Teashops desperately seek Geisha with green tea know-how

"Wanted - one Geisha" is the message being sent out by 13 delightful, rural teashops in Cumbria as they avidly search for an expert, with more than mere memoirs, to guide them through the intricacies of the Japanese Tea Ceremony in time for their National Green Tea Day, on July 19.

The group of Cumbrian farmers are preparing to examine relevant CVs and grill their kimono-wearing applicants after sieving through applications arriving at their teashop emporiums. These are situated in idyllic settings well off the beaten track, alongside the farmyard or at the foot of the fell.

Whilst unrivalled when it comes to creating delicious, traditional Cumbrian dishes simply melting in the mouth, the Tea Trail Cumbria is expecting an influx of Japanese visitors once the ŒMiss Potter¹ movie gets its first screening in Japan, causing a tidal wave of interest in Beatrix Potter.

Already popular with tourists from the Land of the Rising Sun, the Tea Trail Cumbria has wisely geared up for the Oriental invasion, translating its legendary and quirky Tea Trail map and recipes into Japanese in time for the late Summer arrivals. Serving up green tea according to traditional Japanese customs is another matter.

The setting is not the issue, with the glorious Cumbrian landscape providing as much inspiration as Mount Fuji and fabulous tea rooms and gardens on a par with anything in Kyoto in which to stage the ancient Tea Ceremony. The problem is that of knowing how to wear the kimono correctly, how to select the correct bowl for the guest and how to be the perfect Tea Ceremony hostess.


Spokeswoman for the Tea Trail Cumbria, Annie Swarbrick, owner of one of the iconic teashops on the trail, The Greystoke Cycle Café, says: "We have created National Green Tea Day to introduce our British, American and European visitors to the health benefits of green tea. These are numerous and range from lowering cholesterol to guarding against infection, and from fighting cancer and rheumatoid arthritis, to slowing down the ageing process.

"At the same time, we are gearing up to be excellent hosts for our Oriental visitors. We are certain those Japanese tourists who have been inspired to visit Cumbria because of "Miss Potter" will be keen to drink in the Cumbrian landscape and experience good old Cumbrian hospitality, as Japanese visitors are already some of our greatest fans.

"We know we are experts at creating fabulous tray-bakes and scones and the quintessential English afternoon tea experience, but we need guidance when it comes to tea etiquette in Japan. We don¹t think there are that many advertisements for geishas out there, so we hope to get some good applications."

The appeal for a Geisha to come forward and help is partly financially driven, as Geishas are a dying breed and can command £7000, or more, to fly over from Japan. The Tea Trail Cumbria¹s hope is that a highly-trained Tea Ceremony expert may be laying low in some part of Britain just waiting for an opportunity to put their skills into practice.

Keen applicants could also help translate some of the trickier Tea Trail Cumbria recipe names into Japanese ­ Tarty Tarn Drizzle, to name but one.

If a Geisha does come forward, they could also try their hand at something else, as this year¹s Tea Trail leaflet is carrying a limerick competition that allows the winner to access two places on a scone-making workshop.

"We are quite prepared to extend the competition and give it a foreign flavour by including haikus", says Annie Swarbrick. As long as the haiku has a green tea theme, to complement the British scone theme running through our limerick competition, the entry will be acceptable."


So how can a wandering geisha fill this role and assist with National Green Tea Day? Quite simply, on arrival at one of the teashops, they can do that very British thing of applying within!