Time for tea – With a difference

A new range of tea juice drinks from M&S is set to tantalise your taste buds. These drinks are made with a delicious mix of fruit juices and exotic flowers and each one contains a hint of speciality tea selected to complement the fruit flavours.

The range comprises: Red Grape, Raspberry & Cherry Juice blended with Oolong tea; Apple, Pomegranate & Hibiscus blended with Rooibos and black tea; Peach, Apricot and Jasmine blended with green and white tea; and Cloudy Apple & Golden Kiwi Juice blended with green tea.

Refreshing at any time of day, these drinks are perfect served on their own or with food. A delicious and sophisticated alternative to alcoholic drinks, they are ideal if you’re trying to avoid alcohol as part of your new year detox.

And not only will you be cutting down on the alcohol, but gaining the health benefits of the delicious ingredients.

Ethnobotanist James Wong explains why:

• Red grape juice contains all the polyphenols that red wine does, but without the downsides of consuming alcohol. Studies have shown that polyphenols contribute to heart health.

• Due to their high quercitin content, raspberries are often referred to as nature’s cure for hayfever. Quercitin helps alleviate the symptoms of hayfever, eczema, insect bites and other allergies.

• Cherries are rich in a variety of antioxidants such as anthocyanins, vitamin E and quercitin. They also contain a cholesterol lowering compound called beta-sitosterol.

• We all know the saying ‘an apple a day keeps the doctor away’, but now there is substantial evidence to back up their preventative effect on lung disease, in particular lung cancer.

• Pomegranate juice is thought to help prevent prostate cancer and plaque build up in the arteries – a major cause of heart attacks and strokes.

• Peaches and apricots are both a good source of vitamin C (20% of RDA) and vitamin A (11% of RDA) which help build a strong immune system and prevent damage from free radicals.

• Kiwi fruit contain very high levels of vitamin C, E and polyphenols – and the gold variety have significantly more than the traditional green varieties.

• Rooibos (or red bush) is also known as Bushmans’ tea, traditionally drunk by native bushmen of South Africa. It is believed to act as a digestive aid, relieving stomach cramps and colic in babies and has the added benefit of being caffeine free.

• The white tea used is Shou Mei, produced from naturally withered upper leaf and tips, with a stronger flavour reminiscent of lighter Oolong teas. It is mostly grown in the Fujian Province or Guangxi Province in China.

• Hibiscus is one of the most popular natural food colourings available. Hibiscus tea has been drunk in Asia for centuries. And there is some evidence to support the idea that it can be used to stem high blood pressure as well as cholesterol, thereby reducing the risk of heart disease. This reflects and reinforces the traditional belief that the tea can ease high blood pressure and liver disorders.

M&S Tea Juice Drinks are priced at 99p per 330ml bottle, and are available in stores from January 2008.