a spot of tea

Cheerio, and welcome to the UK. I'm not sure if it's the gardens, the architecture, or just all those rows and rows of tea, but something about this pavilion always makes me feel all warm and fuzzy.

Yes, they sell a LOT of tea here. I'm sure it's not everyone's treat of choice, but I have actually become quite the tea-drinker, so this is a regular stop for me now. Although I'm not an expert, it looks like they have every variety of Twinings there is...


... and not just in those stuffy cardboard boxes.

No, most of the candy here isn't vegan - mostly milk chocolate, I'm afraid. But they do have some very British potato chips.

And while most of the cookies had some dairy in them, these Digestive Biscuits appeared to be more or less vegan (depending on your definition). Ingredients listed as: wheat flour, vegetable oil (palm), sugar, wholemeal, partially inverted sugar syrup, raising agents (sodium bicarbonate, tartaric acid, malic acid) salt. Contains gluten. Produced on a line handling milk.



As for non-food treats in this pavilion, there's no shortage of Beatles memorabilia, and there are some adorable teddy bears. (I fell in love with one in a kilt.) This is also the place to shop if Off Kilter inspired you, and you're in the market for a set of bagpipes. And there's a special shop for researching family names - a nice gift idea for a family member.

And I highly encourage you to try and catch the World Showcase Players here. They put on a really fun, and funny, show. For all you bashful fans, though, keep in mind that these actors always look for a few members of the audience to join them. I strongly suggest hanging out well behind the rest of the crowd, and don't make eye contact with any of the actors. Once they've found there victims... err, volunteers... it's safe to move up a bit and watch the show. :-)

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Okay, so I'm sure you're thinking "where's this bonanza of vegan treats you promised us?" Well, it does get better. I could have mixed it up a bit, but somehow it just seems right to follow the countries in order. So, next time we'll cross the bridge and see what France has to offer.