When I started back on my Spark eating programme proper again a couple of weeks ago I vowed I'd eat more fruit and vegetables and start drinking fruit teas.

I'm not your quintessential English woman in that I don't drink tea or coffee.
I've always just drank water, lots of it, straight from the tap or flavoured with a little fruit juice, hot or cold I'm not fussy. I also have a low calorie drinking chocolate before bed and sometimes through the winter days when it's cold.

I used to drink coffee now and again, especially when I was out but I went of it about six years ago after a bout of pneumonia.
When I recovered I tried drinking it again and developed a pretty bad headache which lasted two days and put me off big time... I've never drank it since!

Tea I apparently tried when I was very young, my mam said I tasted it with a little sip, declared I didn't like it, refused to drink it and have never had it since!

I've tried fruit teas on and off every now and again for a few years but never really got to grips with them but in March for our ruby wedding anniversary we went to a Chinese banquet.
After the meal was finished we were offered jasmine flower scented green tea.
It came in a little white teapot with a beautiful small handle-less beaker all decorated in the chinese syle with a blue bamboo pattern, it was so pretty it won me over.
I wasn't keen on tasting it, I'd never tried green tea before, but I decided to try it, half expecting not to like it but, wonder of wonders, I did like it...it was such a delicate taste and refreshing too.
The proprietor was delightful, he answered my questions, told me how to make it (only two minutes before you take the teabag out of the pot, don't squeeze it, it makes it bitter and it's even better to use loose tea as there's too much in a teabag), where to buy it...we're lucky we have a Chinese supermarket in town...and I've been drinking it ever since.

I bought myself a little two cup teapot and use it with a pretty cup from my tea service.
Since then I've added more teas to my reportoir.
I looked at the fruit teas in the supermarkets, there were so many to choose from so I bought a selection and surprise, surprise I like them all.
I'm not sure if your taste buds change as you get older but a year ago I just used to say I don't like tea. I know these aren't tea in the conventional sense but I have tried 'ordinary' tea again. I still don't like it but the green and fruit teas are now a regular feature at breakfast time.

I've also developed a taste for unusual combinations.
I've always eaten loads of fruit and vegetables.
I don't dislike red meat but could quite happily live without it. I eat it every now and again, mostly poultry but I do like fish and any sort of seafood and eat a lot of that.
It comes from being from a fishing family, we were brought up on fish, we did have meat but it was mostly fish.
I've found myself being drawn towards experimenting with flavours, instead of just a piece of baked fish (I like it in a foil parcel baked in the oven) I'll add a teaspoon of sweet chilli sauce or bbq sauce or even just a sprinkling of five spice or paprika to the parcels and I love it.

Another favourite is what I call fruit chilli bowl.
It's a big bowl of any combination of raw vegetables and fruits you want to use all tossed in a teaspoon of sweet chilli hot dipping sauce...so yummy!

So far I'm on track, exercising regularly and eating healthily with a steady weightloss so I'm pleased and happy too.



fruit chilli bowl...this one consists of kiwifruit, raw mange tout, cherry tomatoes, melon, red grapes and strawberries....yummy!