Scran season 8: Glasgow's love affair with tea
This episode of Scran is all about Scotland's historical relationship with tea and more specifically the rise and fall of the great Glasgow tea rooms.
I am joined by Dr Lindsay Middleton, Food Historian and Knowledge Exchange Associate at the University of Glasgow and friend of the podcast Peter Gilchrist, who is a Scottish food history writer.
Lindsey and Peter organised the 2025 Scottish Food History Symposium on tea which took place recently and was delivered in partnership with Mackintosh at the Willow and the National Trust for Scotland.
Picture: Jane Barlow/PA
I went along to the tea Symposium at Mackintosh at the Willow in Glasgow. There I learnt how tea in Glasgow was linked to women, trade and slavery, art, class, tourism, Scottish identity, and diaspora.
The event was truly fascinating and shared the rich history of Glaswegian tearooms.
You'll hear from Perilla Kinchin, Author of Taking Tea with Mackintosh: The Story of Miss Cranston's Tea Rooms - talking about Kate Cranston, the first lady of Glasgow's tea rooms in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
You'll also hear snippets from Professor Andrew Mackillop's talk on some of the earliest presence of tea in Glasgow and how it became surprisingly political.
Listen to the episode in full
Watch the episode
We'd love to hear from you for the next season's episodes.
Scran season 8: A preview of the Campbeltown Malts Festival with Glen Scotia and Springbank
Scran season 8: Michelin Stars with chefs Rodney Wages and Stuart Ralston
Scran season 8 - Discovering food and drink in Angus
If you have an opinion about anything we discuss, get in touch with your comments. Drop us a message on the Scotsman Food and Drink Facebook page, or contact me on Twitter @RosalindErskine or via email using rosalind.erskine@jpimedia.co.uk.
Scran is available from all of your favourite podcast providers, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
If you like what you hear, please hit subscribe to never miss an episode - and leave us a rating and review. It helps others discover the show and we really like to hear your feedback.
Scran season 8 - Discovering food and drink in Angus
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