Do try it!

I recently had lunch at Restaurant II with the founder of Dilmah tea, Merrill J. Fernando, and his son Dilhan. Merrill is celebrating 21 yeas of his family tea with a limited edition leaf tea and a new range -The Exceptionals - with a selection of eight black and green teas. It will be available in major supermarkets across Australia.

The teas are labelled 'ethically produced and packed at origin by my family', words that carry a lot of weight in today's world. They are also single origin and unblended

We've only tried some of these so far but have been impressed by the freshness (all are foil sealed) and the beautiful scent of the tea. The flavours have been rich and satisfying.

The welcome drink at the lunch was a deliciously refreshing iced tea made from Valley of Kings Ceylon Pekoe, a regal tea served with ginger and mint.

The lunch also was an opportunity for Dilmah to explain the work of their MJF Charitable Foundation and Dilmah Conservation.

Restaurant II chef and owner, the delightful David Pugh, had the good fortune to travel throughout Sir Lanka with Dilmah and told me of the wonderful experience. He's looking forward to going back for a holiday some time. On the menu were some interesting recipes David devised using tea, including Confit of Petaluna Ocean Trout and Moreton Bay Bug with Ceylon Green Tea dressing. The Slow Roasted Cape Grim Beef was a triumph - incredibly tender and flavoursome. Cape Grim is on the tip of Tasmania, near King Island, I was told.

I'll be adding Dilmah tea to my shopping trolley from now on, maybe for the cute shape of the tea bags, but really because I just like the taste of the tea.