We all know that we have a strong tea “culture”, and strict rules around our best drink - no microwave, don’t you dare put the milk in first. But an experience I’ve had today has made me question whether something is a rule or not and I need the help of a wide audience.

For context, I am a chef by trade, but stepped in to the dishwashing section today to help out, and it is there that my dilemma was discovered.

The waiting staff brought a teapot back to be washed, I emptied it into the sink and realised that there was milk mixed in. As a self proclaimed tea snob, I was shocked and appalled, but then I found out that it was put there by one of the waitresses to work around having to go back and forth to the fridge for milk for her pot that she had hidden from customers’ view, which I can actually understand from a work point of view.

So my question is… is milk in a teapot completely unacceptable, or is it ok in special circumstances? I’m intrigued to know the general UK (or at least the Reddit contingent) views something that until today was not even a thought in my brain.