London Fog !

Well, I had heard of London Fogs from school History lessons, in particular the great smog of 1952 when for five days in December 1952, the Great Smog of London smothered the city, wreaking havoc and killing thousands, you can read more about that here

Big Ben, London on a Foggy Day image from here

But recently on various blogs I have been reading about 'London Fog' what is it I wondered?

"What is a London Fog?
It is a hot tea drink that is made with earl grey black tea and vanilla. It is topped with frothed milk which is where the “fog” name comes from. There are other fog-named drinks with slight variations to the recipe depending on the location.

Despite the name, the original London Fog recipe is said to have originated in Vancouver, British Columbia. Go Canada!

Earl Grey Latte vs. London Fog
An Earl Grey Latte is like other tea lattes — it consists of the tea, frothed/steamed milk and sweetener if desired. That’s all.

A London Fog consists of earl grey tea, frothed/steamed milk, vanilla and sweetener if desired.

Therefore, the difference between the two comes down to the vanilla. It is a slight difference, yes. But, that vanilla addition adds a lot to this tea latte!

What is the best earl grey tea to use for this latte?
A classic earl grey is a black tea with bergamot oil. Sometimes an earl grey also has blue cornflowers added to the blend, but that is purely for aesthetics.

Use your absolute favourite earl grey tea so you’ll be sure to love this latte. You can use loose leaf or tea bags.

It's best to make sure the earl grey tea you use is blended with real/natural bergamot oil and nothing artificial.

What form of vanilla is the best to use for this latte?
When it’s time to add the star ingredient to this latte — vanilla — use whatever form you have on hand. However, pure vanilla extract offers a true, rich flavour.
You can also use vanilla powder, vanilla beans or even vanilla simple syrup. In cafes, vanilla syrup is often used for a London Fog!

However, if you use vanilla simple syrup in yours at home, you may want to omit any additional sweetener in the recipe as that form of vanilla flavouring is already filled with sugar. Since the recipe below is using pure vanilla extract, it calls for sweetener, too.

Don’t have any vanilla at home? You can use any milk for this recipe! So, if you have a vanilla flavoured almond milk, oat milk, etc. use that in its place! The vanilla will be more subtle, but this option is better than nothing.

London Fog Recipe
This recipe makes 1 mug serving or 2 if you serve it up in vintage teacups! Double the amount of tea is used to create a stronger earl grey flavour before adding the milk.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon Earl Grey black tea, loose leaf (or 2 tea bags)
3/4 cup boiling water
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon sweetener of choice (i.e. sweetener, sugar, maple syrup, honey)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
1. Steep earl grey tea in boiling water for 5 minutes, covered. Covering your tea while steeping will retain heat and, therefore, help extract all of the flavours.
2. While the tea is steeping, simmer milk in a small saucepan on the stove. Using a handheld frother, froth the warm milk until it is fluffy and cloud like (about 30 seconds).*
3. When the tea is done steeping, strain the tea leaves or remove the tea bags. Add sugar and vanilla. Stir until dissolved.
4. Top the cup of tea with the frothed milk and serve immediately. Enjoy!
Notes
*If you have an electric milk frother/steamer, you can use that instead. If you don’t have any of these devices, you can whisk the warm milk in the saucepan by hand until it gets frothy."
See the above words, original recipe and more at 'The Cup of Life' tea blog here

'Marks Daily Apple' site also has a recipe here

no matter what your choice of beverage may be

just relax, unwind and enjoy some 'me time'

You will find a variety of recipe ideas and articles within this blog, and not all may be suitable for you. If you may have any food allergies, or underlying health issues these must always be taken into account. If you are a diabetic and not sure how certain foods may affect your blood sugars, test is best, i.e. use your meter.

All the best Jan