Nobody Has Ever Loved Food as Much as This Man Loves Tea

Britain is known for being a nation of tea-lovers, but nobody in the U.K. loves tea as much as Yorkshireman Nathan Garner. In fact, nobody has ever loved any food as much as he loves tea. I’m serious! This dude loves his tea more than Proust loved Madelines and Monty Python loved Spam, and he just proved it by legally changing his middle name to “Yorkshire Tea.”

Nathan Derek Garner is no more. Long live Nathan Yorkshire Tea Garner.

Garner told The Daily Express that he started drinking Yorkshire Tea when he was 12 years old. It was his grandfather’s favorite tea, and he’s been attached to it ever since. Now he drinks about 20 cups of Yorkshire Tea every day. It’s become his signature trait. Some people like football, some people play guitar — Nathan Garner drinks massive quantities of Yorkshire Tea.

Garner has good taste in tea, too. Yorkshire Tea is an excellent brew. It’s a fine, strong black tea blend that’s the second most popular brand of tea in the U.K., just behind PG Tips. I always keep a box of Yorkshire Gold in my house because it’s my husband’s favorite tea, and it’s great for guests who want tea but don’t have a specific variety in mind. It’s a very nice tea that everyone seems to like, but Garner loves it the most.

Garner’s name change came about because his friends were teasing him about it.

“I was at work one day and my mate Billy said, ‘Chuffin’ hell, you drink so much of that stuff you should change your name to Yorkshire Tea,'” says Garner.

Most people would have laughed that comment off, but Garner decided it was a great idea. On his lunch break that very day, Garner used his phone to request a change of name by deed poll online. Now his name really is Nathan Yorkshire Tea Garner.

Garner says his friends and family thought it was an odd thing to do, but the only opinion that really matters is that of the person who named him in the first place, and she thinks it’s fantastic.

“Friends and family mainly think it’s a bit of a silly thing to do but my mum Cheryl thinks it’s great,” he says. “She laughed out loud when I told her.”

Garner’s mother supports her son’s Yorkshire Tea obsession, even though she is a PG Tips drinker herself. That’s real love.

Yorkshire Tea loves it, too. The brand is still made in Yorkshire, and brand manager Laura Burton said the company is “beyond flattered” and can’t wait to invite him over for a cup of tea.

Naming oneself after a favorite food isn’t such a bad idea after all. A middle name isn’t useful for much anyway, and it’s a quick way to give garner a smile whenever it’s time to request a passport or file taxes. I wonder if “Macaroni and Cheese” is available.