There’s something quietly magical about a cup of tea. Not the kind you gulp in a panic while trying to get your mascara on before the school run, but the proper, sit-down, “tell me your secrets” kind. And if you grew up anywhere near my Grandma Annie, you learned very quickly that once the tea was gone, the real conversation was just beginning.

Tea leaf reading (also known as tasseography, if you want to sound fancy at parties) is the art of interpreting the shapes left behind in a cup after drinking loose-leaf tea. It’s part intuition, part storytelling, and part “how on earth does that blob look exactly like a man aggressively chasing a sausage roll?” Or if you’re a Harry Potter fan..a grim.

My grandma Annie was an absolute pro. She could look into a cup and tell you if romance was coming, if money was on its way, or if you should absolutely avoid neighbour Brenda for the next three weeks.

As a child, I thought this was completely normal behaviour. Other kids had bedtime stories; I had prophecies delivered over a chipped mug of Yorkshire tea.

Fast forward to now, and I’ve picked up the tradition myself—because clearly, staring into tea cups and seeing people’s futures runs in the family.

But tea leaf reading isn’t about predicting doom and gloom or pretending you’ve got a direct line to the universe’s customer service desk. It’s about connection. It’s about slowing down, tuning in, and letting your intuition have a voice.

Also, it’s a brilliant excuse to drink more tea.

If you’ve never had a tea leaf reading before, here’s how it usually goes. You drink your tea (important step—no skipping ahead). You swirl the cup like you’re in a very low-budget wizard film. You turn it over and let the leaves settle. Then someone like me peers into it thoughtfully and says something like, “Ah… interesting… there’s a flamingo in a top hat.”

Every symbol, shape, and pattern tells a story. Some are clear, some are… creatively interpreted. But the magic happens in how those symbols connect to your life.

In a world of constant notifications, endless scrolling, and microwave meals that somehow take longer than expected, tea leaf reading offers something rare: a pause.

A chance to reflect on what you’re hoping it is going to say. That’s actually the clarity you’ve maybe been looking for.

Now for the exciting bit—I’ll be offering tea leaf readings at Craft n Chat in Huddersfield next weekend.

Am I excited? Absolutely.
Am I slightly nervous I’m going to spill it everywhere? Also absolutely.
Have I already had a dream where I accidentally read someone’s tea leaves and just see “buy milk”? Yes. Yes, I have.

But mostly, I’m really looking forward to meeting people, sharing this lovely tradition, and maybe channelling a bit of Grandma Annie’s magic.

I alos offer tea leaf readings as an add on when you book a tarot reading with me in my witchy cabin! Head over to services for more details. I’m off to pop the kettle on.