Tea strainers contrary to popular belief were extremely uncommon before the Edwardian period (1901-1910) and were not really in regular use until the time of the First World War.
A few existed in the form of a tiny, pierced bucket, suspended from two prongs of silver which fitted into a teapot spout. These were relatively impractical and not what one would think of as a tea strainer today.
There were also two other items to be found in the eighteenth century which merit discussion. The first item is normally found c1720 to c1780. This looks very much like a modern-day tea strainer but was in fact made for straining citrus fruits to go into the punch that was so popular in the early to mid-eighteenth century. Although not designed as tea strainers the more finely pierced ones still work well as such.
The second item is what is known as a mote spoon. These were generally made from c1710 to c1770 and were of small teaspoon size with a pierced bowl and a thin rounded stem leading to a point. There is still much debate whether the pierced bowl was used to remove the bits (or motes) that floated on top, or the other theory is that it was to sift through the rather crude tea that was prevalent at the time. The point at the end was to unblock the teapot spout.
William Walter Ltd. offers an extensive range of tea strainers helping you appreciate and relive an English tradition.
