Posted on September 30, 2008 by Fiona Hilliard

“Will you have a cup of tea?  Ah go on, go on, go on, go on, go on, go on, Go ON!”

The famous words of Father Ted’s housekeeper Mrs Doyle could soon be coming to an airport terminal near you.  All passengers flying into Britain are to be offered a free cup of tea and a biscuit in a plan to boost the country’s welcoming image.  The initiative is to be road tested in Heathrow’s Terminal 5 for a week in November.  With Terminal 5’s murky track record, one can only hope it’s not a case of tea and sympathy. 

The man behind the plan is Mark Price, managing director of supermarket chain, Waitrose.
Already he has talked the British Airport Authority into running a week-long trial in November, offering 5,000 cups of tea to new arrivals.  Britain’s official tourism agency, Visit Britain is supporting the quirky campaign, which could see all UK airports offering tea and biscuits in the run up to the 2012 Olympics.

The matter of which biscuits to offer is still under consideration however.

We ‘re curious to know your thoughts.  What biscuit would you like to see teamed with your free cuppa?  Or, you may not think a weak brew and a soggy digestive cuts it after a long delay.  Leave us a comment and let us know what you think!