The English tea ceremony.

Yesterday's post reminded me that, in the days before teabags, you made your tea in a teapot and poured it into the cup from that.  But did you put the milk in first or afterwards?  This was something about which people would come to blows - each maintaining that their way was the "right" way of preparing a cuppa.  I remember that "milk in first" was considered a bit common.  I think everybody was in agreement that the pot must be warmed first, and the tea must be left to brew for a couple or three minutes, but this question of the milk...!  I saw a suggestion a while ago that it was all to do with the type of crockery you used.  As the tea would be near boiling point, there was a danger that pouring it straight into the cup might crack it if it was inferior china, so you put the milk in first to guard against that.  If you were rich enough to be able to afford the best porcelain, you didn't have to concern yourself with that, and putting the milk in last enabled you to control the colour to your liking.