A cuppa really is as English as it comes

A cuppa really is as English as it comes

January 10 2006 at 07:29AM

London - The cup of tea, that staple of everyday English life for centuries, has officially become a national icon as the British government launched a new project to celebrate the country's cultural heritage.

The humble cuppa was named as one of 12 symbols that best represents England in an online initiative spearheaded by the department of culture, media and sport.

Others include football's FA Cup; World War 2 fighter plane the Spitfire; and the Routemaster, the red bus with its distinctive spiral staircase and open platform that until last year plied London's streets.

The collection is designed to spur greater interest in England's heritage and prompt more people to visit galleries and museums.
More popular icons will be added in the months to come from nominations made by people logging on to a special website, http://www.icons.org.uk/

Among the nominations received so far are the London black taxi cab, the original Mini car, the red telephone box, fish and chips, and the pub.

But historian Roger Scruton told The Sun: "(King) Henry VIII was more Welsh than English, Holbein was born in Germany. Tea? That's from India."

- This article was originally published on page 4 of The Star on January 10, 2006