New tea supplier steams in to give rail passengers the perfect cuppa

The North Yorkshire Moors Railway has appointed a new tea supplier for the 2011 season, having teamed up with The Mad Hatter Tea Company to provide its passengers with the perfect cuppa.
It’s the fist time that the two organisations have worked together and the move follows extensive testing of the tea which is a combination of Indian Assam tea and Kenyan Rooibos, providing a blend which is unique, rich in flavour whilst giving a generous blush of colour.
To mark this ‘steamy’ collaboration, a Mad Hatters Tea Party was arranged to coincide with the February half-term.  It was held on the platform at Grosmont Station on Monday 21 February at 12 noon, with characters including Alice and friends having fun whilst awaiting the next train to Wonderland.  The backdrop was of baby steam engine “Joem” and a set of vintage carriages.

It is estimated that 100,000 cups of tea are consumed each year on the line, by guests on the Pullman dining trains, passengers on the timetabled trains, users of chartered saloon carriages, customers in the station tea-rooms and not forgetting those working behind the scenes in the Railway’s engine sheds and carriage works.  (Some would say the latter consume more tea than the passengers!)

Paul Brown, the Railway’s Commercial Services Manager, said: “For some time we have been considering how we can give our passengers an even better brew of what remains the nation’s favourite drink.   We were approached by the Mad Hatter Tea Company and we have been impressed by their products and their passion to deliver the kind of service our passengers expect.  This year will serve as a trial and we intend to roll out this unique blend of tea across the railway and monitor feedback.  The timing of this announcement couldn’t be better as we intend to provide new Afternoon Tea services on our Pullman trains through the year and these are selling fast.”

In recent years the preserved line has grown to become the world’s most popular heritage steam railway, attracting some 360,000 visitors per year and levering some £30 million into the local economy.   It operates a daily service from the end of March to the end of October each year and links Pickering with Levisham, Goathland and Grosmont, with many services now serving Whitby on the coast.

The Mad Hatter Tea Company was formed by Michael Harrison with its base in Northallerton.  Martin Binks, Managing Director, said “We are absolutely chuffed to bits with this announcement as the Railway is the perfect partner for us, and the perfect place to enjoy a good cuppa.   It’s a fine example of two local businesses working together and we shall do all we can to make this a success story.”

It’s a second piece of good news for The Mad Hatter Tea Company, after winning a contract to provide tea to Grand Central Railways on high speed services linking the North East with London and West Yorkshire with London.

The company chose its name as a tribute to author Lewis Carroll, who was educated in nearby Richmond and whose father was Canon of Ripon Cathedral. Headwear for the Mad Hatters Tea Party supplied by the railway’s appointed Milliner, Suzanne Gill.

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