book & tea pairings for autumn

because wine and cheese is so last season

‘You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me.’ — C.S. Lewis

It is a truth universally acknowledged that the bookish folk among us come alive as soon as the leaves begin to fall. The trees are donning their autumn finery, the girls are making their seasonal reading lists, and the universe is aligned again. If autumn were a perfume, it would have base notes of toasted vanilla and second-hand book pages. If autumn were a place, it would be a well-stocked library. 

Having spent two summers working at a vineyard, I have become well-acquainted with the art of wine and cheese pairing. I’ve watched the magic unfold on people’s faces as a sip of sparkling rosé is followed by a bite of creamy goat’s cheese or a buttery chardonnay waltzes across the tongue with its beloved dance partner, a smoky cheddar. But, as Taylor Swift so poignantly reminds us, August has been sipped away like the bottles of wine scattered across sun-soaked tables alongside leftover cheeseboard crumbs. The arrival of the ‘Ber Months' calls for something a little bit more cozy, a little bit less Meryl Streep in Mamma Mia! and a little bit more Meg Ryan in When Harry Met Sally. So, using my limited expertise, I have paired what one might call the ‘flavour profiles’ of some of my favourite autumnal reads with a variety of delicious teas. The result of this delicate alchemy will hopefully be a simple way to romanticise the small, quiet moments you can steal just for yourself amongst the hustle and bustle of the autumn calendar. 

I am, I must confess, much more of a coffee drinker than a tea drinker, but there are unfortunately only so many coffee variants to work with. And while a cinnamon latte is the ideal companion for a crisp, cold morning walk or some rainy-day bookshop browsing, there is definitely something uniquely cozy and homely about a warm mug of tea to curl up with on the sofa as the dark evenings creep in. Throw in a soft blanket and a paperback that’s been dog-eared within an inch of its life, and you have officially completed the holy trinity of Bookish Girl Autumn.

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

‘I suppose at one time in my life I might have had any number of stories, but now there is no other. This is the only story I will ever be able to tell.’

The Secret History is definitely a staple in the autumn canon, and for good reason. The blueprint for dark academia, this twisted story unfolds against the infamously picturesque backdrop of rural Vermont, where there is mystery afoot and more than just a dash of melancholy in the air. Achingly pretentious but equally elegant and introspective, I think this novel pairs perfectly with a steaming mug of Earl Grey. Preferably, this will be consumed by the light of candle sticks wedged into vintage wine bottles while an orchestral symphony drifts from a nearby gramophone. (Alternatively, find a soft jazz playlist or some kind of ambient background full of slightly unsettling wind chime sounds to play on your laptop). 

Renowned for its distinctive infusion of black tea and bergamot oil, there is a refined and enigmatic quality to Earl Grey that beautifully lends itself to the cloistered atmosphere of The Secret History. Its underlying smokiness and bitter edge also perfectly mirrors the insular web of immoral pursuits and intellectual decadence haunting the shadows of Hampden College’s ivy-clad halls. While Richard Papen and his pals are more likely to be plotting their next murder over a bottle of cognac, Earl Grey’s aristocratic roots - named after British Prime Minister Charles Grey for whom the blend was, according to legend, created following a diplomatic mission to China - imbues it with a certain elitist flavour that aligns well with these characters’ slightly insufferable obsession with the ancient Greeks. With every sip, you’ll step a little further into the shoes of a self-styled scholar who commits various acts of evil when they get a bit too enthusiastic about their Greek homework.

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Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

‘I’ve got the key to my castle in the air, but whether I can unlock the door remains to be seen.’

Switching from the heinous to the heart-warming, the quaint household of the March sisters is perhaps my favourite place to seek shelter in when the days get colder. Whilst we are on the topic, I might as well let it be known now that I am a Jo March through and through, although I can’t quite seem to shake that impossible Amy March desire to be great or nothing. But I digress.

