Crossword Genius

Lapdog to chow down nothing but tea (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

pekoe

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'tea' is the definition.
(pekoe is a kind of tea)

'lapdog to chow down nothing' is the wordplay.
I cannot really see how this works, but
'nothing' could be 'o' (O resembles 0) and 'o' is found in the answer.
The remaining letters 'peke' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

'but' is the link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for pekoe that I've seen before include "High quality black tea" , "brew" , "Thin mark; run naked" , "Scented black tea" , "High-quality black tea" .)

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.
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