Afternoon Tea

Afternoon tea, is a relatively new tradition. Whilst the custom of drinking tea dates back to the third
millennium Before Christ in China and was popularised in England during the 1660s by King Charles
II and his wife the Portuguese Infanta Catherine de Braganza, it was not until the mid 19th century
that the concept of ‘afternoon tea’ first appeared.

Afternoon tea was introduced in England by Anna, the Duchess of Bedford, in the year 1840. The
Duchess would become hungry around four o’clock in the afternoon and the evening meal in her
household was served late, at eight o’clock, thus leaving a long period of time between lunch and
dinner. The Duchess asked that a tray to be brought to her room with tea, bread and butter and cake.
This became a habit of hers and she began inviting friends to join her.

Traditional afternoon tea consists of a selection of dainty sandwiches (including of course thinly sliced
cucumber sandwiches), scones served with clotted cream and jams. Cakes and pastries are also
served. Tea grown in India or Ceylon is poured from China teapots and cups.

Today, in the average suburban home, afternoon tea is likely to be just a biscuit or small cake and a
mug of tea, usually produced using a teabag.

To experience the best of the afternoon tea tradition, we should go to one of London’s finest hotels or
visit a tearoom in the west country.

Of all the regional variations of how a cream tea should be served the titans in this battle always boil
down to just two… The Devonshire Cream Tea versus the Cornish Cream Tea. The main difference
is that we choose to put first, cream or jam?

Another topic is “why they used milk in the tea”. When tea was first imported to the U.K., the general
population could not afford fine bone china, and regular cups could not withstand the heat of boiling
water. It became a custom to pour milk first before adding boiling water so cups would not shatter.

On the other hand, if you can´t pay for good quality tea, the milk would cover up the taste of some
cheap teas. Whatever the reason, the practices stuck, and now people enjoy their tea with milk and
sugar even if the tea is considered high-quality.

In England, also they have High Tea. This is a traditionally an end of day meal for the working class,
comprising things like cold meats, pies, salad, pickles, bread and butter, cakes, and a pot of tea.
There are a wide selection of hotels in London offering the quintessential afternoon tea experience .
Hotels offering traditional afternoon tea include the Ritz, the Savoy, Harrods and the Brigit´s Bakery.
The latter, is a bus where you can enjoy afternoon tea and visit the most important places in London.