, family-orientated holiday, created with the Danish concept of Hygge in mind, which focuses on being calm, cosy and enjoying life’s simple pleasures. 

And one of life’s greatest simple pleasures is flipping the kettle on and putting your feet up with a warming brew, surrounded by your favourite people. We at Hoogly can take this simple pleasure to another level with our tantalising range of tasty teas. As Easter approaches, put the stresses of the working week behind you with brews such as Cosy Chamomile, a gorgeous herbal infusion combining snuggly chamomile with lemon verbena, lime leaves and lavender, all especially chosen for their ability to soothe the body and mind. It’s a hug-in-a-mug—what are you waiting for?

If hunting for hidden eggs and other treasure is your thing, then track down and discover Sparkling White Tea!! A magical and elegant blend of Chinese White Tea, fruit pieces and flowers, this sensationally seductive brew will add a touch of glamour to your Easter break!  As with all our teas, it smells as delightful as it tastes, bringing you back again and again to experience its charms!

However you spend this Easter, we hope you feel relaxed, renewed and recharged. And don’t forget to hunt down Hoogly!

By Chris Bedford