Put the kettle on
The moments we always come back to
There are few things more instinctive in the UK than putting the kettle on.
It’s what we do when someone arrives.
When something goes wrong.
When we don’t quite know what to say.
It’s the answer to most things.
A cup for every moment
We put the kettle on first thing in the morning, often before anything else has properly begun.
We put it on when we come in from the garden.
When a friend pops round.
When there’s a pause in the day that needs marking.
We take teabags on holiday - not able to risk the poor tea in our accomodation, this is one of the most common perishables taken abroad!
At work, it becomes its own ritual — the mid-morning cup, the afternoon one that somehow feels essential, the quiet reset between lunch and the evening ahead.
Tea fits itself around the day without ever needing to be asked.
In times of comfort
When a woman gives birth, one of the first things she’s offered by the midwife is a comforting cup of tea and some toast.
A moment of crisis?
The kettle goes on.
All hospital wards in England have the tea trolley coming round in the afternoons to offer a cup to the patients.
There’s something reassuring about it — a small, familiar gesture that says everything will be alright, or at least a little better.
We asked our team
We asked the team at packs bags and leaves when they most enjoy a cup of tea.
Leigh, head of branding and design
“It’s always time for tea — it’s the answer to most things.”
Beth, head of production and fulfilment
“My most enjoyable cup of tea is in bed in the morning — preferably brought to me, but it doesn’t often happen.”
Marita, head of operations
"My favourite cup is the first one of the day, when my husband James brings me a cup of tea in bed. After that, it’s woven into the rhythm of the day — a cup when I'm working and always one in the afternoon, that gentle pause between lunchtime and the evening."
Kate, founder of Packs bags and leaves
"The best cup is always the first of the day — and it has to be just right. The right tea, at the right moment, made exactly as it should be. What blend I chose changes depending on my mood, the day and the time, which is one of the reasons why I created my own blends — to make sure every cup has its place."
However we take it, the moment matters just as much as the tea itself.
More than habit
Putting the kettle on is more than habit.
It’s a pause.
A reset.
A way of saying: sit down for a minute.
At packs bags and leaves, that’s what we come back to time and again — tea that fits into real life, into all its small, familiar moments.
So whether it’s first thing in the morning, mid-afternoon or the end of a long day…
Go on. Put the kettle on.
At packs bags and leaves, we explore more of these everyday rituals in our Journal, including why tea is more than just a drink.
