To think most people offer a brew as soon as visitors arrive

[CoheedandCambria]

Light-hearted

If I'm going over to someone's house (invited), most people I know will offer a hot drink pretty much as soon as I've walked through the door. And I will do the same if anyone comes over.
This is the proper way isn't it?!

Whenever we go to PIL we have to wait aaaaages before we're offered anything and recently we only had time to pop by for just over an hour and we didn't have owt moist!

YANBU - a brew as soon as you're over the threshold
YABU - patience is a virtue

Yes, I would offer pretty much as soon as you are seated. Workmen, as they take their boots off, they get offered tea or coffee.
Friends, tea, coffee, wine or gin, depending on time / day of the week. Brandy, if they’ve had a shock and need to tell me about it.

We don’t eat a lot of biscuits but there will usually be some individually wrapped chocolate ones, just about in date, that I can pull out as needed.

Kettle is on as soon as I hear the car pull up, before I open the door, if it's expected visitors.
Tradies get a bit of chat and then offered a brew. Some take one, others don't. They all take cake/biscuits though!!!
I go to various schools as a peri adviser. Before the pandemic every school offered a brew. Now, it's a rare occurrence.

Nothing worse than being gasping for a cuppa and not being offered! Or, as my mum would say ‘spitting feathers’

My Indian friend has tea made along with little snacks before my bum has hit the chair/!

Where are you from that people don't offer anything to guests?

My adult dc don't drink tea either (and only the occasional coffee for 2 of them, 1 only drinks water) BUT they would still offer drinks as soon as people are seated in their houses (or cross the threshold if tradesmen).

It's 'etiquette' isn't it?

In our house, we call it the 'kettle of summoning' because it's on as soon as you might reasonably be expected to arrive. That goes for everyone from invited guests to tradespeople coming to do a five-minute job.

Yes I always offer drinks straight away.

I always offer a brew as the kettle is rarely cold in this house. The decorator always gets chocolate hob nobs, other tradies get offered and usually accept a bacon butty in the morning and then get biscuits in the afternoon. The chimney sweep prefers a glass of water. My DH is a tradie too and often comes home spitting feathers because he has not been offered a cup of tea all day.

yep I thought it was the law tbh when I was small my mum convinced me it was Irish 🇮🇪 too
Treated every visitor as if they were the pope
my in laws are Asian before we have got our shoes a full buffet for us and the children with there favourite snacks is presented

I'm British but I don't drink tea either, I'm a coffee drinker.
You don't have to make tradesmen a drink but it's generally the case that if you keep them hydrated they work more efficiently and for longer!

YANBU, unless it is after 6pm and then it’s wine

I don’t drink tea so probably wouldn’t think to put the kettle on for anyone visiting. Unless it’s my sister in law who drinks endless cups of tea.

At the rates they charge, I’m quite happy to let them crack on and work. I’m happy to make one mid morning once I’ve seen stuff get done but I’m not paying £250 a day for someone to sit around drinking tea as soon as they’ve stepped foot in the house.

When I get to work, I start working and will get a tea once I’ve checked my emails. Not sure why tradesmen get special treatment?

We drive three hours with a toddler and a dog and after about 30 to 40 minutes, I just go into my in-laws kitchen and make myself a drink. I make a big scene of it thinking at some point they would catch on, but I’ve been with DH for nearly 20 years & still self serving my brews. For context, my mother-in-law is not the sort of person where you’d just pop into her kitchen and make yourself a cup of tea.

I'm sure you offer a drink/juice/soft drink though. Although it is still odd that you don't have tea/coffee for visitors. I don't like herbal tea but still have a selection of teas to offer guests.

We're talking about people who don't offer anything.

I'd be mortified to think anyone ever went away from my house justified in complaining that they hadn't been offered a drink and a time-of-day-appropriate bite to eat. I was brought up to get the kettle on and put some biscuits on a plate as soon as anyone arrived at the door, invited or not.

My experience is that most people do the same, though my DS is more likely to suggest popping out to a local café because he lives in a shared house and the communal area is always busy.

I'll offer right away if I don't particularly like you and that way I can get away from you for a few more precious minutes.😁

Well, it's not special treatment.

Everyone who comes to my house gets offered a cuppa.

But, I've never met a trade who "sits around drinking tea" - people drink it as they work, same as I do whether I am checking e-mails or in a meeting.

You would be waiting forever in my house. I just dont think about offering a drink because I dont drink tea or coffee. My parents, usually the bastions of subtle hinting, have even resorted to just saying 'put the kettle on' and dear mil just has given up completely and just makes one. I remain oblivious generally. I dont mean to be rude but I barely remember to make myself a drink the whole day. It's just not on my radar. I remember a colleague getting annoyed with me because I never offered to make tea and coffee. I made it so badly (on purpose) that he never complained again.

Yup, offer a drink pretty much on arrival and if they say “no thanks”, I ask if they’re sure and run through the list of anything drinkable in the house and wear them down eventually 😂 It’s a bad habit and I’m trying to stop and accept the no!

I offer a drink as soon as people arrive. I don’t drink tea, but I keep it in for guests, along with a selection of coffees, soft drinks and every sort of alcoholic beverage imaginable. Close friends would help themselves at my house, but I always offer to everyone.
I do think not offering someone a drink is rude.

I’m astounded by some of the “you ain’t getting nowt” posts!

I always thought it was the height of Britishness to ensure that anyone so much as thinking of entering your home would have a brew and biscuit (cake if we’re really feeling fancy) in their hands before their feet were even through the door!

I have tried to imagine having anyone in my house - friend, family, workman, mortal enemy - and not brewing up. Even hypothetically I can’t do it, I came out in a hot flush of shame just thinking about it 😄

Yes always with friends. However family like parents or PIL I expect them to help themselves like I would in their houses

I offer straight away, my closest friends offer straight away but they know I’m an absolute caffeine fiend, caffeine is basically my personality 😂

My family and dhs family don’t offer though, I used to say jokingly say “is your kettle broken?” and they’d tell me to piss off and make my own so now I’m comfortable enough with each family member to go and make my own.

For British people. That person isn't British