Champagne might seem the obvious choice for a Valentine Day tipple. Having met Paul Simbeck-Hampson, however, I'm more inclined to suggest to my other half that we indulge in tea for two tonight. Rose petals, cactus flowers and "eight treasures" of the Shaolin monks sounds infinitely more intriguing than a bottle of Bolly. Put the kettle on dear - mine's a cup of Love Dream'.

THEY may sound like the latest colours from Dulux Summer Wind, Rainy Day, Tropical Pearl and Sencha Harmony.

But these evocative monikers actually belong to an incredible range of teas which can be accessed via the Internet and selected shops in South Lakeland.

e-teas is the brainchild of Paul Simbeck-Hampson, the former Kirkbie Kendal schoolboy who has literally made the world his oyster.

This is the condensed version: after taking his O-levels, Paul studied for a variety of business administration and strategic management qualifications; acquired a teaching certificate; set up a successful quality and training programme for the J R Taylor group (many people will remember Peter's father, who was the general manager at the former Kendal department store); established his own management training company and an Information Technology business providing IT solutions' throughout the North West. Then, casting caution to the wind, sold the lot and set off for the sunny climes of South East Asia.

Not one for sitting on his laurels, Paul took up scuba diving as a hobby but eventually became an instructor and somehow or other ended up researching sharks and coral reefs.

In the middle of all this he fell in love with one of his diving students, a Bavarian by the name of Petra. Her family are two-generation fairground folk who, with the aid of lasers and digital photography, have transformed the humble shooting range into a state-of-the-art pastime for fun-loving Germans fresh from the beer kellers. It's big business and could have been Paul's for the asking after his marriage to Petra.

But life on the road and a camper van home to boot didn't really suit a young couple with their hearts set on starting a family. So a couple of years ago they moved to Flookburgh where Paul's parents were living at the time for the birth of Lilli.

Paul who now speaks fluent German despite failing the language at Kirkbie Kendal immediately started applying for jobs but what he really wanted was a business of his own. Ulverston provided the answer when the family was out shopping one day.

"Petra wanted some loose tea but she could only find it in teabags. In Germany, every other town and village has a teashop with 300 or 400 varieties of loose teas. It's not just in Germany, loose teas are a European thing," said Paul.

In that moment he had the whole idea for e-teas.

Paul picked up every book he could find on tea. "If there's one thing I know how to do it's study," he quipped.

Paul also spent hours researching the competition and perfecting his company's success rate with Internet search engines.

By April last year he was in business. Lady Cavendish was among Paul's first customers when she sampled an e-tea' at the Holker Hall Garden Festival. They are now on sale at Holker's Courtyard Caf and gift shop.

"In fact, every single show we attended last year was a success," said Paul. The majority of his Internet customers are from southern England. Customers in this neck of the woods can also use the Internet but tend to buy e-teas from several retail outlets Lucy's of Ambleside; Hazelmere Caf, Grange-over-Sands; Appleseeds, Ulverston; The Country Shop, Arnside; Yew Treen Barn Tea Room, Low Newton; South Lakeland Nurseries, Cark; and Flookburgh Post Office. You will also find e-teas in North West Hampers of Garstang.

Paul imports the teas from Bavaria and packs them here in the UK. At the moment the range boasts more than 100 varieties but you can expect that to increase to about 300 by the end of the month.

There are green teas, herbal, black and fruit teas, medicinal, mood', maternal' and South African red bush teas. There are teas for men - with mistletoe and ginseng root; and for women - with raspberry leaves and lady's mantle. There are teas for the evening, for the morning, for after work and rainy days and, of course, for love. (The secret reputedly lies in the rose petals, the potent wood', the bi feng, the pao chung, and the China Sencha KBA, whatever that may be.)

The teas smell fantastic too I couldn't keep my nose out of the chocolate and cream'!

"All of these teas are very beautiful tasting and they are also incredibly healthy," said Paul, whose research uncovered this delightful gem from the Buddhist monk Eisai who, in 1211, wrote: "Tea is a miraculous medicine for the maintenance of health. Tea has an extraordinary power to prolong life. Anywhere a person cultivates tea, long life will follow. In ancient and modern times, tea is the elixir that creates the mountain-dwelling immortal."

I don't think my usual cup of char entitles me to mountain-dwelling immortality but I am seriously considering conversion to loftier brews.

Should you care to join me on the mountain you can buy e-teas and a myriad of tea accessories' at the outlets listed above or via the Internet at www.e-teas.co.uk

Paul is giving away a design award-winning teapot and three e-teas (For Men, For Women, and Love Dream) to the winner of a special Food & Drink competition. All you have to do to enter is drop me a line saying which country red bush teas come from. Put your answer on a postcard or the back of a sealed envelope and send it to: E-Tea Competition, c/o Food & Drink, The Westmorland Gazette, 22 Stricklandgate, Kendal, LA9 4NE, to arrive by first post next Friday, February 21. The prize will go to the first correct entry drawn.

February 13, 2003 10:30