You might have heard that the title of UK Best Loaf 2025 has been awarded to a brioche infused with lemon curd and Earl Grey tea. Aono, the home-based baker from Derbyshire behind it, was inspired by recent Japanese culinary trends that blend lemon and Earl Grey. That got me wondering, outside Japan, just how many recipes incorporate Earl Grey? Well, here are 17 examples to start.
The first one is pretty straightforward: Earl Grey itself. The link between the tea and the second Earl Grey is, frankly, a bit murky. There’s no official recipe or recognized variations; it’s essentially tea flavored with bergamot, a type of bitter orange that is commonly grown in Calabria. Making your own is simple—you just need to leave some dried bergamot rind in a jar of tea. The flavor tends to be a bit more nuanced than store-bought versions, which usually contain bergamot oil, but you might find it preferable.
Earl Grey has a strong association with Afternoon Tea, and many recipes feature it in delightful tea-time treats. If you don’t think a tea-flavored bread is overdoing it, Ruby Tandoh offers a fantastic recipe that infuses dried fruits with Earl Grey for extra depth of flavor.
Anna Jones’ traditional Welsh rose bliss typically calls for strong tea as well, and she prefers Earl Grey. Her method involves using two tea bags steeped for a good while. Benjamina Ebuehi’s Earl Grey Cardamom Buns require four tea bags soaked in milk; they utilize yeast dough, so you’ll need some patience for the bread to rise. Plus, a little extra tea makes a syrup that adds shine to the top.
For tea time, there’s also Lily O’Brien’s straightforward recipe for figs and Earl Grey Jam. It requires only tea leaves, ripe figs, sugar, and lemon, all cooked down to a set point at 105°C.
The unique bergamot aroma of Earl Grey, initially meant to disguise inferior tea, somehow gives a distinctly British flair to desserts. In this vein, Ebuehi also offers an Earl Grey and Lemon Panna Cotta. For those who aren’t fans of coffee, there’s Earl Grey “Tea-Ramisu”, a perfect alternative. Microbinson’s Earl Grey Burnt Cream is a UK take on Crème Brûlée, infusing milk and cream with loose leaf tea wrapped in muslin.
If you’re looking for a dessert that’s almost breakfast, consider the recipe for toast, tea, marmalade bread and butter pudding. Using two Earl Grey tea bags elevates it as a breakfast dish, but it could work for brunch, too.
Nicky Duffy merges Earl Grey with apricots and mascarpone, letting the pudding chill for a while in the fridge. The dried apricots soak in tea for six hours to overnight, and the infused liquid is reduced on the stove. This mixture is then poured over the apricots before they sit in the fridge for up to two days ahead of serving.
For those wanting to keep it simple, Felicity Cloake poaches pears in Earl Grey tea, flavored with sugar and lemon zest (about 750ml should do the trick). If you enjoy that combo, you could also try Earl Grey Sorbet with Pear and Earl Grey Strudel.
And while you might think Earl Grey could only shine in desserts, it can also lend a unique twist to savory dishes. For example, check out Pear and walnut salad with Earl Grey dressing or even a turkey brined in tea and lemon gravy. You’ll need 18 or more Earl Grey bags for that one, so be ready to experiment!
To wrap things up, how about a couple of cocktails featuring Earl Grey? The challenge with incorporating tea into cocktails is that it can dilute the drink. Nevertheless, Andy Milz’s Mar-Tea-Ni cleverly uses an Earl Grey syrup made with tea leaves, blackcurrant jam, vanilla sugar, and apple juice. Definitely wait for this gem.