To fully inhabit a space by the roaring fire within this classic tale, one only needs a cup of chamomile tea to drink alongside it. Renowned for its simple ingredients and soothing essence, there is a golden warmth to this tea which compliments the novel’s celebration of the restorative nature of domestic comforts: gathering around the hearth on Christmas morning, homemade gifts and plays in the attic, tending to the garden, sewing and reading and listening to Beth play the piano. Like chamomile with its centuries-old history as a natural remedy for the body, Little Women can be turned to for its healing properties for the soul – the combination of the two will make you unstoppable. In particular, I think chamomile really embodies the gentle, nurturing qualities of Marmee, who is often overlooked as a character but is very much the emotional anchor of the family. 

My own personal research indicates that a few pages of Little Women paired with a chamomile tea before bed is the secret recipe for a blissful, nightmare-free sleep; it’s as if the book and the brew have conspired to envelop you in a cocoon of comfort. And while this is strictly a list of book and tea pairings, I can confirm the magic remains intact if you swap the novel for the Little Women movie adaptation (Greta Gerwig’s, of course) without losing an ounce of its cozy charm. (Top tip: add a slice of red velvet cake into this dreamy concoction for an extra dose of indulgence).

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Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett

‘One doesn’t need magic if one knows enough stories’. 

Now, I must admit this is actually my current read so I have not yet read it in full, but with 100 pages to go I am already so enchanted by this story that it simply had to make it onto this autumnal reading list. ‘Cozy fantasy’ is getting a lot of attention at the moment and this book definitely exemplifies the genre at its finest, but I would also describe it as a kind of ‘light academia’ tale, the whimsical sister of novels like The Secret History or Babel. There’s footnotes, ancient folklore, and a curmudgeonly Cambridge professor who is far too dedicated to her fieldwork to fall for her insufferable yet extremely dashing academic rival (or so she thinks…). There is no better pairing for this spellbinding adventure than a blend of green tea with elderflower. 

I think there’s something very grounding but also quite otherworldly about green tea - it has a light, almost ethereal quality to it combined with a subtle earthiness which certainly makes it feel like the sort of drink you might share with a fae creature in a woodland glade. The elderflower is important because of its rich heritage: elder trees historically have mystical, sacred associations in various myths and legends (and, more recently, in Harry Potter), such as the goddess Hylde who wards off evil spirits in Celtic folklore, or the Elder Mother in Norse mythology. This refined combination of natural flavours, imbued with the essence of wisdom passed down through generations, dissolves the boundaries not just between the human and Faerie realms but between fiction and reality, enabling one to step straight through the page and roam hidden landscapes with Emily Wilde in the pursuit of magical knowledge. 

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The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern 

‘The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not.’ 

Stepping under the black and white striped canvas of The Night Circus in the autumn months always feels like coming home. I credit this book with reigniting my love for reading back in 2018 after a long period of dormancy while I was consumed by school and the general tribulations of being a teenage girl. Looking back at my Goodreads review, I claimed that it was now ‘probably my favourite book of all time’. I’m not sure that’s necessarily still true, as I’ve read some life-changing books in the years since and my reading tastes have evolved quite a bit, but I certainly would not hesitate to give The Night Circus a spot in my top 5 (tied with The Starless Sea, because picking one over the other would be like choosing a favourite child). 

I’ve always thought that reading Erin Morgenstern’s lush, indulgent prose is most akin to drinking an extremely decadent, slow-cooked hot chocolate, infused with peppermint essence and a subtle, buttery hint of toffee popcorn. But as we’re talking tea, the brooding mystique soaking the pages of The Night Circus calls for a brew that is in equal parts complex and comforting - and that could be none other than a cup of chai. 

This warm, spicy blend of black tea with cardamom, cinnamon and ginger completely embodies the rich sensory feast that is Le Cirque des Rêves, making it the ideal companion for a hypnotic journey through this fantastical labyrinth of fortune tellers, ice gardens, midnight dinner parties, wishing trees adorned with candles and carousels where you can ride actual dragons. The duality of the relationship between Celia and Marco - two ancient magicians’ students who are bound in a mysterious contest with one another whilst fighting a deepening connection of a very different kind - also echoes the delicate balancing act of flavours in a chai, where sweet and spicy coexist. For a touch of extra sweetness to soothe the sore throat you will have inevitably acquired by mid-November, add in a lemon slice and a generous squeeze of honey.