First off, happy birthday! Welcome back to being the same age as me.

In the red container, you’ll find Yerba Maté, which comes from Latin America. Originally it was consumed by first chewing the green leaves, and then placing the chewed leaves inside hollowed out fruit of the calabash plant filled with water before sucking it through a small straw made out of cane. But I promise I won’t make you do that. It’s a lot of work and I swear the first time I did it someone almost died laughing at me. When the Spanish arrived some two hundred years ago, they turned it into a teabag, which is what is enclosed. It is believed that by consuming Yerba Maté, you are drinking the power of the jungle. Use that information as you will.

To go with it, there’s a piece of Pastafrola. It’s a pie with a shortbread crust and a guava paste filling. I picked it up this morning from a friend who is one of the best bakers I have ever met in my entire life, so I hope it’s still good when you go to try it. It’s in a small box tied with a red string.

You would love Egypt, Basil. Unlike here, where tea is only drunk at certain times, Egyptians drink tea morning, noon and night. In fact it’s an everyday necessity and served with every meal, but it’s also meant as a way to sit back, relax and form deep connections with the people around you. I made some of my best friends sitting around, drinking tea. This one is a loose leaf tea and requires a bit more work. It’s called koshary shai, and it’s prepared by steeping the leaves in hot water, adding as much sugar as you can possibly manage, and then adding some mint. They were appalled the first time I added milk to tea. Apparently Egyptians are horrified by the idea.

Honey cakes are what you’ll find in the box tied with the blue ribbon. A fun fact about them is that if you look at paintings in tombs and they’re having a feast, more than likely you’ll find a honey cake (or two, or three) in the picture. You can't find them in England, which is very sad because I love these. They’re fried pastry dough filled with fruit, honey and nuts. One is made with cherimoya and the other is made with figs and pomegranates, although I’m not sure which is which. There was a third, a cherry one, but I kind of ate it.

The last tea in there is relatively new. It’s called Assam and it’s grown in India. The tea plants weren’t found growing until 1823, which is surprising. Just brew like normal. Add some milk too. I promise it’s really good with some milk. Milk makes it sweet, and well, you won't be disappointed. I promise. With it, please enjoy Khaja. It’s a fried piece of dough soaked in some kind of sugar water. It’s one of my favorites because it’s super sweet.

That’s kind of it? I hope you like what’s in the box, although if you don’t, feel free to just toss it out.

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   Basil Foxwood