Dorothy's Tea Journey

About Dorothy

A Yorkshire born-and-bred farmer’s daughter, Dorothy has travelled the world tasting and experiencing the finest food and drink the world has to offer.

This global culinary journey, as well as a strong farming ethos of respect for real food and drink, led Dorothy to discover her love for loose leaf teas. She delved into learning about all things tea, and has been sharing her passion and knowledge ever since.

Hazelmere Tea House

In 1984 Dorothy returned home from her travels, settling in the beautiful English Lake District and setting up the world famous Hazelmere Teahouse, Restaurant and Artisan Bakery in Grange-over-Sands.

In an era when tea bags were the norm and loose leaf tea with a provenance was rare, Dorothy was determined to do things differently. From the very start, loose leaf teas were on the menu, alongside their tasting notes and historical anecdotes.

In the years that have passed since that very first adventure, Dorothy has continued to nurture connections old and new, forging strong relationships with unique tea estates around the world. Dorothy’s respect for real loose leaf tea, and the people that lovingly grow it, shows in her careful, sustainable selection of only the finest blends.

The passion pays off. Not only can you taste it in the tea, but Dorothy’s Teas and Hazelmere Tea House have scooped up several awards along the way as a testament to the high standards of care and quality put into growing, sourcing and brewing every drop. To this day a tea is never bought without having been tasted several times, and only the best of the bunch receive Dorothy’s seal of approval.

Join our Tea Club

“Dorothy is a certified tea sommelier, trained at the prestigious UK Tea Academy.”

Dorothy is dedicated to real tea drinking, helping tea worshippers and novices alike enjoy the best teas money can buy. Whether you know what you like, or want to try something new, Dorothy’s wisdom and recommendations will make sure your brew is the highlight of your day, every day.

“I taste each tea I source several times to make sure it's up to scratch for our customers!”

- Dorothy

Drinking tea is a pleasure, a ritual and a moment to take time out of a busy day.

Explore our tea range in our online shop

Tea Shop

Four years of world travel ignited Dorothy's passion for all things tea. Click here to explore our interactive tea map...

Learn More

• Tea Musings •

Oolongs Explained

Oolong teas are relatively little known in the west, hugely popular in the east and contain some of the widest variety of flavour profiles of any tea category. But what are they?

Tea Making in Scotland

Beverly Wainwright runs the Scottish Tea Factory which is situated between Comrie and Crieff in the beautiful county of Perthshire, Scotland. Dorothy had the immense pleasure of joining her on a delightful sunny morning in September to start a 2-day, one to one course of picking and making tea!

Dorothy Chats with Phyu Thwe, Founder of the Five Trees Tea Garden and Mogok Tea Company

Dorothy chats with Phyu Thwe, the founder of Mogok Tea, is a native of the Mogok region in Myanmar. Phyu came to Britain to train as an accountant and as her life in London took on the trappings of a wealthy Western lifestyle see looked to her small family village where life was harsh and decided, rather than giving up her life in London, how she could help her village and family from England.